This sequel barely flies

SUPERMAN III (1983)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

In 1983, computers and Atari ran amok in America. BASIC was the computer language everyone talked about when I went to school. Atari was the Playstation of its day. And Superman was still the superhero everyone loved. That is until "Superman III" came along and practically trivialized the series ("Superman IV" actually destroyed it). Gone was the warmth, humor and humanity brought to the first two "Superman" films - the very qualities that elevated the series above its comic book origins. "Superman III" is a crude, lethargic machine of a movie. The special-effects are still good and Superman will still make you believe that a man can fly but there is not enough energy, no human interest. Lifeless is putting it mildly.

Christopher Reeve still does wonders with the dual role of mild-mannered reporter, Clark Kent, and the superhero who can defy gravity, Superman. It is a role Reeve can play in his sleep, and he still makes it all rather credible. Superman performs last-minute rescues as usual, including rescuing a man who is about to drown in his own car! He also saves people at a chemical plant fire by freezing a lake and dropping it into the fire. Nifty! But something is missing. There is no awe, no sense of wonder. The people of Metropolis react to the sight of Superman as if he was a balloon at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I could swear that a pedestrian even says, "Oh, it is just Superman." Even Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) shows up briefly, claiming she is going on vacation to Bermuda. She doesn't get to mention the name Superman and, needless to say, doesn't share any scenes with him, despite sharing a scene with Clark Kent. When Lois is out of the picture then you know the movie is in trouble (this had to do with Kidder's dispute with the Salkinds over not handing the directorial reins to Richard Donner although there is dispute over that).

Anyways, the plot of this sequel deals with a genius computer programmer (Richard Pryor) who is hired by some billionaire (Robert Vaughn) to cause weather problems in Colombia so that the entire coffee crop can be destroyed! Vaughn wants to control the coffee crop and oil! Alas, when Superman saves Colombia by turning a tornado upside down, a plan is needed to destroy Supe baby. Kryptonite is used but since it is created by scientists (since no fragments are known to exist on Earth), an unknown ingredient in the rock substance is replaced by tar! This turns Superman into a boorish drunk with a five o'clock shadow. He performs deeds that make the nation question his heroism. Evil Superman makes the Leaning Tower of Pisa straight (though that is not actually possible), has sex with the terminally smug "personal trainer" to Vaughn (Pamela Stephenson), and causes general havoc at the Olympics when he blows out the torch. Oh, and there is a subplot involving Clark's childhood friend, Lana Lang (Annette O'Toole), who is convinced by Clark to move to Metropolis since she will never meet the right guy in good old Smallville.

"Superman III" has several problems. Number one: the nefarious plot by the villains is never quite clear and thus lacks any urgency (despite the building of a supercomputer that can destroy anything in its path). Number two: the filmmakers think that this movie is a comedy but Pryor is a disaster on screen, looking stupefied through the whole movie. The movie is directed by Richard Lester (who also directed number II) and it even opens with a pointless slapstick ballet that has no place in anything associated with the name Superman. Number three: The Lana Lang character works but is given too few scenes, and O'Toole is forced to say truly outlandish dialogue that is neither funny nor dramatic ("Oh, my oil pan is leaking.") Number four: The music score by Giorgio Moroder is too campy and ill-conceived, much like the movie. I could go on.

The best scenes in the film involve Lois Lane and a confrontation between the good and evil Superman in a junkyard (Reeve is especially good at playing a raving lunatic). Kidder as Lois Lane has a priceless scene at the end where she meets Lana Lang, and her flash of a smile at Lang's diamond "sparkler" is a hoot. But that is all there is to "Superman III." It is like watching an Atari video game of the real thing. There were rumors that an Atari video game was in the works (some of it even shows up in the movie). But with no sense of astonishment or the barest of human relationships, this third chapter never quite takes flight.

Footnote: Despite my criticisms, "Superman III" is not a complete failure and some of it is boring yet some of it is also watchable. It is one of two movies I own on DVD that, despite not working at all in huge chunks, never actually leaves my mind. I still can't figure it out.

Kneel before Zod!

