Reservoir Dogs - Limited Steelbook Edition (4K Ultra HD) (+ Blu-ray)

Product Information

Lionsgate are releasing Reservoir Dogs in a limited edition 4K steelbook on the 21st November. Any 4K release of a Tarantino film is an interesting proposition, as the director himself has professed a preference for watching films on VHS. In a recent Sight and Sound article, he stated that a higher resolution isn’t always desirable, criticising the ‘clean’ digital look of modern restorations compared to the more dirty, yet organic feel of the film prints used on many VHS masters. The director was long-attached to the Star Trek franchise after pitching his idea for an R-rated entry to Paramount Pictures in 2017. The project would have been Tarantino's first foray into franchise filmmaking, but he moved away from the prospect in November 2019. Tarantino also expressed interest in directing a James Bond film set in the 1960s and was briefly connected to Casino Royale before Daniel Craig's casting. Mondo are known for creating new artwork for iconic films, comics and TV shows. This UK exclusive Steelbook for Reservoir Dogs is illustrated by Tyler Stout, who re-worked a print that was originally used at a screening of the film in October 2012, and gave us his own interpretation of the legendary film. Every important moment and character in the film is captured, beautifully portrayed in a layered, graphic novel-esque layout and provided with a sleek gloss finish. This Steelbook is a real must-have for Tarantino fans and Steelbooks fans alike! In 1992, Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) came bursting onto the scene with a crime thriller so unlike anything else that had come before that it changed the face of the genre overnight. There is very little film grain throughout, but don’t worry, the transfer hasn’t been DNR’d to death. It looks wonderfully rich, filmic and organic, with a very good encode to boot. Overall, the 4K presentation of the film is absolutely beautiful.

Of course, we don't know how many films Tarantino has in him, originally claiming he would only ever make ten films in his career. Thankfully for his fans, he has a charming but self-indulgent habit of moving his own self-imposed goalposts. It's quite funny really, were he to make an eleventh it's unlikely anyone would hold it against him. Simply being glad of his own bizarre ultraviolent take on some other period of history. Lionsgate But this new UHD image looks fantastic while keeping its very filmic roots. There is no way this film has the digital car-washed-out look, which would make Tarantino lose his mind. The film grain is very much intact and heavy at times, which was the intended purpose and even the early source of this 1992 film. The color palette is warm, just like Tarantino intended. The browns, oranges, yellows, ambers, and somewhat warmer beige and grey walls look fantastic. The Dolby Vision enhancement makes those gushes of red blood really pop when they pour from orifices and stain the white button-down shirts. The practical makeup applications reveal pinks and purples for bruising very well too.An amazing start to a highly succesful career and no doubt we will see more of Tarantino’s genius converted to 4K in the future. A must own for fans and a great start for anyone who has yet to sample his work. Lionsgate is excited to announce the arrival of RESERVOIR DOGSon 4K Blu-ray for the first time to celebrate the film’s 30th anniversary. The SteelBook and regular edition 4K Blu-ray available on November 15, 2022. This is an absolutely amazing, ground breaking film and I adored it! Below, more of my impressions, with some very limited SPOILERS.

One thing you can't accuse Quentin Tarantino of is subtlety. Reservoir Dogsburst onto the scene in 1993 paving the way for one of the more controversial auteurs of recent years. You could easily take issue with a white, middle class, male director who mixes huge amounts of racism and misogyny into his stories. His stories are inherently masculine, violent and exploitational… and fun as hell. Reservoir Dogs is no different. The whole point of Reservoir Dogs, and its simple plot was to give Tarantino an opportunity to display his skills at writing dialogue. It certainly does that. Reservoir Dogs is a magnificent film: a violent, bloody, intense character study of criminals in the aftermath of a heist that went horribly wrong and turned into a bloodbath. Whilst director Quentin Tarantino’s influences are well known, his razor-sharp script and shooting style, demands attention and the film still feels fresh and new, and maintains its visceral impact 30 years later. Reservoir Dogs is Zavvi's first Mondo Steelbook release, and is every Steelbook collector's dream! This limited edition Steelbook comes with a translucent sleeve so you can protect the fantastic, blood-stained artwork by Mondo illustrator Tyler Stout.Selected items are only available for delivery via the Royal Mail 48® service and other items are available for delivery using this service for a charge. VIDEO....The transfer of the video is very clean with strong colors despite a muting of the entire color grading throughout the film. Contrast is excellent and details, even some of the very small ones, are clearly defined. The lines of the tiny tiles in the meet-up building are easy to see without a blurring of lines despite the depth of field which brings them slightly out of focus. I saw no dirt or artifacting at any time in the watching of this Blu Ray. Shot on film, naturally there will be a slight patina of grain but it is difficult to really see and is not a viewing problem in the slightest. What can be said that Reservoir Dogs that hasn't already been said? A seminal piece of filmmaking, not to say controversial due to the moral outcry that followed it after its release due to its scenes of violence. Probably not helped by the campaign only just having been waged by the gutter press against, Child's Play 3, which it was erroneously said to have influenced the murder, of two-year-old Jamie Bulger in the UK, by two 10-year-old boys in 1993. In fact, the VHS release of the movie at the time was postponed until 1995 due to the British Board of Film Classification initially refusing the film a home video certificate (UK releases are required to be certified separately for theatrical release and for viewing at home). Fortunately, we now live in more liberal times, and the movie has gained a major cult following, and understandably so. Reservoir Dogs has enjoyed an excellent 4K resoration and looks as bloody as ever. You can still see no more of the implied violence than you ever could, but the gruesome aftermath is crispier than ever.

EXTRAS....Some fine deleted scenes and alternate takes of the ear cutting scene. Also a Criminal Minds type profiling of the members of the gang that I found psychologically interesting. From the old SD DVD, there was also included a 'Playing it Fast and Loose' Documentary and an interesting 'Pulp Factoids' extra that pops up little tidbits of info during the course of the film. I discovered this feature after I had finished watching the film. Next time I watch it, I will be sure to have it turned on.Let me stress, this is not a bad looking image, indeed it positively pops, and many might regard it as demo material, but to my eyes the slight I mean, everybody panics. Everybody. Things get tense, it’s human nature, you panic. I don’t care what your name is you can’t help it.” For all its zeitgeist quaking influence, however, how does Reservoir Dogs fare thirty years later, viewed at a time when its innovation and daring will no doubt feel more conventional? Thankfully, Reservoir Dogs has never been a film solely defined by its originality. Underneath all the hallmarks that would go on to define Tarantino and his career, it is a gripping story filled with, ugly, tragic, humorous and flawed characters. It begins with eight dangerous criminals eating breakfast at a Los Angeles diner. Being what they are it is clear from the first moment that they are up to no good. The breakfast is hosted by Joseph "Joe" Cabot (Lawrence Tierney), an important, respected (and feared) figure in local criminal world and his seemingly less formidable son Eddie "Nice Guy" Cabot (Chris Penn). Although the atmosphere is supposedly light-hearted, it becomes very fast obvious that this is in fact a kind of solemn farewell party before the six guests go on some BIG mission. Those six men are: Tarantino intends to retire after his 10th feature film, plans he has had in place as early as 2009. The director even considered capping his career with a Reservoir Dogs remake but ultimately decided to leave his fan-favorite film alone.