Guess Which Reservoir Dogs Actor Tried to Punch Michael Madsen
Reservoir Dogs was already one of the most chaotic debuts in indie film history—a heist movie with no actual heist, a warehouse full of psychos, and about five gallons of fake blood per square foot.
But behind the scenes, things were just as unhinged.
The late Michael Madsen, who passed away on July 3, 2025, delivered one of the film's most iconic performances as Mr. Blonde—the guy with the razor, the cop, and that cheerful Stealers Wheel track. But the most dangerous person on set wasn't him. It was Lawrence Tierney, who played Joe Cabot, the mob boss handing out color-coded names like party favors.
Tierney had been playing gangsters since the 1940s, but his real-life behavior made his screen personas look tame. He was a bar brawler, a drunk, and, at one point, literally stabbed in a fight. So when Reservoir Dogs started filming, producers gave one simple instruction: don't let Tierney drink.
Naturally, Madsen and Tim Roth immediately took him to Musso & Frank for drinks.
According to Madsen, Tierney got "really loaded," dropped his pants in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard, then started pestering Madsen for $20. When Madsen refused, Tierney tried to punch him in the face. And missed—barely.
"I backed off, and he missed me by inches. I felt the breeze," Madsen said. "God bless him, he's passed away now, but he was quite a character."
Tarantino wasn't laughing. He called Tierney a "complete lunatic" and said he nearly derailed the movie in week one. Eventually, Quentin fired him—on set—and the entire crew burst into applause. That's how toxic it got.
Tarantino, still a first-time director, thought this was the end of his career before it had even started. Fortunately, Harvey Keitel stepped in to calm the producers and keep the project on track. The film went on to become a cult classic, launched Tarantino's career, and turned Madsen into a legend.
Key Figures:
- Reservoir Dogs release year: 1992
- Michael Madsen death: July 3, 2025
- Tierney's incident: Filming week 1
- Location: Musso & Frank Grill, Hollywood
- Quote from Madsen: "I felt the breeze."
- Quote from Tarantino: "Complete lunatic."
- After Tierney's firing: "The whole crew burst into applause."
And that's just one week into filming.