In fact, the BBFC concluded that these issues could be robustly defended at 18. The criminal themes and violence (most notably the torture sequence) in Reservoir DogsВ had therefore to be revisited in the light of potentially harmful effects вЂ“ particularly to younger viewers вЂ“ in the home viewing environment. This вЂharmвЂ™ test required the BBFC to pay вЂspecial regard (among the other relevant factors) to any harm that may be caused to potential viewers or, through their behaviour, to society by the manner in which the work deals with criminal behaviour violent behaviour and incidentsвЂ™. This is because, on its passing into law in 1994, it established within the VRA a specific вЂharmвЂ™ test.

The BBFCвЂ™s then director, James Ferman, played an active role in the drafting of this aspect of the Bill which clearly had implications for the video classification of works such as Reservoir Dogs. In response to concerns about the effects of media violence, largely in the wake of the James Bulger murder in 1993, part of the BillвЂ™s remit was to make amendments to the Video Recordings Act 1984В (VRA), under which the BBFC had been appointed as the statutory regulatory body for video. The work was next submitted in 1993 for its home video classification, but the video release would be delayed until 1995 because of the introduction of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill in 1993 and its lengthy passage through Parliament.

and the clear establishment of Mr BlondeвЂ™s character as an unpleasant, sadistic psychopath with whom a viewer is not invited to identify or to glamorise.Д¬onsequently, the film was passed at 18, without cuts, and went on to enjoy box office success in UK cinemas as Tarantino continued to garner critical acclaim, including some from parts of the UK press better known for their more censorious attitudes towards violence in films.

its playing on the filmвЂ™s themes of loyalty and betrayal.

its contextualisation as a crucial plot point that reveals Mr Orange as the undercover policeman whose identity Mr Blonde had been trying to extract from the torture victim.

These factors were: the lack of process in the violence that undercuts what BBFC GuidelinesВ describe explicitly (and what would have been given significant weight in 1992) as вЂdwelling on the infliction of pain and injuryвЂ™ It was felt that the scene carried several mitigating factors that precluded further intervention at the adult category. There is subsequent sight of the policemanвЂ™s mutilated face before the threat escalates as Mr Blonde pours petrol over him and lights a match вЂ“ only to be shot dead by Mr Orange.

Apart from an initial indistinct slash to the policemanвЂ™s face with the razor, the audience does not see the detail of the ear being cut off as the camera moves away from the action, whilst the horror is suggested only by the sounds of the victimвЂ™s cries of pain. However, the general opinion was that the scene, whilst generating a sustained, intense and disquieting atmosphere of threat and menace, was remarkably restrained in what it actually showed. It was also noted that Mr BlondeвЂ™s evident enjoyment of what he is doing ('It amuses me to torture a cop') as he dances around the helpless victim to the strains of 'Stuck In The Middle With You' coming from the radio, glamorised the sadism.

Views were expressed that its gruesome and sadistic nature would cause some people to walk out of the film. But even at that category the notorious sequence in which Michael MadsenвЂ™s Mr Blonde tortures a policeman by slicing off his ear, dousing him with petrol and threatening to set him on fire, was considered troubling in terms of its acceptability and was the subject of considerable debate within the BBFC.

The scenes of violence, combined with the bloody injury detail on show (notably that of Tim RothвЂ™s badly wounded Mr Orange), made the classification of the film at 18 almost a formality. The story of thieves falling out after a botched robbery contained elements of violence, criminal behaviour and extensive strong language that would anticipate the filmвЂ™s classification at the most restrictive cinema category, 18.ДЄlthough strong, much of the generalised violence in the film, such as that which occurs during the robbery, happens off-screen or is limited to the climactic shootout at the warehouse and the strength of such вЂgangsterвЂ™-related violence had been precedented in films such as Goodfellas. It arrived with considerable notice, through its reception at various film festivals, of its blending of вЂcoolвЂ™ style, pop culture references, and strong, bloody violence. Quentin TarantinoвЂ™s debut feature was originally submitted for film classification in June 1992.

Reservoir dogs walking scene