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Quentin Tarantino's 1992 heist film, Reservoir Dogs, is widely recognised as one of the greatest independent films ever made. Originally, Tarantino intended to shoot the crime thriller with his friends on a shoestring budget of just $30,000. However, actor-producer Harvey Keitel was so impressed that he came on board as a co-producer. This vote of confidence allowed Tarantino and his producer Lawrence Bender to secure $1.5 million in funding for the film. Reservoir Dogs then raked in $2.9 million at the global box-office, its popularity skyrocketing after the success of Tarantino's next groundbreaking movie - Pulp Fiction (1994). Penned and directed by Tarantino, Reservoir Dogs marked his feature-length directorial debut and boasts a star-studded cast including Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madsen, Edward Bunker and Tarantino himself. Reservoir Dogs will only be available to stream on Netflix until November 14, after which it will depart from the platform on November 15. The cult classic showcases several of Tarantino's trademarks including graphic crime scenes, strong language, nonlinear storytelling, and an abundance of pop culture references. The film initially debuted at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival and became the event's most discussed picture, leading to its acquisition by Miramax for distribution. In 2024, a poll of 500 filmmakers and critics, organised to mark Sundance's 40th anniversary, placed Reservoir Dogs second in the festival's 'Top 10 Films of All Time', reports the Express . Reservoir Dogs chronicles a band of criminals who join forces to execute a carefully orchestrated diamond robbery. Yet when the job descends into mayhem and transforms into a savage trap, the gang turns suspicious and discovers that one amongst them is an undercover police officer. Mistrust and fear consume the crew as pressure mounts and the predicament threatens to spiral out of control before law enforcement arrives. Boasting an impressive 90 per cent critics approval rating and 94 per cent audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes , there's little question that Reservoir Dogs remains a crowd-pleaser all round. Lauding the picture, one viewer penned: "One of my favorite movies, always keeps you on the edge not knowing what is going to happen next, performances are incredible, plot is great, one of Tarantino's best." Meanwhile another fan commented on Tarantino's first effort: "Incredible movie! It's impossible this was Tarantino's first movie!" One thrilled viewer, in a glowing review, declared: "STILL one of my VERY favourite movies. Saw when it first came out and saw it again in the theatre today because they are doing a Tarantino film fest. Every actor carries their weight and together, they made a classic. The characters, the story, the music...everything is perfection. Not for the faint of heart or those who don't like a little blood with their gore." Another satisfied audience member penned: "Masterpiece! Fantastic acting, script and directing. Tarantino changing the gangster film genre." A critic appreciated the film in their review: "Quentin Tarantino hit a home run with his feature debut, Reservoir Dogs, and cinema would never be the same." Whilst another impressed reviewer stated: "Undoubtedly one of the best films of the 1990s, and probably one of the best directorial debuts of all time, Reservoir Dogs announced the arrival of one of contemporary cinema's hottest talents - and he came out shooting." Reservoir Dogs is set to depart from Netflix on November 15.
