written and directed by Quentin Tarantino
starring Tim Roth, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Randy Brooks, Kirk Baltz, Edward Bunker, Quentin Tarantino, Steven Wright
Employing a deliberate pace, long shots, and unnerving violence, Quentin Tarantino has created a singular work of deeply affecting cinematic art.
The story involves a diamond heist that we never see. Things have gone horribly awry leaving several top men dead and another barely clinging to life. Much of the film takes place in a warehouse space which is supposed to be the meeting place and launching pad from which the endeavor is supposed to take off. Tarantino uses a non-linear narrative to provide background information on several of the men as well as events immediately following the heist attempt.
Mr. Orange (Roth) is seen immediately in the back seat of a car driven by Mr. White (Keitel). He is bleeding profusely from a bullet wound in the stomach and Mr. White is attempting to convince him that he’s not going to die. Mr. Orange is hysterical until he is led into the warehouse space and laid down until Mr. White can figure out what to do. Mr. Orange spends the entire film in that position. Much of the film features characters tearing into one another for various reasons including the failure of the job and the sudden appearance of a mad array of police officers at the scene.
Mr. Blonde (Madsen) is portrayed as a loose cannon who takes great pleasure in torturing people for fun. He is the extreme case of someone who does not feel anything whatsoever for his victims be they civilians or cops. He is the opposite of the spectrum from Mr. White who draws the line at killing what he perceives to be innocent victims. Mr. Blonde is frighteningly calm and his ease after killing is exceedingly alarming. He has a gentleness about him which belies his criminal intent and his penchant for getting off while administering tremendous pain and suffering on those who he proclaims deserve such treatment. He’s suave and cool until he is rattled upon which he becomes dangerous and a legitimate threat to whomever dares to get in his way. He is opportunistic and trigger happy.
The setting of the warehouse creates a tight space where the action is intensified and more systematic and brutal. It allows the viewer to become comfortable which makes the ensuing violence even more difficult to assess. One feels as if one’s home has been invaded by a number of creepy criminals with no qualms about ripping the place apart. Despite the essential static nature of these scenes there is a tremendous amount of energy that is carried through to the end of the film. The scenes in this space are vibrant, consumed with life, and intensely religious in how they are presented. It feels like a cathedral where the men have gathered to worship in their own way. They seek guidance and want desperately to make sense of the peril that has befallen them. They seem to have very few answers as to what went wrong and why some of them are dead after the whole thing collapsed at their feet.
The use of rock songs from the seventies give the film a loose, open quality that undercuts the severity of the violence which is contained and regulated. The voice of Steven Wright announcing various songs on his radio program “K-Billy’s Super Sounds of the Seventies” gives the film an anchor that grounds it in a specific place where the action can naturally occur. Tarantino only uses source music which enhances those moments when he kicks into a song that drives the film forward with great style and a genuine sense of excitement. Each song stands in for a particular moment of the film and allows the viewer to readily connect the music to the narrative. The music is buoyant and festival-like which causes the viewer to feel as if they were being taken on a journey through country roads while cranking the stereo to songs with which they have a deep, personal connection.
The sexiness of the film is pronounced. These men are all vibrant characters who are sleek, well-dressed, and arrogant to the point of hubris. They present a world of grave darkness that is nevertheless peppered with humorous asides that reflect their peculiar take on the world outside of their little clique of hombres trying to solve the big score. They zealously seek diamonds because they represent a singular truth which ends in easy cash and no time served. The sole ambition of these men is to operate as effectively as possible without being incarcerated. Death is preferred to a life behind bars and they take every precaution to avoid that sorry fate.
Much of the film’s strength comes from the authentic dialog which Tarantino has cobbled from a variety of source materials. It feels legitimate and has the whiz-bang crispness of classic film noir. There is a great love of the spoken word here and it’s on display at every turn. There isn’t much action as the characters merely spend much of the film getting into each other’s faces about various aspects of the catastrophe. They are all nervous and down-trodden despite their overarching sense of purpose and their sense that they are in the right despite the deaths of several cops and civilians. The code is kill or be killed in this brutal world where the gun speaks loudest over the shoddy din of gangsters whining and fretting about their predicament. They are hemmed in and the reality of the situation makes them nervous and chatty.
The performances in this film explode with color and intensity. Tim Roth plays the wounded man with a tenacity that is a beautiful thing indeed. He gasps and moans and hollers about his state with conviction and a sense of purpose. Steve Buscemi plays Mr. Pink with a nervous gusto that pings off the metal walls of the warehouse space. Pink is over excited and keeps the narrative flowing with his sharp, festering diatribes. Michael Madsen is simply terrifying in this role. He imbues Mr. Blonde with a deep sense of moral purpose that just happens to involve picking off innocent people because they act in a way that upsets the perfect balance with which he generally operates. Blonde has an explanation for everything he does and does not share the opinion that he is half-crazy. Harvey Keitel is solid in this film and his character seems to be the only one who understands the dire situation they have found themselves in. White is understanding and empathic to a degree as long as a person doesn’t try to do anything cute. Chris Penn possesses a goofy charm in this film as he represents the second generation of tough guys. Eddie is probably the most dangerous of the characters in this film because he seems to be the most likely to snap at any given time. Even Mr. Blonde seems capable of containing himself and not causing a riot.
Lawrence Tierney is the central figure in this drama. His character is hard, mean, and usually correct when it comes to making decisions. Tierney brings a strength and vitality to Joe that he projects at every turn.
Overall this film works on every level. It’s funny, dark, violent, and very smart. There are moments of abject horror but they are softened through humor and an overall ease of being. This is a languid film that gives the audience something firm to hold onto. It is well contained and properly ordered which allows the viewer to fully embrace the severity of the action. Basically, the warehouse setting enhances the violence which comes off as more vibrant and dangerous. There is a real and lasting threat inherent in this story and the characters all work together to create an insular world which the audience gleefully participates in. This doesn’t seem like a mere exercise in cinematic violence for its own sake. Instead we are given a film that questions the nature of bestial acts through the prism of an exceedingly dark world where honor and integrity originate from a distinct, howling perspective that is cold, decisive and mesmeric.
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