Quentin and his Films: Ranked

Quentin Tarantino is one of the most famous auteurs in the film industry, and I'd say that his name alone is a brand itself. From working with the biggest current stars in Hollywood, to character actors from the past (and everything in between), it's no wonder that seemingly every thespian is lining up at his door for a role in one of his films.

Before OUATIH starts to make some noise during awards season, let's look back at his filmography before he decides to hang up the camera at 10 (supposedly).

Side note: Does anyone actually know what's going on with him and Star Trek?

"For the last time, I'm not going to tell you what was in the briefcase!"

10. Death Proof (2)

It's easy to see why this film isn't really talked about nowadays outside of...probably Tarantino himself, as it's really just a bore. The film just goes on and on with conversations about working in the industry that isn't really interesting. What's worse is that I couldn't tell you an exact line of dialogue off the top of my head, and that's with me having the seen the film recently. The purposefully-dated cinematography isn't bad, although I don't really think it added anything to the film. The cast does what they can with their roles, I'll admit.

With that said, Kurt Russell is pretty good as a maniacal stuntman, and the action scenes are well-done to be sure. Otherwise...eh.

9. Jackie Brown (3.5)

I'll start off by saying that the film has quite a fine cast, with Pam Grier in a comeback role, Samuel L. Jackson as the villain, and De Niro, Tucker, Keaton and especially Robert Forster solid in supporting roles in the cast. I also do like the general story of the film, as we see the title character attempt to get the best of Ordell Robbie (Jackson) with a bag of smuggled money. And it's also interesting to see Tarantino directly adapt someone else's material.

However, the film never quite comes to life as I think it intended to. Not that it's boring, but I just never found myself quite thrilled by what's going on, as directed. I think this is an okay film, so I'll just leave it at that.

8. Reservoir Dogs (4)

A fine crime thriller from Tarantino at his first turn at-bat. The film follows a group of criminals that attempt a bank heist that suddenly goes wrong, and then try to figure out who the mole in the group is. Once again, Tarantino assembles a good cast here, with Harvey Keitel as the leader of sorts from the group, the "professional" criminal played by Steve Buscemi, and our audience surrogate in Tim Roth.

I like the tension in the scenes after the heist where they attempt to weed the mole out, as we really just get to see how differently criminals react in this type of situation. As in, some just want to make off with the loot, some want to get dirty to get whatever information they want, some really do look out for their men, and some...just don't make it.

7. Django Unchained (4)

A good revenge action film. Tarantino creates some really great scenes in this film, with particular attention to the iconic glass-breaking scene. Again, the film has a terrific supporting cast, with Dicaprio as the plantation owner Calvin Candie, Christoph Waltz as the "polite" bounty hunter, and Samuel L. Jackson in an underrated turn as Candies' loyal house slave. The action scenes are also solid here.

I think Jamie Foxx is decent in the title role, however I can't help but feel if someone else in that role could've brought the part and film to greater heights. I also want to mention that most of the third act is messy, as it feels like it lacks structure. Nevertheless, it is an entertaining film.

6. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (4)

Tarantino's love letter to Hollywood. Dicaprio and Pitt both give great performances as fading actor & stuntman Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth respectively. It's quite amusing to see Dicaprio play that type of actor, since the man himself is the one of the very few safe bets working in showbiz right now and could get anything he wants greenlit. It's also great to see Pitt play the "more than a brother, less than a wife" friend to Dalton, and I'd consider it one of his best late-career performances.

Besides that, Tarantino does a great job in recreating late 1960s Hollywood, as the cinematography, costumes and production design are both quite great. I'd also like to give credit to Tarantino himself, for showing some restraint given that there were many concerns when it was announced that he was going to make a film about the Manson murders.

That said, I do think the film itself could've lost about twenty minutes, as quite frankly, several scenes are gratuitous and longer than they needed to be. The narration doesn't quite work, and Robbie as Sharon Tate could've at least been given more to do to make up for the scenes that take are pretty long. Nevertheless, I'd consider the film to be pretty good, and I'm pleased to see it's doing pretty well financially.

5. Kill Bill Vol. 2 (4.5)

A slighest of margins between this and Volume I, but I'll rank it here right now. The quieter of the two films, I find Vol. 2 to be an effective end to the journey of The Bride, as we root for her to get what she wants, only for it to no go the way she expects. Thurman is excellent here in the "reprise", as she is quite good in her more dramatic moments. Michael Madsen is great here as he usually is with Tarantino calling the shots, and David Carradine goes above the call as the titular character. Maybe a little less remembered than Vol. I, but still a satisfying conclusion.

4. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (4.5)

The more action-y of the two, Vol. I is a very entertaining revenge film with Uma Thurman great as The Bride as she faces off against several enemies who were involved in some way with loss of her child. Tarantino really embraces the style of martial arts films that he quite loves, and it works in adding a lot of vibrancy to the film, as he does manage to make his own mark on the genre. Very honorable mention to the main action setpiece at the end of the film, as we see The Bride dispatch more than several enemies at a house in Japan.

3. Inglorious Basterds (5)

Tarantino's WWII film, with some revisionism of course. Tarantino really achieves in making an entertaining thrill ride, as we see him tackle a "What If..." in regards to an assassination of Adolf Hitler. The film has many truly great scenes, which have earned their place in popular culture.

Scenes such as the opening, where we get to see how charmingly evil Colonel Hans Landa is in regards to his methods (Christoph Waltz in an Oscar-winning turn). The bar scene, where the tension there can be cut with a knife and is gripping. The first main scene with the Basterds, where we get to see them how they handle a German who refuses to release pivotal information. The "demands" scene with Landa and Aldo Raine/Utivich (Novak), where we get to see Landa try to make off with some rewards after things are getting close to the end. Even the burning theater scene delivers on providing a proper climax to the film, which is one scene that proves that Tarantino does have a great eye in delivering his scripts to the screen. Not that he doesn't; it's just that it seems that he's viewed more as a writer than a director.

Anyways, the film is truly great, and also special mention to the film for introducing Michael Fassbender to American audiences.

2. The Hateful Eight (5)

A film that I really believe should be more talked about nowadays, and it may very well be Tarantino's most underrated. I have to give credit to Tarantino for creating a lot of tension in the cabin full of strangers that dominates the plot. The film never drags at any point, and I was always on my toes as to what was going to happen next.

The cabin itself has a great look and feel to it, and the cinematography is quite extraordinary in capturing the desolate exteriors of the snowy Wyoming mountains, while giving an "intimate" vibe to the cabin which goes against the nature of the strangers in the cabin.

Speaking of, the cast here is excellent. Samuel L. Jackson gives a great performance as bounty hunter Major Marquis Warren, as the man who tries to make sense of the suspicious behavior of everyone in the cabin. Kurt Russell & Jennifer Jason Leigh are both excellent as the hangman John Ruth and fugitive Daisy Domergue, in comeback roles for both. To round it off, Walton Goggins makes his film breakout as the racist, yet hilarious Chris Mannix, with many of the funniest scenes in the film belonging to him acting as the wild card. Demian Bichir, Tim-Roth-in-Christoph-Waltz-mode, Michael Madsen, and Bruce Dern all round out a pretty great ensemble.

1. Pulp Fiction (5)


Tarantino's best in my book, but I'll get out the few negatives out of the way. One of them is the scene where Fabienne just rambles on about getting a pot belly and...some other things I don't remember. It's a pretty tedious scene that feels that it never ends, and what's worse is that it is placed after a quiet scene with Butch (Bruce Willis), which creates a lull at this point in the film. Also, Tarantino isn't exactly Charlie Chaplin when it comes to actors/directors, as he's pretty cloying as Jimmie.

With that out of the way, I find Pulp Fiction to be a truly great film deserving of its status. All of the stories are great, and the nonlinear approach really works in adding layers/perspectives as to how we see the stories play out. Each of the stories deliver on their intent, whether it be the black comedy of an accidental murder or the tension of a man on the run who experiences "the weirdest f*cking day of his life". Even the one-scene wonder with Captain Koons (Christopher Walken) is great as we get to see what drives Butch to do what he does.

Past that, the cast is great on all fronts, with John Travolta resurrecting his career as the charismatic, yet careless Vincent, Samuel L. Jackson breaking through as his menacing partner Jules, Bruce Willis as the stoic boxer Butch, and Uma Thurman as Mia Wallace. The aforementioned Walken and the extended cameo of Harvey Keitel as fixer Wolfe Winston are memorable.

One scene that has grown on me over the years is the final dinner scene. It is one of the great moments in Samuel L. Jacksons' career, as we see Jules doing a 180 in terms of the way he approaches life, and it works as a perfect contradiction to his famous speech earlier in the movie. I just wanted to mention that.

What is your favorite Tarantino film? Your least favorite? Sound off in the comments below!