"Reservoir Dogs" is regarded as an important and influential milestone of independent filmmaking. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 92% based on 71 reviews, and an average rating of 8.87/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Thrumming with intelligence and energy, "Reservoir Dogs" opens Quentin Tarantino's filmmaking career with hard-hitting style." On Metacritic the film has an average score of 79 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". "Empire" magazine named it the "Greatest Independent Film" ever made.