Quentin Tarantino came out of nowhere (i.e.; a video store in Manhattan Beach; California) and turned Hollywood on its ear in 1992 with his explosive first feature; Reservoir Dogs. Like Tarantino's mainstream breakthrough Pulp Fiction; Reservoir Dogs has an unconventional structure; cleverly shuffling back and forth in time to reveal details about the characters; experienced criminals who know next to nothing about each other. Joe (Lawrence Tierney) has assembled them to pull off a simple heist; and has gruffly assigned them color-coded aliases (Mr. Orange; Mr. Pink; Mr. White) to conceal their identities from being known even to each other. But something has gone wrong; and the plan has blown up in their faces. One by one; the surviving robbers find their way back to their prearranged warehouse hideout. There; they try to piece together the chronology of this bloody fiasco--and to identify the traitor among them who tipped off the police. Pressure mounts; blood flows; accusations and bullets fly. In the combustible atmosphere these men are forced to confront life-and-death questions of trust; loyalty; professionalism; deception; and betrayal. As many critics have observed; it is a movie about "honor among thieves" (just as Pulp Fiction is about redemption; and Jackie Brown is about survival). Along with everything else; the movie provides a showcase for a terrific ensemble of actors: Harvey Keitel; Tim Roth; Steve Buscemi; Michael Madsen; Christopher Penn; and Tarantino himself; offering a fervent dissection of Madonna's "Like a Virgin" over breakfast. Reservoir Dogs is violent (though the violence is implied rather than explicit); clever; gabby; harrowing; funny; suspenseful; and even--in the end--unexpectedly moving. (Don't forget that "Super Sounds of the Seventies" soundtrack; either.) Reservoir Dogs deserves just as much acclaim and attention as its follow-up; Pulp Fiction; would receive two years later. --Jim Emerson