SUPERMAN II (1981)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Some sequels never equal or surpass their original counterparts because they often seem like rehashes. "Superman II" is that rarity - a sequel that both equals and, at times, surpasses the original 1978 classic. That is saying a lot considering how terrific the original "Superman" was, but I was surprised by how much more I liked number 2.

Christopher Reeve is back as the mild-mannered reporter, Clark Kent, and the superhero with X-ray vision and a red cape and bright red boots, known of course as Superman. In this film, Clark expresses some jealousy over Lois Lane's (Margot Kidder) infatuation with Supe Baby. After all, Superman saves her butt from being blown to kingdom come at the Eiffel Tower where some hydrogen bomb is about to detonate! Lois Lane is in love with Superman...but she senses that Clark bears some resemblance to the famous superhero. There is the Niagara Falls sequence where Clark and Lois pretend to be newlyweds, all in the service of a story for the Daily Planet. Clark fogs his glasses while being near the Falls and Lois removes them only to discover those blue eyes! After a daring child rescue by Superman where Clark is nowhere to be found in sight, Lois decides to trick Clark into saving her. She foolishly attempts to drown herself in a raging river! These scenes are superb in comic timing and pratfalls that accentuate Lois's recklessness and Clark's ability to avoid changing into Superman. I do have one question though: wouldn't heat rays through glasses cause the lenses to burn? Or maybe he lowered his glasses a bit to avoid burning them? Who cares - he is Superman after all.

The main story deals with three villains from Krypton, the leader Zod (Terence Stamp), the man-hater Ursa (Sarah Douglas), and the childlike, humongous Non (Jack O'Halloran). If you recall in the original film, the three villains were banished into the Phantom Zone by Jor-El, Superman's father. Thanks to the hydrogen bomb hurled into outer space by Superman, it explodes causing the triad to break free of their glass-shielded prison. They all discover they have superhuman powers beyond reason, can walk on the moon without a spacesuit, walk on water, deflect missiles and bullets, use their breath to create heavy winds, and, in short, rule the planet Houston, otherwise known as Earth. They can also deface Mount Rushmore by replacing former Presidents' faces with their own. So now the White House has been sieged, the President is forced to kneel before Zod, and hell on Earth has arrived. And returnee Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) decides to provide assistance to the new leaders of the world. But where is Superman? Well, he is busy wooing Lois Lane who, in a highly emotional scene, discovers Clark Kent is Superman! This means that if Superman wishes to wed and bed Lois, he must become mortal. Good timing Supe baby.

"Superman II" has one great, humorous, dramatic, dazzling sequence after another. It is great fun watching the Phantom Zone prisoners using their super powers to destroy half of New York City (though it may be politically incorrect to say such things in this post-9/11 climate, the effects are still superb). What we get is the stuff we always wanted to see from a live-action Superman film: we see Superman and villains engaged in heavy battle using heat-ray vision, utilizing their super cool breath to freeze objects, and basically punching and beating each other on city streets without hurting any of the human pedestrians. They use pothole covers, hurl each other into cultural landmark billboards or neon signs (Superman and Coca-Cola do fit together since they are both cultural landmarks), crash into the antenna at the Empire State Building, burst through office windows, and basically create havoc and destruction. A bus full of people is even used as a weapon!

But special-effects mean nothing unless they are central to the story. What director Richard Donner accomplished in the first Superman film was to recognize the human relationships in the story - we had to believe that Clark Kent and Superman had a human dimension. Ditto Lois Lane, which is what made the original so charming. This sequel ups the ante on Lois and Superman's relationship, and their love scenes are as heart-rending and poignant as they could be, given that this is essentially a comic-book story come to life. Although Donner had filmed some scenes of part II (a whole alternate version of this sequel is in existence), director Richard Lester deserves some credit for making the continuity believable since he took over after Donner was replaced (purportedly by the Salkind producers). The heart of "Superman II" is the love story between Clark and Lois - if it did not work, the movie would have been fun yet dramatically soulless.

