at the movie's release at the sundance film festival, movie critic jami bernard of the "new york daily news" compared the effect of "reservoir dogs" to that of the 1895 movie "l'arrivée d'un train en gare de la ciotat", where audiences watched a moving train approaching the camera and ran away frightened. bernard claimed that "reservoir dogs" had a similar effect and people were not ready for it. vincent canby of the "new york times" enjoyed the cast and the use of non-linear storytelling. he similarly complimented tarantino's directing and liked the fact that he did not often use close-ups in the movie. kenneth turan of the "los angeles times" also enjoyed the movie and the acting, particularly that of buscemi, tierney and madsen, and said "tarantino's palpable enthusiasm, his unapologetic passion for what he's created, reinvigorates this venerable plot and, mayhem aside, makes it involving for longer than you might suspect."