Quentin Tarantino burst onto the Hollywood scene with his first feature film Reservoir Dogs and immediately established himself as one of cinema's most exciting new filmmaking voices. The wild, funny and violent crime story followed a group of criminals pulling off a heist that goes horribly wrong.
As would become the trend with Tarantino's movies, Reservoir Dogs is filled with deplorable characters, some who are easy to hate and others who somehow manage to charm the audience. Looking at the main characters in this movie, it is fascinating to see who the real villains are and who fans will root for.
Mr. Blonde
Tarantino has always excelled at creating fascinating villains and his first movie is a perfect example of this. Mr. Blonde is introduced as the sort of laidback and smooth member of the crew. However, it is later revealed that he snapped during the heist and started executing hostages.
When Blonde comes back into the story, his chill persona becomes unsettling now that it is clear how evil he is underneath it all. The famous scene where he tortures a captive cop is a perfect example of his sadistic mind.
Nice Guy Eddie
Nice Guy Eddie is the son of the heist's boss, Joe Cabot. Though he is not calling the shots on his own, Eddie does know how to keep the other criminals in line when things start to turn upside down.
While he appears to be a charming and likable guy at times, he is also prone to spouting homophobic and racist rhetoric. Eddie doesn't get his hands dirty with the heist, but he does coldly execute the tortured cop seemingly to make a point.
Joe Cabot
In a room full of devious and violent criminals, it says something about Joe Cabot that he can be the toughest among them. The old, gruff man oversees the whole operation and runs things with an iron fist.
Joe has no time for nonsense and isn't afraid to speak harshly to the people who work for him. He expects everyone to do as he says and will not tolerate anything else. His hard-nosed personality makes him intimidating but hard to love.
Mr. Brown
Tarantino himself played one of the lesser-known members of the crew, Mr. Brown. The first scene allows Mr. Brown to take the spotlight as he goes on a long and rambling rant about the true meaning of Madonna's song "Like a Virgin." And from that moment, he becomes the most annoying member of the crew.
Brown seems to be the getaway driver and dies before he can be seen doing anything bad enough for the audience to truly hate him. However, that first scene just makes him out to be a loudmouth who goes on and on about subjects no one else cares about.
Mr. Blue
While Mr. Brown only gets one small scene to make himself memorable, Mr. Blue doesn't even get that. Out of all the other members of the crew, he is the one who makes the smallest impact.
He is shown in the first scene at the diner and one more scene when the crew meets for the first time, then that's it. It is later revealed that he was killed by the police off-screen so there's really not a lot to like or dislike about the character.
Mr. White
Though the movie is very much an ensemble, it could be argued that Mr. White is the main character. He seems to be the most experienced out of all of the other criminals and does at least have some sort of conscience.
Mr. White goes out of his way to help Mr. Orange when he is shot and even tells him his name to help the young man feel better. He is also shown to be disgusted by Blonde's murderous behavior and is willing to kill Joe to protect Mr. Orange. Of course, White is also seen murdering people, so it's clear he is a bad guy as well.
Mr. Pink
Mr. Pink certainly doesn't seem like a criminal mastermind, but his anxious behavior is part of the reason he is so likable. He is maybe the most level-headed of the group and often is the only one with an intelligent thing to say.
He is not a cold-blooded killer like Blonde and he is never seen killing anyone. Pink is even clever enough to get away with the diamonds. However, his policy on tipping is pretty meanspirited.
Holdaway
When it is revealed that Mr. Orange was the undercover cop in the crew, the movie shows us a flashback of his preparation for the job. To help him get ready for this dangerous assignment, his fellow cop Holdaway coaches him through it all.
Though it is not a large part, Holdaway makes an impression as a smart and helpful companion to Mr. Orange, who guides him along the way.
Marvin Nash
If there is one character who gains the most sympathy in the movie, it is certainly Marvin Nash. When Mr. Blonde makes it to the safehouse, he reveals that he has been driving about with a captured police officer in his trunk.
Nash reveals himself to be a relatively new cop and he insists he does not know anything about a mole in this operation. He is then beaten and tortured before almost being burned alive by Blonde, only to be saved by Orange at the last moment. He then reveals that he did know Orange was undercover and still refused to give him up, even when facing a horrible death.
Mr. Orange
Mr. Orange is the hero of the movie and even he is not without his own flaws. He is a cop who takes on a very dangerous assignment that truly scares him, yet he manages to bury that fear and pull it off.
It is the other policeman that makes a mess of the situation, putting him in even more danger and eventually leading to him getting shot as well as accidentally killing an innocent woman. In the end, after Mr. White saves his life, he confesses to being a cop and gets killed for his moment of honesty.