In addition to Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder's remarkable performances, there are rich acting roles from Jackie Coogan, back again as Daily Planet editor, Perry White, E.G. Marshall as the President of the United States with an obvious toupee, Clifton James as a small-town sheriff who is dumbfounded by Zod and his cohorts, Ned Beatty's briefly hysterical turn as Otis, Lex's bumbling partner, Valerie Perrine in her extremely short return as Miss Tesmacher, and the glorious Susanah York as Superman's mother who warns Superman of losing his immortality.

"Superman II" is vibrant, smoothly paced, and exquisitely made - it is clearly a phenomenally entertaining super sequel. It expands on the characters by showing more depth, has three great villains (including the smooth wickedness of Terence Stamp), super heroic feats and battles, and a rousing ending that will make audiences cheer. More importantly, you still believe that a man can fly. The Man of Steel never had it this good.

That is one bad outfit!

SUPERMAN (1978)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"You'll believe a man can fly!" - tagline for the film "Superman"

 Of all comic-book heroes, only Superman reaches the heights as one of the greatest of all crime-fighting heroes. But there was something more to Superman, other than he was an alien. Superman fought for truth, justice and the American way. Baby Clark Kent did not land in some foreign country like China or Russia. He landed in good old Smallville, USA. Though not of this world, I would not be surprised if Clark Kent was anything other than American. And this country boy with extraordinary powers makes it to the big leagues, in this case, Metropolis, standing in for New York City.

When "Superman" was about to be released in 1978, there was speculation as to whether the film would fly. Using an unknown at the time, Christopher Reeve, to play both Superman and Clark Kent convincingly was already an alarming task. The real trick was convincing audiences that this Superman could fly, and that he could make leaps over buildings in a single bound. Casting Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman was only icing on the cake. If audiences did not believe the sight of a man flying, then the film would have been pronounced a failure.

The verdict: "Superman" is not only one of the best comic-book movies ever made, it is also one of the great fantasy films of all time. And casting Christopher Reeve was a sublime decision. He is so perfect in the dual role that he became identified with the role, thus being stereotyped as only the Man of Steel. Reeve is convincingly klutzy as the bumbling Clark Kent which is very important, so we believe that even Lois Lane can't figure out his real identity. Reeve also makes Superman mightily heroic and human at the same time, even showing slight hints of humor. He is not as stolid as George Reeves own incarnation was - this Superman seems like a Boy Scout but also has heart and charisma to spare. Consider his first appearance where he is spotted on the street: "Hey man! That is one bad outfit!" All Superman has to say is, "Excuse me," as he takes off flying.

"Superman" begins with Kal-El as a baby transported to Earth from the dying planet of Krypton in some star-shaped vessel. His vessel crashes in Smallville, USA where he is found by Ma and Pa Kent (Phyllis Thaxter, Glenn Ford) and is raised as their own son. These scenes are amazingly rich and nostalgic. We see the young Kent as a waterboy for a high-school football team. He races faster than a speeding train (witnessed by a young Lois Lane). He can kick a football harder than any star quarterback. Tragedy does strike when his father dies of a stroke. Now Clark sees his destiny as he creates his Fortress of Solitude in the North Pole and leaves for Metropolis to become a reporter for the Daily Planet. Naturally, we see those great characters of comic book lore. There is the feisty Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), who misspells words when she types fast. She is ambitious and headstrong. There is the editor-in-chief, Perry White (Jackie Coogan), who is looking for the next big story and finds it in Superman. And the naive Jimmy Olsen (Marc McClure) whose biggest contribution to the paper is taking photographs. Clark Kent is hired on the spot for his fast typing skills and superb prose style. But Lois senses something amiss in someone who uses the word "swell."

Lois: "Are there any more like you back home?"

Clark: "Uh, no, not really."

There is the deliciously clever genius, the archvillain to end all archvillains, Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman), who discovers Superman's weakness. This will invariably help Luthor achieve his quest for ruling most of California with the aid of missiles to cause ruinous earthquakes. Luthor has some help for his nefarious plans thanks to the glamorous Miss Teschmacher (Valerie Perrine) and the witless Otis (Ned Beatty). His aides are not exactly the smartest but they are able to pull off some stunts to accomplish Luthor's plans. It's just that Superman is getting in the way.

