The debut film of auteur filmmaker Quentin Tarantino was the violent heist film Reservoir Dogs. I remember being blown away by it when I saw it in the theatre when it was released in 1992, and especially the stylish opening credits scene with the principal characters walking down an alley in slow-motion to the nearly forgotten 1970s hit Little Green Bag by the George Baker Selection.
One of my favorite devices is that the six characters involved in the heist are each given code names so they won’t accidentally reveal their names during the diamond robbery and be able to give away each other’s identities should they be caught. Here’s the main cast, in order of their appearance in the slow-motion opening credits:
- Harvey Keitel as Lawrence Dimmick: Mr. White
- Michael Madsen as Vic Vega: Mr. Blonde
- Chris Penn as Eddie Cabot: Nice Guy Eddie
- Steve Buscemi: Mr. Pink
- Lawrence Tierney as Joe Cabot
- Edward Bunker: Mr. Blue
- Quentin Tarantino: Mr. Brown
- Tim Roth as Detective Freddie Newandyke: Mr. Orange
Earlier this month, Brazilian art student Peter de Andrade, for a school project created a series of beer labels based on the film, using “cães de aluguel,” which translates in Portuguese to, of course, Reservoir Dogs. The artist created the labels as if they were brewed by the Brazilian brewery Cervejaria Wäls, which each label and type of beer based on the film character’s code name color. As far as I know, Wäls was not involved and isn’t planning on making the Reservoir Dogs beers. Coincientally, there is a Reservoir Dogs Brewery in Slovenia.
Mr. White, a Pilsner
Mr. Blonde, an Ale, presumably a Blonde Ale
Mr. Blue, a Weisss beer
Mr. Brown, a Stout
Mr. Orange, an Amber Ale
It’s a pretty cool idea, and I’d love to see the actual beer made. There’s really only one question about all of this. Where the hell is Mr. Pink?