This weekend marks the release of the ninth, and potentially final, film by Quentin Tarantino Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.
Whether it’s his constant references to other movies, his snappy dialogue, or his comedic use of over the top violence, Quentin Tarantino has cemented himself as a legendary filmmaker.
As with all great art, there are many thoughts and opinions as to what is the best and worst offering from the California-born Auteur. Here is a definitive ranking of the films of Quentin Tarantino.
Honorable Mention – Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Without having seen his newest film, it is impossible to rank it against Tarantino’s other work. Early critical reaction seems to be positive with many citing the film as a love letter to 1960’s Hollywood. This shouldn’t come as a shock to any long time fans of Tarantino’s films, as you could argue that all his movies are love letters to Hollywood.
8 – The Hateful Eight
A long and bloated film that shows the dangers of letting a filmmaker run wild on set. This is not be any stretch a bad film, it’s simply too much. The film plays like a long form episode of an old cowboy show meeting Tarantino’s best John Ford impression. The saving grace of the film is the gorgeous 70mm cinematography, but once the story moves inside the cabin it becomes increasingly difficult to appreciate the camera work.
7 – Death Proof
The 1970’s had a host of car-focused movies such as Vanishing Point and White Lightning, and this is Tarantino’s homage to those films. As the second part of Grindhouse, purposefully bad B-Movie double feature co-directed by Robert Rodriguez, the film has a lot to offer for those who want to see Kurt Russell murder people with a car. Otherwise, it’s a bit of a hard-sell. However it is not almost 3 hours long like The Hateful Eight and as such it places higher on this list.
6 – Django Unchained
Tarantino’s venture into western cinema, although one could argue that he has western elements in many of his films, was a violent, crass, and happens to be his most financially successful film to date. While Django caught a lot of flack for its very liberal use of the N-Word and its depiction of slavery in the south, the film also forced many Americans to see images of their own history they would pretend to forget. The film also features one of the great moments of Leonardo DiCaprio’s career in which he essentially chews off all the scenery he can get and then asks us to join him for some “white cake”.
4 – Jackie Brown
After bringing John Travolta back to life with Pulp Fiction, it seemed that Tarantino could be making a career a reviving actors from the 1970s. With Jackie Brown, the filmmaker focused on taking the Elmore Lenord novel “Rum Punch” and turning into meticulous caper film starring blaxploitation icon Pam Greir. Greir, who was known for B-movies like Foxy Brown and Coffy, gives an excellent performance as a flight attendant looking to rip off a gun runner played by Samuel L. Jackson. The film hangs on the romance between Grier and Robert Forester’s bail bondsman, even if that romance drags at times.
4 – Kill Bill
To start with, Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 are one movie and you should do yourself the favor of watching them back to back. If all of Tarantino’s films are just long references to his personal favorite movies and TV shows, Kill Bill is his masterstroke. The films are a mashup of kung-fu and western motifs, which manage to play off each other flawlessly thanks to Tarantino’s uniquely crafted narrative. The highlight of the film is Bill’s monologue on Superman vs Clark Kent and duality of man. Also, The Bride vs. The Crazy 88 is one of the greatest fight scenes in cinema and was so bloody they made Tarantino covert the footage to Black and White before the studio released the film.
3 – Inglourious Basterds
A dream project for Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds was simply a rumor for many years. The director had an idea for the script, but it never seemed to get off the ground. After the success of Kill Bill, Tarantino was able to see his dream come to life and we as an audience have all benefited from it. The film features some of the best set piece in Tarantino’s career, specifically the opening scene which introduces Christoph Waltz and his Oscar winning portrayal of a Col. Hans Landa. This film, like much of Tarantino’s work, is focused on revenge as seen through the eyes of a host of characters who are all focused on one thing, killing Nazis. It’s pulpy, violent, and oddly funny. If one were to boil down everything you could possibly love about Tarantino movies, you would get a highly concentrated dose of Inglourious Basterds.
2 – Reservoir Dogs
Tarantino’s first film but it is also one of his best, and some might argue for it to take the top spot. From the opening scene, where a bunch of low life criminals discuss the merits of tipping and the meaning behind “Like A Virgin”, to the slow motion walk to “Little Green Bag”, to the infamous torture scene, to the Mexican standoff finish, Resvervior Dogs was different and fresh in every sense. No film before had its bite or mixed grit with comedy in the way that Tarantino was able to. One of the highlights of Reservoir Dogs is that the audience sees the before and the after of a bank robbery gone wrong, but are forced to piece together what happened in between by listening to the characters talk about it. While all Tarantino films are dialogue heavy, this one in particular is dense with characters providing backstories, updating the audience on events in the narrative, and forcing us to decide who we side with in the end. A masterpiece of crime fiction and was the perfect way for Tarantino to announce himself as one of the great filmmakers of all time.
1 – Pulp Fiction
What is there to say about this film that has not already been said, dissected, fought over, and then agreed upon. This is what many consider to be Tarantino’s finest effort with its excellent characters (each portrayed flawlessly by their actors), it’s forever quotable dialogue, and it’s slick soundtrack. Pulp Fiction, to put it plainly, is cool. It’s a cool movie that delivers on its promise to keep you engaged throughout the constantly crisscrossing story-lines. This film is responsible for the many stylized gritty crime-comedies that would litter the late 90’s and early 00’s. But you can’t blame other studios for trying to copy Tarantino’s work here, this movie shows what happens when a lifelong cinephile is given the chance to make a big studio feature. Where the film truly sores is in it’s self awareness, it wants you the audience to know you are watching a movie and that you should suspend your disbelief the second you hear Dick Dale’s surf classic “Miserlou”.
All Gifs Taken From Giphy.
Photo Credit: PR Photos
