Reservoir Dogs Cast Then and Now: Quentin Tarantino, Steve Buscemi
It’s been 30 years since Reservoir Dogs hit theaters on Oct. 23, 1992.
Quentin Tarantino wrote and directed the film, while he also played the minor character of Mr. Brown.
Reservoir Dogs follows eight gangsters that use aliases based on different colors. Following a diamond heist led by Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney) that goes wrong, the criminals begin to suspect that one of the surviving men is secretly a police informant.
Harvey Keitel leads the ensemble cast as Larry Dimmick, a gangster who is also known as Mr. White. Other members of the gang are portrayed by Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Tierney, Steve Buscemi, Edward Bunker and Tarantino.
After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 21, 1992, the film had its theatrical release in October of that year. Reservoir Dogs was met with critical acclaim and helped launch Tarantino’s film career.
The Hollywood Reporter’s original review praised the film and Tarantino’s efforts behind the scenes. “Writer-director Quentin Tarantino is one lethal storyteller. Reservoir Dogs, even for those of us with weak stomachs, is a masterful story setup, aided and abetted by all those colorful guys in on the thing,” the review read.
Tarantino and the cast were nominated for several awards, with Buscemi winning the Independent Spirit Award for best supporting actor.
The film has left a lasting impact on Tarantino, who admitted he considered revisiting the story as his last film. “I’ve actually considered making a remake of Reservoir Dogs as my last movie,” the director said while appearing on Real Time with Bill Maher in June 2021. He added, “I won’t do it, internet! But I considered it.”
In honor of the milestone anniversary, take a look at what the cast of Reservoir Dogs has been up to since the film’s debut.
Harvey Keitel as Mr. White/Larry Dimmick
Keitel stars in Reservoir Dogs as protagonist Larry Dimmick, who performs robberies under the alias Mr. White and develops a bond with Mr. Orange. Keitel was already an established actor before starring in Tarantino’s debut feature length film. He has had memorable appearances in films including Who’s That Knocking at My Door, Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Blue Collar, The Last Temptation of Christ, Thelma & Louise, Bugsy, Bad Lieutenant, The Piano, From Dusk till Dawn, Cop Land, Red Dragon, National Treasure, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Youth and The Irishman. In 1994, Keitel reunited with Tarantino to play Winston “The Wolf” Wolfe in Pulp Fiction. He also made an uncredited appearance in Tarantino’s Inglorious Bastards in 2009. The actor will next reprise his role of Peter Sadusky in Disney+’s National Treasure: Edge of History, which will be available to stream on Dec. 14. In addition to acting, Keitel served as the co-president of The Actors Studio alongside Al Pacino and Ellen Burstyn from 1995-2017.
Tim Roth as Mr. Orange/Freddy
Roth appears in the film as Freddy, who goes by the alias Mr. Orange. Pretending to be a criminal but later discovered to be an undercover cop, Freddy participates in the heist in an effort to catch crime boss Joe in the act and arrest him. In addition to Reservoir Dogs, Roth worked with Tarantino on the films Pulp Fiction, Four Rooms and The Hateful Eight. His other film credits include The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover; Vincent & Theo; Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead; The Incredible Hulk; Broken; Selma; 600 Miles; Chronic; 1 Mile to You; The Misfits; There Are No Saints; and Punch. Roth’s performance as Archibald Cunningham in the 1995 film Rob Roy was critically acclaimed, with the actor earning a BAFTA award for best actor in a supporting role and Golden Globe and Oscar nominations. He made his directorial debut with the 1999 film The War Zone. On the TV side, Roth starred as Dr. Cal Lightman on Fox’s crime drama Lie to Me from 2009-2011 and as James “Jim” Worth on Sky Atlantic’s crime drama Tin Star from 2017-2020. The actor currently plays Emil Blonsky/Abomination on Disney+’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
Michael Madsen as Mr. Blonde/ Vic
Madsen portrays the role of Vic, who is a member of the gang under the alias Mr. Blonde. The paroled career criminal was hired by his friend Joe to perform the jewelry heist that goes wrong. After starring in Reservoir Dogs, Madsen went on to act in films including Free Willy, Money for Nothing, Wyatt Earp, Species, The Last Days of Frankie Fly, Die Another Day, The Big I Am, Along the Roadside and Damon’s Revenge. He reunited with Tarantino to act in Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Kill Bill: Volume 2 as Budd, The Hateful Eight as Joe Gage and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as Sheriff Hackett. On the television side, Madsen starred in ABC’s Vengeance Unlimited from 1998-1999, while he appeared on multiple episodes of Our Family Honor, Tilt, 24, The Mob Doctor, Powers and Big Time in Hollywood, Florida.
