Reservoir Dogs (R, 1992)

common sense media says

Raw and bloody. For adults.


parents & educators say
  • 50% say violence is an issue
  • 50% say language is an issue

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this is a film that focuses on a group of jewel thieves in the aftermath of a botched robbery. The dialogue features a constant stream of obscenities as the characters verbally spar with each other. Copious amounts of blood are featured throughout the entire film as a character is shown bleeding to death. Another character is tortured by being tied to a chair, having his ear cut off with a knife, and having gasoline poured over him with the intention of setting him on fire. The final shootout among the thieves is tense, emotional, and bloody.

Positive messages: Most characters are unrepentant jewel thieves.
Violence: Gunfights, bleeding wounds, sadistic torture.
Sex: Not applicable.
Language: Almost every line of dialogue is peppered with obscenities. Sexual joking and sexually-based insults traded by characters.
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Characters smoking tobacco and drink. A character smuggles a suitcase of drugs past police.

More on Reservoir Dogs

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about the violence and language here. Would the story have been as powerful if it had been less explicit? Do you think the mature material makes it more appealing to younger audiences?

What's the story?

What's the story?
RESERVOIR DOGS is the film that put Quentin Tarantino into the cinematic spotlight. Not only did he write and direct the film, but he is also featured in the role of Mr. Brown, one of a seven-member group of jewel thieves. His trademarks of amplified violence and vulgar dialogue are in full force, as are the flurry of obscure to not-so-obscure pop culture references woven into the dialogue. Cleverly, and famously, the heist is never actually shown, and in truth, the crime itself is not the point. The presence of an undercover cop amongst the thieves exists as the dramatic crux of the film.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
Resevoir Dogs ranks as one of the finest, and most gut-wrenching, crime dramas ever, but is certainly not for the faint of heart. Even at this early stage in his career, Tarantino does expertly builds tension, interweaving scenes of the aftermath of the thieves' foiled heist with scenes depicting them getting ready for the heist.

The film also features great performances from a knockout cast including Steve Buscemi, Harvey Keitel, and Tim Roth.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Artisan Entertainment
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Chris Penn, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth
Genre: Drama
Run time: 100 minutes
Theatrical release: January 1, 1992
DVD release: March 18, 2003
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: strong violence and language.

This review was written by David Gurney
 
 

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What parents & educators say

14
Based on 8 parent & educator reviews:
  • 50% say violence is an issue
  • 50% say language is an issue

Most useful reviews by all members

PYEsinc
teen, 14 years old
 
Definitely Not For Younger Teens And Under; Maybe For Older Teens
I have never seen the movie, but before the page was blocked, I read the entire final copy of the screenplay. The most innappropriate thing about it is the F-bomb is dropped by Mr. Pink 500+ times--the most famous line is, "Why the f--k do I have to be Mr. Pink?!". The most mild thing about it is bloody and gory gunfights. Although the plot wasn't good, it was actually a pretty good screenplay, though I don't know about the actual film itself!

cerealkiller189
teen, 13 years old
 
Great movie!
Best of the Tarantino films!saw it when I was 9!not that bad and language is ok if your kids don't learn it and use it in school.worse things happen in real life.there are shoot outs and massacres every day and this is not even half as realistic Quentin rocks!Forgot to add,the torture scene was awesome.

fireplacemantle
teen, 16 years old
 
Great Movie

jackquiroz
teen, 15 years old
 
Okay.. Hear me out
So.. It probally says im 14 so just hear me out. I enjoy watching classic films, movies that have paved new ground, This movie is amazing, Quentin Tarantino is very amazing in his type of film, its very Sadistic its not to be taken lightly, its also has a lot of graphic language but its very humorous, its funny to see these murderers talk about simple things that happen in everyday life, also the movie does not glorify violence it uses it for its own demented purpose and it makes it good, now this movie is also pretty violent and it is not recommended to teens that are sensitive to violence and this isnt action violence its not like Die Hard or The Terminator, no this is Violence, Sadistic Violence and disturbing and it actually made director Wes Craven walk out so keep that in mind but anybody who actually likes film should watch this

antoineisthebest
teen, 15 years old
 
I love it
I saw this movie when I was 6 and love it but I just found out this a movie for teen not young teen but teen

 
Reservoir Dogs is cool Review :)
Tell your younger children under the age of 18 to leave the room because it is very violent and it's also got strong profanity whitch is definatley not sutible for an audience under the age of 18. It is an adult audience over the age of 18!!

