AlthoughQuentin Tarantinohad only written a few screenplays before directing his first movie,Reservoir Dogs, the finished product looks like it was helmed by a veteran filmmaker. The story of a diamond heist gone wrongis an exercise in building tension, packed with the snappy, quotable dialogue the director would become known forby the timePulp Fictioncame out years later.
In Tarantino’s first outing, the character work takes center stage, withthe combustible personalities of the professional criminals leading to unpredictable and often violent outcomes.In celebration of one of the best independent films ever made, we rank the characters inReservoir Dogsby how much of an impression they made during their doomed job.
Reservoir Dogs
10Mr. Blue
Played by Edward Bunker
Of all the criminals, Mr. Blue (Edward Bunker) definitely receives the least amount of screen time and lines. Age-wise, he seems older than the rest of the crew, but one has to assume if Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney) picked him to work the job, Mr. Blue has skills to offer. As an off-screen casualty, Mr. Blue is primarily used to convey how poorly the job went by showing that not all men could even survive the trip back to the rendezvous point.
Mr. Blue is primarily used to convey how poorly the job went…
While Bunker may be the least showcased in the film, in real life, he had more criminal experience than the rest of the cast combined. A real-life reformed criminal,Bunker assisted as a consultant onReservoir Dogs, using his hard-earned experience to inform the legitimacy of the plot.
9Mr. Brown
Played by Quentin Tarantino
Tarantino doesn’t give himself too many lines inReservoir Dogs, but his “Like a Virgin” speech as Mr. Brown is a memorable way to kick off the movie. His profanity-laden dissection of theMadonnachart topper quickly sets the tone of the humor in the film and how the strangers brought together for a job talk to one another.The speech is less about what he’s saying, and rather how all the surrounding men react to it.
…Mr. Brown offers levity in the few scenes he appears in.
In a film that has one intense scene leading to another, Mr. Brown offers levity in the few scenes he appears in. The audience will never know how good Mr. Brown was at his job, as he dies in the escape from the police, but what’s certain is he has some of the best lines.As far as directorial cameos go, it’s just the right amount of screen time without trying to overdo itand steal focus on important scenes.
8Detective Holdaway
Played by Randy Brooks
When the big reveal comes that Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) is actually Freddy Newendyke, an undercover officer targeting mob boss Joe Cabot, the audience learns so by watching a conversation between Freddy and Detective Holdaway (Randy Brooks). From Holdaway’s guidance,it’s clear he’s the veteran officer teaching Freddy the ropes, giving the young officer a story to memorize with instructions to learn it inside and out if he hopes to survive the operation.
The camaraderie between the veteran Holdaway and the novice Freddy is not dissimilar from the loose conversations the criminals have with one another.
Even though Holdaway doesn’t get much screen time, his style of dress and demeanor give the audience a wealth of information about the world in which these characters live. The camaraderie between the veteran Holdaway and the novice Freddy is not dissimilar from the loose conversations the criminals have with one another.In a different set of circumstances, all men would be able to have a drink together, but the lives they chose make anything but a violent end impossible.
7Officer Marvin Nash
Played by Kirk Baltz
Officer Marvin Nash (Kirk Baltz) doesn’t have a good time inReservoir Dogs, and his plight only gets worse the longer he’s on-screen. As a hostage of the homicidal Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), Marvin exists as a verbal punching bag for the duration of the film. The most famous scene in the film involves Marvin at the mercy of Mr. Blonde, when left alone to do as he pleases, carves the officer’s ear off with a blade.
The most famous scene in the film involves Marvin at the mercy of Mr. Blonde…
What doesn’t get mentioned enough is how tough Officer Nash really is. He recognizes Freddy lying bleeding on the floor next to him, but he doesn’t blow his cover, even after having his ear chopped off and seconds away from being set on fire. He’s either deeply heroic or smart enough to know talking isn’t going to help his cause, but either way, it’s an impressive display of fortitude for the unluckiest cop in the movie.
6Joe Cabot
Played by Lawrence Tierney
The man bankrolling the job and keeping order among the men, Joe Cabot, is the personification of intimidation. Joe’s gravelly voice and permanent glare would make a warm greeting sound like a threat of physical harm, but his deference to characters like Mr. Blonde shows there’s a softer side to him as well.Joe is an old-school criminal who survived this long by following his instincts, and he knows anything less will get him killed or behind bars.
Joe’s gravelly voice and permanent glare would make a warm greeting sound like a threat of physical harm…
The scene where Joe is assigning the names speaks to the boss’ authority when he receives pushback about the color selections, but also to the generational divide in how to act like a professional. Joe’s exasperation when he tells the criminals to stop joking around isn’t a boss getting his crew in line;it’s a tired father who doesn’t understand why it’s necessary to say something that should have been understood in the first place.
