Opening sequence of Reservoir Dogs, 1992

Reservoir Dogs is one of my favourite films and while watching it I realised it would be worth while analysing it's opening sequence.
In my opinion, the opening sequence is not typical of the thriller genre yet is still effective. The film starts with a black screen and you can hear the sound of background chatter and teacups and plates giving the audience the idea that the scene is set in a public place e.g. a cafe. You then hear the sound of a man talking. What he is saying is quite vulgar but makes the audience immediately pay attention. I think it's unusual but interesting that the first person to speak in the film and the main talker is the scene is Quentin Tarantino, the director. The first image is an over the shoulder shot of a man answering him back and disagreeing with him. The camera then moves around showing all the men (the reservoir dogs) sitting round a table all wearing tuxes(apart from one) and eating, drinking & smoking making them seem quite glamorous. The fact that they are sitting in a dingy cafe juxtaposes this. The conversation they're having shows the audience that the men all know each other and are friends/ are working together. In the opening sequence. the only things in focus are the men and the camera keeps panning round them so the audience get to know what they all look like.
Not much happens in the opening sequence of reservoir Dogs but the fact that they are doing something perceived as normal helps the audience get an idea of what the characters are like and let them build up ideas about them. It is also the only time in the film when all the characters are together in the same place.

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