I need not say more. "Superman" has everything you can hope for in a fantasy movie. There is action, romance, humor, heart, and a real conflict involving Luthor. There are so many wonderful scenes that stand out. The first moment when we see Superman flying from his Fortress of Solitude. The rescue of Lois Lane dangling from a helicopter at the top of the Daily Planet building. Clark Kent trying to change into Superman in a modern phone booth. The extended chaos of the earthquake where Superman saves a train, a school bus, a damaging cascade of water from crushing a small town, and even Jimmy Olsen from falling into a dam. *SPOILER WARNING* But the scene that elevates the myth into the sublime is when Superman turns back time to save Lois Lane from being submerged in dirt during the earthquake. It is a powerful, emotional breakthrough that shows the filmmakers were serious about this character and the movie.

Richard Donner ("The Omen," "Lethal Weapon") directs with authority, minus the campiness that could have killed the legend. Reeve and Kidder have made their famous roles their own (I am sorry but Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher hardly come close). The special-effects work because they have mystery and awe to them, and particularly because they serve the story. Hackman brings great humor and sarcasm to the bald Luthor. Even good old Marlon Brando brings some poignance to the legend as Jor-El, including the scene where he explains to his son how the world works and what is forbidden to a superhero. Simply put, this "Superman" rises above all filmed attempts. It is a stirring, amazing, grandly entertaining and imaginative update that will be remembered for ages.

Gambling on a road to nowhere

SAINT JOHN OF LAS VEGAS (2009)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Saint John of Las Vegas" has got everything I love about an independent quirky road movie. It's got Steve Buscemi, which is a major plus, naked cowboys, Sarah Silverman in happy mode, handicapped strippers, odd encounters and locations (having lived outside Albuquerque, NM, I do know how odd most of that Land of Manana can be), small-time gambling, and a thousand bucks to spare on lottery tickets. What it does not have is resonance or enough of a point - the film eventually meanders and sputters out to a far too tidy finish. The journey in getting there is kinda fun though.

Buscemi plays John, a former Las Vegas gambler who works at an auto insurance company. He is hoping for a promotion from his boss, Mr. Townshend (Peter Dinklage), whose desk is surrounded by four ostentatious Greek pillars. John's latest job is to go on the road to Sin City, the place that got him into past troubles, with Virgil (Romany Malko), the top insurance fraud specialist. Together they investigate an auto accident claim by a stripper whose car was struck by another driver in the middle of the desert. Fraud is suspected.

Virgil doesn't make John's life easy. They sleep in the car instead of going to a motel. When they meet a carnival human torch (played by John Cho in one of the oddest characters I've ever seen in a movie) who is also a tow truck driver, John has to ask the questions, not Virgil. When John tries to win a Happy Face doll at the circus (the smiley face is a recurring symbol) for his girlfriend-to-be (Sarah Silverman), he can't throw worth a dime but Virgil can. And then Virgil takes John to a sudden moment of unexpectedness that you won't see coming (at least I didn't).

"Saint John of Las Vegas" is often hysterically written and directed by Hue Rhodes - he has done a capable job of maintaining an air of Coens Brothers mentality but without the often cartoonish, loud rush that inflates some of the Coens work to unwatchable extremes (I am talking to you, "Raising Arizona"). This film has sass but it is also restrained so as to not hit you over the head with its offbeat gestures and characters (the story is allegedly based on Alighieri's "Divine Comedy"). You keep wondering where John's gambling inclinations will take him. When we finally get to the ending of this 85-minute odyssey, I felt a little too underwhelmed. Don't get me wrong - the ending is an appropriate finish technically. I just felt distanced from it, wishing the film had more to say and engaged us more with Buscemi's John and Malko's enigmatic Virgil. The ride is fun and breezy but it needed more of a finishing touch.

You know what is interesting about Knocked Up? Everything!