5“Nice Guy” Eddie Cabot
Played by Chris Penn
The son of Joe, “Nice Guy” Eddie Cabot (Chris Penn), is second in commandof the diamond heist, creating a layer of management and protection to limit his father’s direct dealings. Where his father is cool and collected, Eddie wears his emotions on his sleeve and, in many ways,has the type of rich-kid stunted maturity that comes from having power handed to him versus earning it. Eddie can, for moments at a time, take control of the situation, but his temper is set off by any dissenting voice in the room.
Penn had incredible screen presence and great comic timing…
Eddie’s loyalties to Mr. Blonde blinds him to what he’s being told by Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) about Blonde’s erratic behavior, but that doesn’t mean his instincts are off by sensing Mr. Orange is lying to him when he comes back to find Blonde dead. The scenes following Blonde’s death leave Eddie in a complicated pull of different emotions, andPenn handles it all with a fantastic level of intensity. Penn had incredible screen presence and great comic timing; he was an actor that could be jovial and menacing within the same scene, and sometimes within the same line.
4Freddy Newendyke aka Mr. Orange
Played by Tim Roth
With everyone in the crew trying to figure out who the rat is, the men never consider strongly enough that Mr. Orange, the man bleeding out from a gunshot received while stealing a car, isthe undercover police officer. After watching innocent bystanders and police get murdered, and killing one himself, the only way to redeem himself is to hold on long enough to make sure his target is apprehended.
Flashbacks show a somewhat cocky Freddy infiltrating the group…
The story of Freddy is an intriguing one because audiences can watch the moments the undercover cop realizes he’s in over his head, but there’s no backing out once he’s in this deep. Flashbacks show a somewhat cocky Freddy infiltrating the group, but his smile becomes a little more forced as he’s taught by Mr. White to cut a finger off a bank manager if they begin to cause trouble and slow down the job.Roth’s performance holds nothing back, with his writhing around in pain, a visceral display of exhaustive effortthat makes his fear of dying palpable.
Played by Steve Buscemi
Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) may not tip, but outside of that glaring character flaw, he’s a man any crew would want on their job. High-strung but intelligent,Mr. Pink’s ranting observations may seem like paranoid rambling, but his instincts are correct from the moment he walks into the rendezvous point. Mr. Pink has no emotional sentiments regarding his crew, but it’s not personal for him; his detachment is a point of pride as a professional.
Mr. Pink has no emotional sentiments regarding his crew…
Buscemi’s career was slowly building steam with small character roles, butReservoir Dogsgave the actor a chance to show off his talents with one of the most raw and energetic performances he’s ever done.Buscemi brings an enthralling intensity to the role of Mr. Pink, a character who is always thinking about the next move while reviewing the steps that led him to his current situation.
2Vic Vega aka Mr. Blonde
Played by Michael Madsen
The diamond heist was doomed from the beginning, but Mr. Blonde, or Vic Vega, and his overactive trigger finger turned a simple job into a bloodbath. His soft-spoken approach to the crew could be perceived as maintaining a poker face, but it’s also his way of taunting them for their fear. He’s dangerous, unpredictable, and enthralling for every second he’s on the screen, because while the others seem worried or paranoid,Mr. Blonde is actually enjoying the moment.
It’s hard to determine if Mr. Blonde has all the best lines or if Madsen just makes every line sound cool…
Madsen plays the part with such a quiet level of menacethat the dynamic suddenly shifts in any scene he appears in. It’s hard to determine if Mr. Blonde has all the best lines or if Madsen just makes every line sound cool, but the outcome is the same either way. One thing is for certain, after watching Vic carve into his hostage, it’s impossible to hear“Stuck in the Middle With You”and not put your hand over your ears in a defensive posture.
1Larry Dimmick aka Mr. White
Played by Harvel Keitel
A man with a moral code of his own creation, Mr. White, or Larry Dimmick, is a natural leader who’s seen enough jobs go sideways to know the right approach for even the most high-pressure situation. After the heist falls apart, we see an almost fatherly level of attention paid to Mr. Orange as he bleeds out on the service ramp. For whatever reason,there’s something about Mr. Orange that Larry will stick his neck out for, even if it means pointing a gun at Joe to protect him.
…Mr. White, or Larry Dimmick, is a natural leader who’s seen enough jobs go sideways to know the right approach for even the most high-pressure situation.
Playing the events out of order is so important for the audience’s relationship with Mr. White. Viewers are introduced to a man who seems to care deeply for his fellow crew members, a crook who can’t help but be emotional when seeing his mortally wounded new friend. However, when we see that hours prior, he gunned down two police officers without hesitation, we’re remindedMr. White is not the hero of this story, but it doesn’t make him any less human.
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