Spielberg00
teen, 14 years old
 
Never seen the movie, but I once read the entire screenplay, and I can't tell you how scarred I was!!!...
My rating: R for strong violence/language throughout, and for hard drug use. (NOTE: This film could also easily get an NC-17--just read the screenplay; I think that's enough.)

AandR1408
teen, 17 years old
 
Perfect film. Flawless, but mature.
I love this movie. Probably my favorite movie of all time and I would suggest it to anybody. If it doesn't say my age to the left, I just turned 16 just over a month ago. Picked this up on Blu Ray about 2 weeks ago and it was worth every penny of the 15 dollars I spent. That being said, this film isn't constantly violent, but when violence is shown, it is pretty graphic. It has many, many uses of the f bomb, so look out for that if anything, because when I first watched it, it was almost distracting to hear the main characters say it so much. Graphic violence and strong language take up the film, but why I say that it's for ages 15 and up is due to the talking. Anyone under that age probably won't like it due to the all the talking. 10/10 5/5, whatever you want me to call it, this is a perfect film.

SomeGirl
teen, 15 years old
 
Are you gonna bark all day, little doggy, or are you gonna bite?
So great. Breath taking. One of Tarantino's Best!

Synchronicity
teen, 18 years old
 
EXCELLENT FILM, but don't let a kid under 14 near this...
A bank heist goes extremely wrong in Quentin Tarantino's amazing debut. This is very typical Tarantino, so kids under 13 should NEVER see this movie until they reach that age. Common Sense was wrong - there actually is some sexual content. The first lines of the film are a very crude (and hilarious) discussion about what the Madonna song "Like A Virgin" is about. As typical Tarantino goes, there are about 8 f-bombs in that scene...and it's only about a minute long! In total there are 252 f-bombs in 99 minutes, making this film have as many f-bombs as The Big Lebowski and Pulp Fiction (also by Tarantino). Also, Reservoir Dogs has extreme amounts of blood. Again, this is typical Tarantino. The most disturbing scene involves the torture of a police officer. Other than that, there are lots of bloody shootouts, but need I remind you that this is typical Tarantino? Overall, Reservoir Dogs is an excellent film. But if your kid wants to watch it...don't let them. (That is, if they're under 14.) Older teenagers will really, really like this film.

SuperParent
parent of 12 and 15 year old
 
EXCELLENT PEICE OF ART! not to0 bad! a few violent scenes including a torture scene, and a palooza of f-words!

SLUMDOG
teen, 14 years old
 
very very profane and violent
reservoir dogs is one of the best crime movies ever still to this day few films hold a candal to this film those are american gangster scarface and the first to gadfather's. the film has a simple concept a bunch of strangers whose code names are still famous such as mr pink they try to pull of a perfect jewel heist which turns into a bloody mess then they realize one of them is a undercover cop then they try to find out who. the clever dialogue and story full of clever twists and turns was the begining of a long career full of classic's. as for this film grade a-

michaelc
teen, 14 years old
 
Mature 13 year olds
A terrible violent movie

REDSKINSFAN
teen, 16 years old
 

Entropy
teen, 15 years old
 
Its a Great Movie! But not for kid's.
Awesome Movie! One of Tarintino's best films, in my opinion. This is, however, EXTREMELY VIOLENT. A cop is tortured and his ear is cut off. There are also quite a few graphic shootings as well.

 
If you've seen a Quentin Tarantino, then you'll know what to expect
It's an excellent movie, but not for kids. There are at least over 200 uses of the f-word in it and there is ton's of bloody violence including a disturbing brutal torture sequance.

 
No sexual content aside from some dialogue at the very beginning of the movie. There is plenty of profanity and it is violent, but not as violent as everybody says it is. Anyone 12 and up should be fine.

thejokerspencil
parent of and 3 , 11 , 12 , 17 year old
 
Adult Crime is Spectacular
Another Brilliant Tarantino Film for 18 and Older

bballdiaries
teen, 17 years old
 
SICKEST MOVIE EVER
well i gotta say i was worried about how violent this mivie was gonna be , be this movie was soo good that , i wasnt even thinking about it, half the time, there was the ear (i haaated it!) but other than that this movie was flawless ingenious terriffic Best indie movie EVER!!!!!

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