“Reservoir Dogs” mirrors the final ten minutes of Lam’s film and expands upon them, telling the tale of the heist backward. The inciting action takes place outside of the film, between the first and second scenes. This time, the audience doesn’t know who the Judas is until it is revealed at the very end. The events of the heist are told in retrospect from the perspective of the hoodwinked criminals. Just like in “City on Fire,” the rushed police response is triggered by the senseless shooting of the jewelry store clerk. It seems clear that they were surveilled given how quickly the cops responded, but there’s no way to be sure until it’s too late.
Since “City on Fire” follows the events leading up to the heist, the viewer has time to see Fu and Chow develop a friendship, all the while anticipating the pain that Chow’s betrayal will inflict. In “Reservoir Dogs,” the complex dynamic between Fu and Chow is mirrored in Mr. White and Mr. Orange. The cops shoot Mr. Orange in the stomach during the heist, just like they do to Chow, and Mr. White comforts his wounded partner, just like Fu does. The prospect of Mr. Orange’s death, combined with Mr. White’s code of honor, accelerates their intimacy and illustrates the depth of White’s trust in Orange.
The final moments of “Reservoir Dogs” are almost identical to the final moments of “City on Fire,” complete with the three-way stand-off. Both films end in a shootout, a confession, and the death of a rat, but in Tarantino’s film, the stand-off ends when White takes a shot to the arm and shoots both his boss and his boss’ son before the cops arrive. When Orange, who is still bleeding out, confesses that he is an undercover cop, White shoots him in front of the police.