“Reservoir Canines” facilities on one of the crucial chaotic film heists of all time — one which rapidly descends into an equally chaotic standoff that leaves just about everybody concerned riddled with bullets. Therefore, it might come as no shock to study that issues have been simply as wild behind the scenes on the movie.
Mr. Blonde, as performed by the late, nice Michael Madsen (who sadly handed away on July 3, 2025), steals Quentin Tarantino’s characteristic directing debut together with his notorious torture routine set to the slick track “Caught within the Center with You.” Nevertheless, even the character’s colourful character paled compared to the popularity of the forged’s most problematic actor: Lawrence Tierney.
Tierney had an extended historical past of taking part in mobsters in basic Hollywood footage like “Dillinger,” and off-screen, he did his greatest to reside as much as that powerful man picture. He was a infamous drinker with a popularity for beginning bar fights wherever he went. In reality, he was even stabbed throughout considered one of these altercations in 1973. So, when Tarantino forged the veteran within the function of mob boss Joe Cabot in “Reservoir Canines,” the movie’s producers gave him a strict rule to by no means, ever let Tierney drink through the manufacturing. Sadly, this finally teed up a fateful conflict with Madsen.
An evening of drinks with Tim Roth led to Tierney swinging at Madsen
Miramax Movies
Madsen, ever the rule breaker, took pleasure in flaunting the rule set by the movie’s producers, and so he and co-star Tim Roth took the primary alternative they may to take Tierney out for drinks on the famed Hollywood steakhouse generally known as Musso and Frank’s. Tierney rapidly received “actually loaded,” as Madsen as soon as informed The After Film Diner, and proceeded to stroll outdoors onto Hollywood Boulevard and drop his pants in the course of the road.
As if that wasn’t hectic sufficient, Tierney started to badger Madsen to offer him 20 bucks. When Madsen declined his demand, Tierney continued till he received so riled up he took a “wild loopy swing” at Madsen. Because the latter recalled:
“I backed off, and he missed me by inches. I felt the breeze. God bless him, he is handed away now, however he was fairly a personality.”
Madsen wasn’t the one one to conflict with Tierney throughout manufacturing. Quentin Tarantino known as him a “full lunatic” by the point he made it on set, and he made their first week of capturing extraordinarily difficult. On the very finish of that week, Tarantino fired him, and “the entire crew burst into applause.”
Removed from feeling empowered, Tarantino feared this might be the demise knell to his profession earlier than he had even completed the primary week of filming on his first film. Fortunately, one of many extra accountable members of his forged, Harvey Keitel, was capable of assuage the movie’s producers that every thing was underneath management, and the remaining is cinema historical past.
