'Reservoir Dogs' turns 15

Quentin Tarantino
in 'Reservoir Dogs'Today marks the 15th anniversary of the U.S. theatrical release of "Reservoir Dogs," Quentin Tarantino's breakthrough feature film.

The film set the stage for 1994's "Pulp Fiction," which propelled Tarantino to household-name status.

There's no doubt, "Reservoir Dogs" is a sweet heist film. But, most casual fans of Tarantino are unaware of allegations that he stole much of the plot from a Hong Kong crime drama called "City on Fire."

A California-based blogger, Ron Lim has posted an interesting comparison of the two films. (Note, as might be expected from a Web page about Tarantino, some of the language is what I'd call PG-13. This is a family newspaper site, so I figured I'd better warn you.)

So, is "Reservoir Dogs" an homage or ripoff? You'll have to be the judge. But for my money, "Dogs" is still one wicked flick.

Interestingly enough, even Ron Lim agrees it's superior to "City on Fire."

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)