KNOCKED UP (2007)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Knocked Up" is the 2000 version of Cameron Crowe's classic "Say Anything." The difference is in the execution because "Knocked Up" is a raunchier, zonked-out, free-for-all, highly spirited version of the same old story of a lovable male loser and a sophisticated, firm, ambitious woman. It is also given intelligence, humanity and honesty by one of our best writer-directors, Judd Apatow.

Seth Rogen plays a slightly overweight, slightly unlikable romantic lead named Ben - a rarity in this genre. I say it is a rarity because a character like his, a stoner with a predilection for pop trivia, is often in the sidelines as the comic relief, the occasional foil, to a more strapping, handsome leading man. Not so with Ben - he has some charm but very little to offer beyond drinking beers, smoking pot and creating a website about nude celebrities in movies. He lives with three other roomates who do pretty much the same, mooching off of Ben's 14,000 dollar settlement from a previous accident (he's down to 900 dollars that he hopes to spend within two years). They all go clubbing one night where Ben meets Alison (Katharine Heigl) who is tickled by his humor, especially his canny method of getting beers from a bartender. Ben and Alison have sex that night, nary a condom. 8 weeks later, Alison discovers she is pregnant, which may be met with unease considering that she is one of the star reporters for the E channel! Alison decides that it is best to let Ben know, despite their rickety, fractured relationship.

The screenplay wisely avoids the usual trappings of a movie like this. Alison lives with her allegedly unhappy sister, Debbie (Leslie Mann, who first made an impression on me with "She's the One"), who has a husband that needs some time to himself. She could've easily been portrayed as a disapproving, hateful woman once she becomes aware of who the father is. Instead, she respects Ben, despite his stoner existence. And the husband, Pete (the reliably genial Paul Rudd), could've been shown as another hateful prick who uses violence against Ben. Instead he becomes best friends with Ben, even going on a trip together to Vegas to sort out their complicated lives.

That is at the heart of "Knocked Up." The movie has the messiness and complications of life. Nothing is watered down or made to seem contrived. Every action, motivation, performance and line of dialogue underlies the reality of getting, well, knocked up. Added to that are notable pop-culture references to "Spider-Man 3," "Short Cuts" and "Munich" ("Those Jews kicked ass!") Any movie this romantic, funny, pop-culture savvy without sounding obvious, and unsparing is certainly worth more than a mere mention as one of the finest, rawest romantic comedies in quite some time.

Writer-director Apatow has managed to make a sensitive romantic comedy that doesn't stoop down to cliches or needless graphic sex scenes (though be warned that there is some graphic sexual language). The film has its heart in the right place, and one can be thankful for at least that much. Interestingly, Rogen and Heigl don't exactly have chemistry - they rock as a genuine pair with whom you are not sure if they are in love or if they just love each other as friends. Though Apatow concedes to the expectations of the happy resolution that comes packaged with any stale, alleged romantic comedy, "Knocked Up" does it with surprise, pathos and lots of big, raunchy gags (especially Apatow's own "The 40 Year Old Virgin"). Don't be surprised if you shed a tear for this couple, even if it was just a baby that brought them together.

Killer E.T.'s

WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Originally written in 2005)

Ever since Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List," the renown director has fashioned his films with darker themes and less heroism than usual. Consider "The Lost World," a mediocre, joyless sequel to "Jurassic Park" that is darker and gorier than the original. Then came "Saving Private Ryan," a bloody, realistic (and patriotic) war picture; "A.I.," a bittersweet tribute to Stanley Kubrick, and the noirish sci-fi spectacle of "Minority Report." "The Terminal" and "Catch Me if You Can" were playful diversions for the Spielman. "War of the Worlds" is a whole other matter - a nail-biting, scary and strenuous ride that recalls the fear factor and atmosphere of "Jaws" and "Jurassic Park." Just when you thought that there was nothing remotely vivid or thrilling about alien invasions - Spielberg pulls one of the best ever made out of his hat without breaking much of a sweat. The audience will be sweating.

