To date, Quentin Tarantino has directed nine films. The latest Once Upon a Time in Hollywood came out in 2019. He recently announced that he was ready to take the tenth picture. The plot will focus on a female and Hollywood film critic of the 70s and 80s of the last century. What will happen, we will know in two years. And now, on the occasion of the famous director’s birthday, let’s review his filmography through the prism of the same film critics, and, of course, the box office. Despite the fact that Tarantino doesn’t shoot big-budget blockbusters, his work has always been a consistent hit. And this happens, in many ways, thanks to the unique style of the author, which at the beginning of his career was developed by this native of the small American town of Knoxville in Tennessee. So, nine of Quentin’s films – from worst to best.
The Hateful Eight (2015)
Still from the movie “The Hateful Eight” (2015).
Image source: Visiona Romantica.
For Tarantino, this story of a bounty hunter and his prisoner seeking refuge from a blizzard in a stagecoach with six infamous strangers was a win-win from the start. Which, of course, got potential viewers excited. Especially when Quentin announced a “killer” cast with Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Walton Goggins, as well as “old friends” Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth and Michael Madsen. But the result, unfortunately, did not justify itself. The story was slow and formulaic, the plot was weak, and the pacing was confusing. And worst of all, the movie is boring, which rarely happens with Tarantino.
“Death Proof” (2008)
Still from the movie “Death Proof” (2008).
Image source: Dimension Films.
The film seems a little strange in his career. The second installment of “Grindhouse” (2007), a double feature that Tarantino shot with his friend Robert Rodriguez as a tribute to his favorite childhood slashers. Set in the 1970s, the story follows aging Hollywood stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) as he kills young women with modified cars he says are “death safe”. We observe the hero during two of these missions. Very stylish, no doubt, but for Quentin a strangely slow film, unlike Planet Terror (2007) by Rodriguez, a frank, uninhibited and gore-splatter adventure. Almost two hours is too long for a thin plot, and it lacks the tension and suspense of Tarantino’s best work.
“Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood” (2019)
Still from the movie “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (2019).
Photo credit: Columbia Pictures.
We have reached a turning point in Tarantino’s career where personal sympathies take over. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a great movie, but there are six other movies that are better in our opinion. Spread across 161 minutes of epic 1969 Los Angeles, the film is an odd symbiosis. Most of the time, he follows Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). They struggle to survive in Hollywood and try to find a place in a rapidly changing industry. Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), who lives near Dalton, wreaks havoc with a hunter-prey relationship for the “Manson family,” ending the “happy” hippie culture of the 1960s. As the director did with each of his films, starting with the double Kill Bill, everyone goes a little crazy by the end, but it’s a very watchable and enjoyable experience.
“Inglourious Basterds” (2009)
Still from the movie “Inglourious Basterds” (2009).
Image source: Universal Pictures.
After the disappointment of Death Proof, Tarantino is back on the trail of success with a great WWII comedy. This is Tarantino’s first experience with Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz. The film tells the story of two conspiracies organized to eliminate the leadership of Nazi Germany. One by a group of American Jewish soldiers, the other by the owner of a French cinema, out of revenge. The film is a great opportunity to have fun, enhanced by the fine performances of Waltz, Pitt and Mélanie Laurent. Sometimes it’s mind-blowing fun, sometimes it’s intense drama, but miraculously it all adds up to an unbridled adventure.
Jackie Brown (1997)
Image from the movie “Jackie Brown” (1997).
Image source: Miramax.
In a way, it’s an anomaly in Tarantino’s career because it’s the first time he’s adapted something for the big screen. In this case, the novel Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard. Otherwise, it’s the director’s classic film, with signature swagger, an excellent soundtrack and an irresistible cast. Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton and Robert De Niro star in this film, which follows a flight attendant (Grier) with a criminal record who is forced to partner with an FBI agent to avoid jail. Which, of course, leads to irreversible consequences …
“Reservoir Dogs” (1992)
Still from the movie “Reservoir Dogs” (1992).
Photo source: Live Entertainment.
Tarantino debut. Still as vital, charged and witty as it was on the first day of the film’s cast. Shot for just $1.2 million, this is a heist movie with no heist. Instead, we see a gang of villains before and after a jewelry store robbery that “doesn’t go as planned.” The main roles were played by Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth and Michael Madsen, who later became Tarantino’s permanent “stars”. The film introduced audiences to what later became the director’s trademark – choppy dialogue, lots of swearing, cool soundtracks, and a plot that ignores Hollywood conventions, but which, for some reason, is so exciting and compelling.
Django unleashed (2012)
Still from the movie “Django Unchained” (2012).
Photo credit: Columbia Pictures.
The revenge saga is loud, brash and entertaining. Jamie Foxx plays Django, a slave who unexpectedly gains freedom after a German bounty hunter offers to work with him. After the mission is over, Django dreams of reuniting with his long-lost wife and, together with the “Liberator”, sets off on the road again. Another example of collaboration with Waltz and DiCaprio. Tarantino’s film is an ode to spaghetti westerns and feels similar. The action turned out to be fun with a great combination of scenes.
“Kill Bill” (1 & 2, 2003-2004)
Image from the movie “Kill Bill 2” (2004).
Image source: Miramax.
When Tarantino announced that he would only be making 10 films, discussions began about whether to count the two parts of this image as one or even two. The director calmed down, no, for his part, he shared because the action is too long. It’s a stylish revenge fantasy of Uma Thurman’s character, The Bride, who swears vengeance against a group of assassins and their leader after they attempt to kill her and her unborn child. A lifelong martial arts fan, Tarantino pulled off one of the most incredible ballet scenes of all time. The film is an emotional and physical roller coaster, with a tense plot and unexpected twists.
“Pulp Fiction” (1997)
Still from the movie “Pulp Fiction” (1997).
Image source: Miramax.
After the witty and innovative Reservoir Dogs, no one could have imagined that Tarantino would be able to top them with Pulp Fiction and the like. The film follows several Los Angeles criminals whose lives and projects intersect. John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, Ving Rhames and Tim Roth form a sparkling cast. Witty, with a superb script and action-packed scenes, Pulp Fiction is a true Hollywood classic and one of the greatest films ever made. It deserves to be at the top of any list.
