The commode scene in Reservoir Dogs never ceases to amaze me. I think that Quentin Tarantino called it “a lie scene” because even though the action is shown onscreen – it’s something that never happens.
In his first movie Tarantino brashly basically announced that he was going to show a scene of great acting as Tim Roth as an undercover cop is told that he has to become an actor and that memorizing a funny anecdote to prove that he is a criminal will help him. Then Roth actually pulls it off by showing you the difference between just reading words off a page and really becoming a full blown character with an implied past. It may not be the best example of acting ever, but it’s got to be the best called shot ever. “The following scene will be a complete failure unless you are convinced that the acting is done impeccably.” Add on to that Tarantino editing the first stab, the practicing, the final performance, and the lie brought to life all at once and wow!
Tarantino was arrogant enough to stick his neck out and together with Roth they pulled it off. Amazing stuff.
