At the film's release at the Sundance Film Festival, film critic Jami Bernard of the "New York Daily News" compared the effect of "Reservoir Dogs" to that of the 1895 film "L'Arrivée d'un Train en Gare de la Ciotat", when audiences supposedly saw a moving train approaching the camera and ducked. Bernard said that "Reservoir Dogs" had a similar effect and people were not ready for it. Vincent Canby of "The New York Times" enjoyed the cast and the usage of non-linear storytelling. He similarly complimented Tarantino's directing and liked the fact that he did not often use close-ups in the film. Kenneth Turan of the "Los Angeles Times" also enjoyed the film and the acting, particularly that of Buscemi, Tierney and Madsen, and said "Tarantino's palpable enthusiasm, his unapologetic passion for what he's created, reinvigorates this venerable plot and, mayhem aside, makes it involving for longer than you might suspect." Critic James Berardinelli was of a similar opinion; he complimented both the cast and Tarantino's dialogue writing abilities. Hal Hinson of "The Washington Post" was also enthusiastic about the cast, complimenting the film on its "deadpan sense of humor".