Violence :

There are arguably few more frequently quoted moments in Tarantino’s work, or indeed

moments in modern cinema invoked in discussions of there presentation of violence,

than the sequence of which one of the climaxes is the moment in Reservoir Dogs in

which Mr Blonde cuts off the ear of the captive cop. The discussion of it tends to take it

as an exemplary instance, to locate it as an outrageous example of something that is

held to be a general trend. The strategy of such discussions is often to isolate a

moment from the texture and narrative of the film surrounding it, so that nothing seems

to lead up to or away from it, as if the violence made the rest of the film somehow

disappear. You would rarely know at what point in the film a quoted scene occurs; it is

as if moments of violence could be adequately accounted for outside the narratives in

which they are embedded. So I want to consider the context in the case of the ear-

slicing, and associated torture, in Reservoir Dogs.

It involves asking what we know, and do not know, about Mr Blonde, and how he does

and does not resemble the other criminals in the film.

Thinking about this, the first thing we might note is that up to the point of the

introduction of the captive cop the violence that we have seen is of two distinct kinds,

both of which are different to what we shall see from this point onwards. The first of

these offers violence as a form of play or physical knockabout, in which little or no

permanent damage is done to the body. The second offers wounds that are much more

radically destructive, but without showing us what has caused them, the acts that

brought these effects about.

Play or knockabout violence is the note initially sounded through dumb show (s a

traditional term for pantomime in drama, actions presented by actors onstage without

spoken dialogue): Blonde offering to ‘shoot’ White in the coffee-house sequence. It is

also the mode of men on the ground physically fighting (Pink and Larry in the

warehouse, Blonde and Eddie in Joe’s office). In the former case this is out of an

explosion of anger at each other, and in the latter in a kind of ritual of greeting. Both of
these seem to have something to do with the world of the playground, a point

specifically made in the dialogue in reference to the Pink/Larry fight. The second form

of violence, involving the graphic representation of its effects but not its causes, is

shown in Orange’s welter of blood; although this image is recurrent in the film so far, at

this point, we have not yet been taken back to the occasion of his receiving the

gunshot. The only flashback to the immediate aftermath of the robbery has been

treated in the style of acops-and-robbers chase, with passers-by being knocked over

but not shot. The most blatant example of this style is when Pink is hit by a car, but

recovers within seconds without substantial injury. When he commande ersa car, he

throws the female driver out of it without otherwise harming her. In the early

conversation in the warehouse there have been references to graphically violent

deaths, but what has been shown in flashback has not presented those deaths visually.

We can sum this up by saying that what Tarantino has shown us at this point are either

acts where no great harm is done, or harm that is disassociated from the act that

caused it.

This takes us up to the moment in which Blonde announces to Larry and Pink that he

has something to show them, and takes them outside to reveal the cop (Kirk Baltz) in

the trunk of his car. What we then see (interrupted by the ‘Mr Blonde’ flashback, to

which I shall return shortly) groups the three men together for a moment, but proceeds

to make a distinction that involves putting Larry and Pink together, and placing them

apart from Blond. It is Larry and Pink, not Blonde, who we see reaching into the trunk

to grasp the cop, and it is these two who beat him up, first with kicks and then blows to

the face. In this sequence, which is intercut against shots of Eddie talking on his mobile

phone as he drives towards the warehouse, Blondes presence is recorded through a

shot in which he unwinds duct tape with which to bind the captive – the taping of the

cop to the chair is not shown. By the time Eddie arrives, Blonde has already taken up

his ‘back seat position, perched on top of a shrouded car, where he will stay until the

others leave and he descends to begin the torture of the cop. The point of the
organisation of what we are shown is to suggest that the cop has a completely different

significance for Larry and Pink on the one hand, and for Blonde on the other. For Larry

and Pink the cop is a captive who may be able to talk, to tell them who set them up,

and a vent for their anger, frustration and fear at the situation they find themselves in.

They have no other reaction to him: as a cop, he is not one of the ‘real people’ for

them, and later they do not dispute Eddie’s point that they will in due course kill him.

(When the cop is executed, neither Larry nor Pink display any marked reaction.) We

might question their interrogation as a strategy (thus agreeing with Eddie, who points

out that whatever confession is beaten out of the cop will not necessarily be true) but

understand it as an impulse, a desire to believe that their situation would be improved

by being better understood. If it is not clear (to us, or to them) exactly how this might

work, at least the idea of causality is apparent. They are enacting their violence for a

reason to do with information and with revenge, which they could articulate if asked.

Blonde’s violence represents something quite different, and two related lines help to

establish this. One is his explanation of the shootings in the jewellery store: ‘If they

hadn’t done what I told ‘em not to, they’d still be alive today.’ The other, a few moments

later, occurs when Blonde is alone with the cop, who refers to Eddie as his ‘boss’.