Tom Cruise is Ray Ferrier, a crane dock worker who doesn't like to work overtime. He lives in a small, cluttered house in Northern New Jersey, facing the city of New York. It is a post-9/11 world where terrorism is spoken of and the World Trade Center is conspicuously absent from the New York skyline. Ray is not a model dad out of "Father Knows Best" (or "Everybody Loves Raymond" for that matter). He is late in picking up his kids from his ex-wife (thanklessly played by Miranda Otto) who is going on a trip to Boston with her new husband. Naturally, Ray's kids are not fond of Ray, including his ten-year-old daughter, Rachel (Dakota Fanning), and his teenage son, Robbie (Justin Chatwin) who basically hates him. Robbie reluctantly plays catch with his father, and steals his car for a ride around the neighborhood. Father and son issues don't last when one cloudy afternoon, electrical shocks from the sky pierce the neighborhood that knocks out the electromagnetic fields (electricity is wiped out and cars won't start). Nobody thinks much of it until the next day when huge, threatening tripods burst out of the concrete avenues and start firing laser beams at people and buildings, turning everything into dust. Nope, it isn't the Republicans who are suddenly emerging or some fascist underground army - these ominous tripods are aliens who have decided to zap us away without rhyme or reason (though we are told in the opening narration that the aliens are envious of our world. Since when? I know this is in H.G. Wells original text but I still find it hard to believe).

"War of the Worlds" is essentially about survival as we witness Ray and his family running for their lives from the alien tripods. These machines advance and announce their evil with a loud, thundering horn (reminiscent of the thumps and roars of the dinosaurs in "Jurassic Park"). They also have technologically advanced tentacles that suck up human bodies like madly advanced vacuums (and also perform some sort of grisly human disembowelment though it is unclear why or for what purpose). These aliens are unforgiving in their brutality and relentless nature - they plunge forth violently destroying everything in their paths. Can these destructive aliens be destroyed? What will Ray and his kids do as they scream and argue through most of their journey to Boston to catch up with the kids' mother? And will human beings ever learn that in a crisis, it is better to act civilly than to shoot each other or trample over each other?

"War of the Worlds" is an unremitting assault on the senses, perhaps more so than anything Spielberg has ever attempted before. The first alien attack is so scary that you'll end up on the edge of your seat clutching the arms of the person next to you - you feel like you are right there with the crowds of people. Spielberg's trick is to see the havoc from the point-of-view of the people, including Ray's own POV. We also witness a severe bridge collapse, SUV's thrown up in the air, roads cracking open, buildings demolished, a flaming speeding train, clouds of ash filling the air (a signature moment from "Schindler's List"), bodies littering a river, and red alien weeds covering a desolate countryside after it is nearly demolished by the alien intruders. There is also a truly nerve-frying sequence where something crashes and burns outside a basement window, though we are not initially shown what is causing such a ruckus. Spielberg's gift is for never showing the audience too much - he leaves us with the long-forgotten act of using our collective imagination.

Writers David Koepp and Josh Friedman are somewhat deficient in supplying strong character development. Ray is shown as the average father, the Everyman, who learns to bond with his kids again in a crisis. Yawn. Well, maybe a slight yawn since the writers nor Spielberg lay it on too thick. Still, Ray is just a survivor, like everyone else, and commits an act at one point that will disturb many. It is a Tom Cruise part built for his own sincere persona but it lacks the nuance of some of his best roles. Dakota Fanning simply plays a smart child who knows how to tear up and scream better than most - she is also more sensible than her dad. Justin Chatwin is not given more to do either, though he has some sort of eerie appetite for being in the midst of destruction.

"War of the Worlds" is not merely a thrill machine because Spielberg imbues it with enough gravity to give you the chills and emotional involvement that lesser directors might have failed to do ("Independence Day" comes to mind). It is executed with enough tension and panache to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Many will admire the director's need to deliver this tale with the urgency of the world we live in now. Others may be dismayed by the director's darker recesses after showing us such friendly aliens in "E.T." and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." For myself, it is proof that Spielberg still knows how to tap in to our nightmares and potent fears better than anyone.

