Reservoir Dogs is a 1992 American neo-noir crime thriller that depicts the events before and after a botched diamond heist. The film was the feature-length debut of director and writer Quentin Tarantino, and stars Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Chris Penn,  Lawrence Tierney, and Michael Madsen. Tarantino and criminal-turned-author Edward Bunker have minor roles. It incorporates many themes that have become Tarantino's hallmarks—violent crime, pop culture references, profanity, and nonlinear storytelling.