Blonde replies: ‘Excuse me, pal. One thing I want to make clear to you. I don’t have a

boss. Nobody tells me what to do.’ (The speech is substantially expanded from the

same point in the screenplay.) Blonde then slaps the cop’s face, quite lightly, to

accompany or emphasise the statement.

https://pt.scribd.com/doc/180509316/Quentin-Tarantino-Gallafent-pdf

The opening scene of Quentin Tarantino's 1992 film debut, Reservoir Dogs, features

the films main characters, a group of mobsters who are sitting at a diner, discussing the
music of Madonna. Already what is interesting about the groups discussion is that it is

very casual and irrelevant to later events. This would become a trademark of

Tarantino's later films, small talk. From this, we can learn that the director is making the

character's realistic people who have normal conversations. This is not typical in most

Hollywood films, which generally portray criminals as exaggerated characters. He is

trying to make them as human as possible and to show that they are not all about

stealing and killing (although, later in the sequence, they are revealed mobsters who

are preparing for a jewel heist). The entire film revolves around the heist, yet the heist

itself is never shown.

The mise-en-scene within the scene generally involves what the character's are

wearing-black tuxedo's. As we do not know who these character's are in the beginning,

we get the idea that they are a part of the same group as it gives the viewer a sense of

unity and that they represent gangs.

The most interesting aspect about the sequence is the mood of it. For a heist film, there

is a generally calm feeling in the beginning of it. Quentin Tarantino script allows the

actors to have this free-flowing, natural discussion, between people who we would not

associate these topics with, (i.e. Madonna's "Like a Virgin"). This could be

considered relatable with the audience as normal people have conversations

such as this, meaning we can connect with the character's on the same level.

http://terryssnazzyfilmblogs.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/reservoir-dogs-opening-scene-

analysis.html

P.87 96 98 99 100
https://books.google.pt/books?

id=c5SdiFJmswcC&pg=PA100&lpg=PA100&dq=reservoir+dogs+mise+en+scene&sour

ce=bl&ots=N0KP-KFFh2&sig=Kn6dF631oTqR9Z_6H3Gg7qUtY_I&hl=pt-

PT&sa=X&ved=0CDsQ6AEwBGoVChMIhsufx6GYyQIVSEQUCh3oDAGP#v=onepage

&q=reservoir%20dogs%20mise%20en%20scene&f=false

Another function of mise en scene from the film is the way that the characters dress.

Most of the men with exception to two, are usually always in the same black suits. This

simple example can go a long way with the audience because it shows that even

though we as an audience know that the characters are supposed to not know each

other, this creates a sense of unity with the gang.

The guns are shown and used a lot in the film but there are no other really important

props except for the diamond bag. Although the diamond bag is barely ever seen it is

important because that bag is what it is all about and why this is happening. At the end

Mr Pink gets the diamonds; out of all the characters, he is the only one alive and he

has the diamonds. Although with many of Tarrantino’s films you usually have plenty of

guns (or weapons) and one main treasure (the diamond bag).

http://filmcommunicationjustinpaul.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/mise-en-scene-in-reservoir-

dogs.html

Quentin Tarantino uses many common visual design techniques in subtle ways in

order to make this scene even more horrid than it would be otherwise. The set

design of this scene has a very cold feel to it. The walls of the warehouse where

this scene takes place are stone bricks. There are chains dangling ominously from

the ceiling. The scene is lit very dimly with only a few cold metal lights. These
aspects of this scene make it actually feel like a torture chamber. The cold, hard

walls; dangling ominous chains; and sparse, dim lighting make the audience feel

uncomfortable, like they are with the torturer and the “torturee” in this evil, cruel

warehouse. Another aspect of this set’s design that creates a dark and depressing

feel is the color palette. Tarantino uses a specific dark color palette for this scene.

The only colors you can see inside this warehouse are either dark or bland colors.

The walls are gray-ish white, there are shadows all over the dark gray cement

floors, and the items in the background are all brown, black, or white colors. The

only color that stands out in this scene is the bright red blood on the face of the

police officer, and on Mr. Orange’s body and face. This blood could be symbolic of

either being a rat or being innocent. Although the other criminals do not know it yet,

Mr. Orange is actually the rat. Mr. Orange is an undercover police officer. Mr.

Orange and the police officer are the only things in this scene that have any sort of

bright color on them. This is most likely symbolic of them both being innocent police

officers. The dark colors in the background contrast the striking red of blood on the

two men. This makes the warehouse feel cold and unforgiving and makes the

audience feel uncomfortable-as if they themselves were being tortured .

http://kylejennings1284.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/reservoir-dogs-mise-en-scene-

analysis.html

http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/r/reservoir.html