At least that, if not actually capable of enacting hurt, too. We are capable of imagining and even of desiring to hurt. As if вЂњStuck in the Middle With YouвЂќ were the obvious musical accompaniment toВ torture. Tarantino has admitted in interviews that the song came first, before anything else. To this day I cannot hear that song without seeing the warehouse, Blonde dancing, and helpless Marvin Nash taped to the chair.

ItвЂ™s as if the song only exists in this room, a product of this particular, horrible moment. The music swells again as Blonde reenters the warehouse. You hear the sound of children playing, somewhere in the distance, hopefully farВ away. The music dies out behind the closed door. The song meanwhile continues to fill the warehouse space, rising up like a breathвЂЉ-вЂЉand then fades into an exhalation, a brief respite, as Blonde makes his way outside to retrieve a can of gasoline from his car. вЂњHello? Hello?вЂќ he waggles the ear around, talking into it.

The camera returns as Blonde stands holding up the severed ear and looking at it, pinched between his fingers. Kirk Baltz and Michael Madsen in вЂReservoir DogsвЂ™ And then the camera turns away, gazing above to a doorway where the words вЂњWatch Your HeadвЂќ have been sprayВ painted. We see BlondeвЂ™s back, the arching arm, the razor, the reach. Instead he reaches over the rookie officerвЂ™s head. With his back to the camera Blonde sits down on MarvinвЂ™s lap, almost as if heвЂ™s going to kiss or hold him. He slashes him across the cheek, then grabs his face, studying hisВ work. As the music plays Blonde dances toward Marvin, comically shuffling and wielding the blade like a brush. HeвЂ™s breathing heavily, and grunting beneath the gag. Two red stripes of blood stream down from MarvinвЂ™s nose, painting the silver tape. Blonde struts across the warehouse floor like a rooster, the razor in his hand. ItвЂ™s then that we hear the first bouncy notes of the song by Stealers Wheel, вЂњStuck in the Middle With You,вЂќ and its lyrics (вЂњI donвЂ™t know why I came here tonight / I got the feeling that something ainвЂ™t rightвЂќ), as if the music were saying what youвЂ™re thinking. вЂњDo you ever listen to K-BillyвЂ™s Super Sounds of the 70вЂ™s,вЂќ Blonde asks as he turns on the radio, twisting the knob to find his station. Blonde, a cigarette dangling from his lips, pulls a straight razor from his bootвЂЉ-вЂЉwhat kind of psychopath carries a straight razor in his boot?вЂЉ-вЂЉand you feel certain that something very, very bad is going to happen. Marvin Nash is crying for his life, and youвЂ™re thinking about his children at home, his wife waiting for him toВ return. He just wants to torture Nash, and he tells him this, tells him that he is going to hurt him because he just likes hurting people.

Blonde doesnвЂ™t care whether he knows or not. MarvinвЂ™s got children for godвЂ™s sake! Unfortunately Mr. He sputters and spits, snot and blood running from his nose as he swears to knowing nothing about their jewelry store heist being a setup. Rookie cop Marvin Nash (Kirk Baltz) duct taped to a chair, wounds blooming from his face while Michael Madsen, or Mr. With little effort I can conjure up the scene. The images catalogued forever in my consciousness from Quentin TarantinoвЂ™s first hit film, Reservoir Dogs (1992) queue up whenever I happen to find myself thinking about severed ears, torture, or, more frequently, when I hear a particular song. Electric Lit is 12 years old! Help support the next dozen years by helping us raise $12,000 for 12 years, and get exclusive merch!

Reservoir dogs ear scene