Reservoir Dogs - Rugged, raw and riotous

Somewhere along the way, opinions on Quentin Tarantino have become divided - some still loving his work, others calling it bloated and unnecessarily inflated. However, those are two criticisms that cannot be levelled at his first (major) film, Reservoir Dogs. It's the very definition of `minimalist,' focusing on the aftermath of a bank robbery gone wrong and it's shot (in some places) in `real time.'

The story is simple: a gang of bank robbers thinks that one of their number is a `rat' and has tipped off the police. How do they deal with this? Watch the film and find out.

It's hard to choose a `stand-out' performance among so many great actors. Everyone from the stoic Harvey Keitel, to the psychotic Michael Madsen plays their roles to perfection (and let's not leave out Tim Roth and Steve Buscemi).

Basically, if you like gangster or crime films then you probably should have already seen it. However, even if you're not a fan of the genre and simply enjoy cinema then this one is worth a watch because it is very arty in its approach and the performances alone should make up for the fact that some may consider it to be a little over the top on the violence (not to mention explicit language).

Tarantino's next film, Pulp Fiction, may have been cleverer and more stylish, but Reservoir Dogs has all the raw appeal of a real cult classic that will definitely stand the test of time.

10/10 The Monty Python Knights of Camelot are currently looking for this