Scene Analysis (Reservoir Dogs)

In this scene, Nice Guy Eddie is trying to understand Mr.Orange’s side of the story of what happened while he was away from the warehouse. In conversation, we cut back and forth between Nice Guy Eddie and Mr.Orange with Mr.Orange, coming close to being exposed as the rat in the operation, at a high angle implying powerlessness. Nice Guy Eddie, having all the power in this interaction, is shot at a low angle implying power. What’s also important to note in this interaction is that Mr.Orange is always shown closer than Nice Guy Eddie because at this point in the movie we know Mr.Orange to be the rat and we need to see his face react to the climax of the film’s story. We see Joe enter the scene in a wide shot giving us the same view everyone else in the warehouse would of had of someone entering from afar. When Joe accuses Mr.Orange of working for the LAPD, Mr.White steps in and talks Joe into thinking differently. The camera cuts between shots of an over the shoulder shot of Joe talking to Mr.White and a shot where just Joe is in the frame and shot from a low angle implying the power he has in the situation. These shots follow the 360 degree rule and this conversation has cutaways to a close up of Mr.Orange whenever he’s mentioned in conversation. When all three men stand off, we’re shown their positions in a wide shot establishing where every character is and who their gun is pointed towards. We cut between this and cutaways of the reluctant Mr.Pink who is trying to get the men to put their guns down. Once all three men shoot each other we cut to a wide shot now establishing the positions in which they all lie in on the floor signaling the end of an important point in the movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljjRZe6g5EM