A Little Bloodsoaked, Pop Culture-Based, Green Bag

RESERVOIR DOGS (1992)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

When I first saw Quentin Tarantino's debut "Reservoir Dogs," I found it to be a gory heist film, a sort of latter-day Scorsese take on modern-day hoods minus any real moral complexity. Times have changed since 1992 and "Reservoir Dogs" is still gory but it bursts forth with such energy and vitality that it would be wrong to dismiss it a second time. I think what I missed the first time was the black humor and the strong personalities of its characters. The violence, as brief and abrupt as it is, is so strong and vivid that it can almost demolish anything else. But what I had missed was Tarantino's evident talent in his own screenplay.

The opening sequence is already a classic. The setting is a diner as a group of robbers sit around the table and ruminate on subjects like Madonna's "Like a Virgin," tipping, and rock and roll songs ("The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" is briefly discussed). In retrospect, none of this has anything to do with the rest of the film. What it does is set up a mood and establish its characters. Following that sequence is a title sequence where the robbers walk in slow-motion as "Little Green Bag" plays on the soundtrack. Then the film shifts in time and place to a bungled robbery where Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) is in a getaway car as Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) screams in agonizing pain after getting shot in the belly. They are off to a meeting place, a warehouse where coffins are stored! They meet with the obnoxious Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi), a lanky mess of a robber with a goatee and an attitude like a junkyard dog (as does everyone else in the movie). There is much talk about whether or not to take Mr. Orange to a hospital or wait for the big boss, Joe (Lawrence Tierney), and tell him that the robbery was a possible set-up.

Then we confront the Lee Marvin fan, Mr. Blue (Michael Madsen), a trigger-happy, obscenely violent criminal who feels that shooting the hostages one by one was justified since they might have initiated the alarm. This man is suave but also a cruel, mean psychopath with no misgivings about slicing a cop's ear while listening to "Stuck in the Middle With You" (a nod to the violent ballet dance of "A Clockwork Orange" complete with "Singin' In The Rain" being sung by Alex, the prototypical antihero of the 1970's). This controversial scene is so disgusting that it caused major walkouts, particularly among women. But Tarantino, who has been criticized for showing gratuitous violence, knows when to cut away, pardon the pun, and how much to show on screen. His scenes of violence are quick and effective, precisely because they occur too fast. It is the brutality inherent in the violence that gets to people.

And I have not yet discussed Tarantino's screenplay - it is quite wonderful and it shares a particular speech style where everyone tries to interrupt each other and go off on tangents. Basically, one can think of it as Mamet-speak but the energy level is different, more stylized. Consider a near-perfect sequence where we discover Mr. Orange's true identity and the story he tells to the group about a marijuana deal. Mr. Orange describes in detail how he had a carry-on bag with marijuana in the bathroom where the cops (and a loud dog) watch him as he stands by the urinal. In this scene, Tarantino defies logic and narrative construction by having Mr. Orange tell his tale, speaking the words as he stares at the cops, as if he was in a situation that never actually occurred. It is by far the most memorable sequence in the film. Sometimes, characters indulge in conversations that have nothing to do with the story at all. For example, one scene has Nice Guy Eddie (Chris Penn) tell the story of a Pam Grier-type waitress who, well, you have to hear to believe it. The characters discuss movies and TV and songs and other people's lives the way people in real life do. But when it is time for some business related to the robbery, they get in character.

One aspect I noticed about "Reservoir Dogs" is that this is a man's world. Women hardly figure in the film, they are only discussed as objects or as criminals (like the Mr. White story of a female robber named Alabama). These guys discuss and joke about explicit sexual acts to each other. At one point, Mr. Blue, fresh from being released from prison, fools around with Nice Guy Eddie, who tells Blue that his sexual acts with black men messed up his mind. The end of the film has Mr. White comforting the dying Mr. Orange, calmly caressing his head as if they were lovers. There is a curious homosexual subtext, or we can just see it as men who act macho by discussing having sex with each other. I'll go with the latter.

"Reservoir Dogs" is fast, furious, nasty and extremely entertaining. It placed Tarantino on the map, just prior to his crime epic "Pulp Fiction" a couple of years later. My one criticism is that his characters are shallow and lack much depth. Still, since no one in the film knows much about each other then perhaps that was the point.