Reservoir Dogs Imagery

Reservoir Dogs Imagery

Mr. White in White

Mr. White has brought Mr. Orange to the warehouse when Mr. Pink arrives he wants to figure out what has just happened. He and Mr. White move into an auxiliary room to talk. Tarantino frames a shot with Mr. White framed out with the doorway around him and the white tiled walls as leading lines pushing into the white room. It becomes a frame within a frame and there is quite a bit of depth to it which tells us that there is more to the story that we don't know. We also see Mr. White wiping Mr. Oranges blood off of his hands with a white cloth. Adding this to the shot connects later when we realize that Mr. Oranges blood has stained Mr. White. Finally, we don't see Mr. Pink enter the shot for quite a few frames which demands that this character within this composition to be examined at more than just a glance.

Fractured Windshield

Mr. Pink while running from the police after the robbery is hit by a car, and his body severly cracks the windshield. He takes the car and races away. Tarantino shoots Mr. Pink from a low angle in the back seat of the car so that we see the shattered windshield obstructing his view. This image shows us that his view, as well as the audience is obstructed and we are going to have to really look closely to see where we are going.

The Mirror and Mr. Orange

Right before Freddy leaves his apartment to meet Eddie, Mr. White and Mr. Pink he stops himself and closes the door he was about the walk out of. Tarantino shows him look at himself in the mirror and tell himself that he will do this and they will believe him. Freddy is transforming himself into Mr. Orange in this moment by speaking right to himself in that mirror. This image captures the first time Freddy truly becomes Mr. Orange once he's joined the crew.

The Scales of Life and Death

In a shot where Mr. White and Mr. Pink are deciding whether to take Mr. Orange to the hospital or not, Tarantino shoots wide so that we see Mr. Orange's body covered in blood at the bottom of a ramp leading up to a doorway. The image relates to that of his body being on a scale. The doorway is the entrance to life and where he lies on the other end is death, and it appears that he is tipping the scales in the latter's direction while his fate is being decided by the other two men.

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