reservoir dogs is a 1992 american crime drama thriller movie written and directed by quentin tarantino. it stars harvey keitel, tim roth, michael madsen, chris penn and steve buscemi. it is the first movie directed by tarantino and is about the events before and after a jewelry store robbery that went wrong. the movie was released on october 23, 1992. the title, and promo shots associated with the movie, was a take on the violent sam peckinpah movie, straw dogs. although reservoir dogs failed at the theater it found new life after being released on vhs and dvd, quickly becoming a cult classic.