Reservoir Dogs: The Main Characters, Ranked By Intelligence

Quentin Tarantino’s hyper-violent feature film debut Reservoir Dogs is full of memorable characters. Whether it’s the anxious Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi), the professional Mr. White (Harvey Keitel), the psychotic Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), the wisecracking Mr. Brown (Tarantino), the undercover cop Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), the hot-tempered Nice Guy Eddie (Chris Penn), or the crime boss Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney), they all leave an indelible mark.

While every character in the film is memorable, some are far smarter than others when it comes to the professional life of crime. Here’s how their wisdom compares.

8 Mr. Brown

Leave it to Tarantino himself to play the least intelligent character in Reservoir Dogs. As the laugh-happy getaway driver Mr. Brown, Tarantino cannot evade the parking lot much less escape from the police.

Once the jewelry heist becomes botched by the crew, Mr. Brown leads an escape attempt. However, after being shot between the eyes, Mr. Brown crashes his car into a building due to all the blood in his eyes. Brown’s ineptitude leads to the first demise of all the robbers, making him the least intelligent character of all.

7 Nice Guy Eddie

Played by the late great Chris Penn, Nice Guy Eddie isn’t the sharpest tool in the Reservoir. First off, he’s the only character other than his father to use his real name rather than a color-coded alias.

Furthermore, Eddie has no problem showing up at the scene of the crime once he learns how bad things have turned out. While he does show foresight in making the others park their cars elsewhere to avoid being noticed, his hot temper overrides his sensibility and leads to a bloody shootout that could have been avoided.

6 Mr. Blue

The fate of Mr. Blue is the biggest mystery in Reservoir Dogs. If he fled from the police and got away scot-free, then he’s a genius. If he got arrested or shot to death by the cops, he isn’t so bright.

One thing that is certain is Mr. Blue doesn’t suffer fools. In the opening diner sequence of the film, Mr. Blue expresses his theory on tipping waitresses with cold hard logic.

5 Mr. Blonde

It’s kind of hard to tell if Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) is the smartest or dumbest ex-con in Reservoir Dogs. One thing is for sure, he’s one of the most intense. Mr. Blonde goes on a kill-crazy rampage by shooting his way out of the jewelry store and taking a cop hostage.

While those actions are extreme, Blonde was smart enough to make a clean getaway. Less intelligent is Blonde’s decision to stop for fast-food after botching the heist, slicing a cop’s ear off, and failing to realize Mr. Orange’s (Tim Roth) undercover status while spending hours with him in the ill-fated warehouse.

4 Mr. White

As the most veteran of career cons, Mr. White handles his business with pure pragmatism and professionalism. That is until his emotions get the best of him when Mr. Orange takes a bullet to the belly and Mr. White feels guilty as a result.

Still, Mr. White shows more intelligence than most on the crew. He’s quick to draw on past experience in which an undercover cop infiltrated his crew, which he thinks may be the case here as well. However, Mr. White’s heartfelt compassion for Orange ultimately leads to his demise.

3 Mr. Pink

The motor-mouthed Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) is the most anxious character in the film, but he’s also the one who understands that a rat has infiltrated their operation. He’s deadset on this theory and will not be talked out of it by Mr. White.

Moreover, Mr. Pink is the only character who survives the gory three-way shootout that claims the lives of Mr. White, Joe Cabot, and Nice Guy Eddie in the end. However, listen closely to the background sounds as Mr. Pink escapes the warehouse to hear his ultimate arrest by police. As the only character who survives, Mr. Pink is among the most intelligent Dogs.

2 Joe Cabot

In addition to being the boss and the criminal mastermind who concocted the entire heist, Joe Cabot’s (Lawrence Tierney) intelligence is demonstrated in the end when he accurately identifies the undercover cop as Mr. Orange.

However, Joe lets his emotions get the best of him when he argues with his son, Nice Guy Eddie, and Mr. Orange. The argument escalates to a lethal three-way shootout, during which Joe loses his life along with the two others.

1 Mr. Orange

Although he gave his life for the assignment, Mr. Orange staved off the revelation of his true identity long enough for the police to arrive and make at least one arrest. But even before that, Orange used his skillful intelligence to infiltrate the crew undetected and get to know the ins and outs of the operation without being discovered.

In addition, Orange shot and killed Mr. Blonde just as he was about to light Officer Nash (Kirk Baltz) on fire, saving the cop’s life for the time being. Orange’s ability to think under duress is to be praised.