Steve Buscemi as Mr. Pink
Buscemi plays the memorable role of Mr. Pink, who becomes suspicious that one of the gang members sabotaged the heist and is secretly a cop. While he is successfully able to leave the warehouse by the end of the film, it is not known if Mr. Pink is arrested for his involvement in the crime. The actor has had a successful career following Reservoir Dogs, acting in both drama and comedy films. Some of his memorable film roles include Desperado, Con Air, Armageddon, Ghost World, Big Fish and The Death of Stalin. He is a frequent collaborator of the Coen brothers, having appeared in Miller’s Crossing, Barton Fink, The Hudsucker Proxy, Fargo and The Big Lebowski. From 2010 until 2014, Buscemi starred as Enoch “Nucky” Thompson in the critically acclaimed HBO series Boardwalk Empire. He won two Screen Actors Guild awards and a Golden Globe and received two Emmy nominations for the role. Buscemi hosted and directed Aol’s Park Bench with Steve Buscemi from 2014 until 2015, while he also starred in Horace and Pete in 2016. He has been appearing in TBS’ Miracle Workers in various roles since 2019. In addition to acting, Buscemi has directed episodes of television shows including Oz, The Sopranos, Nurse Jackie, 30 Rock, Portlandia, Love, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Miracle Workers. He also directed the drama film The Listener, which had its theatrical release in September 2022.
Edward Bunker as Mr. Blue
Bunker appears in the film as the supporting character of Mr. Blue, a robber that is always seen smoking a cigar. While Bunker acted in several films including Shy People, Miracle Mile, Best of the Best, Animal Factory, Family Secrets, 13 Moons and The Longest Yard, he was best known for his work as a crime fiction author and screenwriter. In his younger years, Bunker was arrested for crimes including bank robbery, drug dealing, extortion, armed robbery and forgery. He was released from prison for a final time in 1975 and turned his attention to writing and acting. The author released his debut novel No Beast So Fierce in 1973, which was followed by The Animal Factory, Little Boy Blue, Dog Eat Dog, Mr. Blue: Memoirs of a Renegade, Stark and Death Row Breakout and Other Stories. He wrote three screenplays based off of his books Straight Time, Runaway Train and Animal Factory. Bunker passed away at the age of 71 in 2005.
Lawrence Tierney as Joe Cabot
Tierney stars as Joe Cabot, Eddie’s father who organizes the botched diamond heist. While he survives the initial heist, Joe is ultimately shot as the gang members become more suspicious of each other. Tierney worked consistently from 1943 to 1999. Throughout his long career, the actor appeared in projects including Dillinger, Those Endearing Young Charms, Back to Bataan, Mama Loves Papa, Badman’s Territory, San Quentin, The Devil Thumbs a Ride, Born to Kill and Armageddon. On the television side, Tierney made guest appearances on Remington Steele, Fame, Hunter, Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and The Simpsons. The actor died in 2002 at the age of 82.
Kirk Baltz as Marvin Nash
Baltz portrays Marvin Nash, an LAPD officer who is kidnapped amid the botched jewelry heist. He is held captive in a warehouse until he’s shot dead by Eddie. While Reservoir Dogs is Baltz’s best known role, the actor went on to appear in the films Natural Born Killers, Face/Off, Cold Around the Heart, Bulworth, The Lie, Parker and Goodbye World. As for television, Baltz has had roles on To Protect and Serve, 24 and Wicked City.
Chris Penn as Nice Guy Eddie
Penn plays Nice Guy Eddie, the son of Joe Cabot and a close friend of Mr. Blonde. Eddie joins the gang before the heist. When the gang members begin turning on each other, Eddie kills Marvin Nash after he learns that Mr. Orange killed Mr. Blonde. Following his performance in Reservoir Dogs, Penn went on to act in the films True Romance, Short Cuts, The Boys Club, The Funeral, Rush Hour, Corky Romano and Starsky & Hutch. Additionally, he voiced the role of Edward “Eddie” Pulaski in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Penn — who was the brother of actor Sean Penn and musician Michael Penn — died in 2006 at the age of 40.
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