When Quentin Tarantino released his directorial debut Reservoir Dogs in 1992, audiences were introduced to the brilliance of the filmmaker while they watched a story that they had never seen before. The film is filled with pitch perfect dialogue from beginning to end as we watch a group of gangsters try to figure out what went wrong at their failed diamond heist. Essentially, it was a heist movie that never showed the actual robbery. Instead, we focus on the characters and their conflicting personalities. Reservoir Dogs gave us several memorable scenes and characters, most notably that of Mr. Blonde, played by Michael Madsen.
Madson gave us a sadistic, and sometimes hilarious, portrayal of a ruthless and violent criminal. Madson has stated that originally, he almost turned down the role of Mr. Blonde due to the fact that he didn’t want to be killed by an unknown actor (Tim Roth). The real identity of Mr. Blonde is that of Vic Vega, who is actually the brother of Vincent Vega (John Travolta) from Pulp Fiction. Although Tarantino did have ideas for a film about the Vega brothers, no film has yet to be made. Out of all the characters in Reservoir Dogs, Mr Blonde is most likely the most memorable. Let’s take a look at five of Mr. Blonde’s most iconic moments.
5 Mr. Blonde’s Entrance Into The Warehouse
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One of the greatest aspects of Mr. Blonde’s entrance into the warehouse is the buildup of his character from Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) and Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi). They describe the situation at the heist, and state that Mr. Blonde went completely crazy and started shooting civilian after civilian. These two ruthless criminals are in awe over the psychopathic nature of Mr. Blonde, proving that Blonde is the most unhinged one of the gang. When Mr. Blonde finally arrives, he comes in quietly and calmly while drinking some type of beverage. This tells you that even while being pursued by the cops, Mr. Blonde decided to stop somewhere to get a drink. He’s a calm and collective criminal who lacks all empathy once so ever. At the same time, we discover that Mr. Blonde brought along a surprise; a police officer tied up in the back of his trunk.
4 Mr. Blonde’s Meeting With Joe Cabot
In a flashback scene involving Mr. Blonde and the gang’s leader, Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney), we get a good long glimpse into the persona of Blonde as well as his relationship with Joe and his son, Nice Guy Eddy (Chris Penn). Here, we learn that Blonde is a loyal friend of the family who was willing to go to prison for years rather than ratting out Joe to the police. It is a fascinating scene where we learn about the benefits of being in organized crime and how Joe takes care of his loyal workers. In another hilarious part of the sequence, we watch as Blonde and Eddy wrestle each other to the ground, like two kids. It shows us the relationship that Blonde has with Eddy and Joe. Eddy is definitely a brother figure, while Joe is like a father. It is an endearing scene that dives deep into the persona of Blonde and his loyalty to the Cabot family.
3 Mr. Blonde’s Dances To "Stuck In The Middle With You"
This is possibly the most iconic scene of Reservoir Dogs. While Mr. Blonde is left alone in the warehouse with a half-dead Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) and a doomed police officer, Marvin Nash (Kirk Baltz), we watch Mr. Blonde crank up the music and dance as he slowly tortures the police officer. The song playing on the boombox is Stealer's Wheel's "Stuck in the Middle with You." The upbeat tune from the fictional radio station, K-Billy and The Super Sounds of the 70s, perfectly counteracts with the psychopathic persona of Mr. Blonde. Blonde looks like he is actually enjoying watching Nash beg for his life. His dance is joyful and Blonde has a smile on his face the whole time. Ironically, Madsen was very intimidated about doing the dancing scene, but thank goodness that he did.
2 Mr. Blonde Cuts Off Marvin Nash’s Ear
It's funny to think that one of the most violent and talked about moments in the film happens completely off screen. After Mr. Blonde does his iconic dance while torturing Nash, he finishes it off by cutting Nash's ear off. While Mr. Blonde does this, the camera pans away, leaving the visuals of the scene up to our imagination. The scariest part of this scene is that Mr. Blonde really didn't have to carry out such a vicious act. It was almost as if Blonde was doing it for fun and amusement. This completely shows you how evil Mr. Blonde truly is.
1 Mr. Blonde's Death
The death of Mr. Blonde could have been a big relief to many audience members. Mr. Blonde is covering Nash with a gallon of gasoline and is ready to set him on fire. Right before he does, Blonde is shot to death by Mr. Orange. This is an iconic death scene that adds a lot to the story. By Mr. Orange doing this, we now know that he is not a true member of the team. Mr. Orange is actually an undercover cop, giving us the biggest twist of the film. This scene pivots the film to a flashback describing Mr. Orange's real identity and his journey to join the team. The build up to Mr. Blonde's death was ruthless, and at some points, hard to watch. Although Mr. Blonde was an entertaining character, his fate to be shot to death was met with no sympathy from audiences.