Tarantino. Tarantino is clearly a style-plus auteur (a term I made up to help distinguish even the greatest auteurs on this list) influenced by exploitation cinema, De Palma, Scorsese, Woo, Leone, Godard (though QT disputes that mostly). Despite his influences he creates his own post-modern, violent film world that is entirely his own every bit as much as Lynch, Wes Anderson, Fellini. His influences might be mostly B-cinema but he is clearly a maker of super-produced (very un-B-cinema) films who not only is one of the most accomplished writers in the history of cinema but a masterful craftsman behind the camera as well… and I haven’t even discussed his brilliant work on non-linear narratives…
…. For the purposes of this list Tarantino already has 1 top 100 film, 3 top 500 films (excluding everything from 2009-now) and again, visually and narratively checks every box you’d need from a top auteur.
Best film: Pulp Fiction. Pulp fiction is a big differentiator when picking out QT amongst his peers.
total archiveable films: 7
top 100 films: 1
top 500 films: 3 (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Reservoir Dogs)
top 100 films of the decade: 6 (Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds Django Unchained)
most overrated: Nothing overrated by TSPDT on QT. His three films in the TSPDT top 1000 are Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction of course.
most underrated: Django Unchained has moved up a little since 2015 but it’s still #11 for 2012 on the TSPDT 21st century list and that’s underrating it by several slots. It ss a very entertaining film.. Robert Richardson as the DP does some fantastic work here- and I certainly wish this, not Hateful Eight– had been QT’s 65/70mm film. Wondrously zoom-heavy. Waltz’s exacting diction is just perfect for Tarantino’s dialogue. His “brittle brothers” and “Lubbock, Texas”. Flashbacks done in an effective washed-out (what looks like 16mm) taken straight from 1970’s B-picture cinema. Amazing shot of blood splattering on cotton. Narrative is part German folklore, Blaxploitation, western. The surrealism sequences with Kerry Washington haunting the Jamie Foxx character is really well done. Lovely De Palma (or Hitchcock Vertigo if you like) 360-shot near the end. It is a major achievement for these 4 lead actors (DiCaprio, Foxx, Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson).
gem I want to spotlight: Kill Bill is underrated as well but it’s finally starting to get more and more of its due. Perhaps this is the cost of breaking up a movie into two parts for strictly commercial reasons. It may take another decade or two for people to rightly piece it together and conclude it’s one of the best films in its genre of all-time.
stylistic innovations/traits: His dialogue is unmistakable and surely he’s known for this violence. Most of his work manipulates the linear narrative structure beautifully and now his recent films have been tackling and rewriting tragic points in history. He’s a creator of a rich mise-en-scene, he’s a sharp editor (especially of action sequences) in scene along with his narrative editing supremacy, and has gorgeous tracking shots throughout his oeuvre. There are repetition in his shots like the trunk POV shot, the overhead shot (usually of carnage), there’s the 360-shots from De Palma, the doorway shots (The Searchers), chapter breaks, Morricone music, pop/rock soundtracks.
top 10
- Pulp Fiction
- Kill Bill
- Inglourious Basterds
- Reservoir Dogs
- Django Unchained
- Jackie Brown
- The Hateful Eight
By year and grades
| 1992- Reservoir Dogs | MS |
| 1994- Pulp Fiction | MP |
| 1997- Jackie Brown | HR |
| 2003- Kill Bill Vol 1 | MP |
| 2004- Kill Bill Vol 2 | MP |
| 2009- Inglourious Basterds | MP |
| 2012- Django Unchained | MS |
| 2015- The Hateful Eight | R |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-see- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
The Hateful Eight (2015)
Notes:
Starts with beautiful shots of Winter landscape
Like usual for Tarantino films; the cast if phenomenal; Samuel L Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, Bruce Dern, Michael Madsen, among others.
3:45 music from Ennio Morricone
5 min Stagecoach crossing with Jackson’s character, Major Warren
9:12 nice door frame of Major Warren
16:40 nice shot of Stagecoach interior
23:20 nice use of window frame
The opening 25 min or so could have been trimmed down a little but the silver lining is we get some beautiful shots, one of these actually reminded me of the white forest scene from Dead Man (1995)
38 min we finally get to cabin where the majority of the film takes place
49 overhead shots followed by overhead tracking shot; these seem to come up more frequently in Tarantino’s films over time
Michael Madsen as Joe Gage
55:05 Tarantino taking advantage of 2.76 to 1 aspect ratio in this shot which captures the entire interior of the cabin
58:50 nice doorway frame
59:08 slow zoom out
1:09:20 360 pans
1:13:00 low angle shots from POV Joe Gage
80 min I love the Abraham Lincoln letter
1:31:00 nice long shots while Sam Jackson recalls story
1:41:34 Tarantino Universe with the Red Apple products
1:44:00 contagious throwing up
1:57:17 low angle shot of Sam Jackson double fisting guns
1:58:28 the reveal that characters are hiding under floorboard gives flash back to Inglorious Basterds
2:09:52 quick outburst of violence
2:11:16 “trunk shot” of Madsen’s Joe Gage standing over bodies
2:17:33 great low angle shot of 3 characters standing over trapped door
2:30:00 more violence in quick succession, some of it using slow motion
2:42:00 I love the reading of the Lincoln letter to end the film
Thoughts:
Tarantino’s 2nd film in a row that could be categorized as a Western (Tarantino films can often place in multiple genres but this and Django both qualify as Westerns)
Many beautiful shots, taking advantage of the 70mm
Tarantino’s films are always dialogue heavy, but this one more than others
The only other Tarantino film with so few locations is Reservoir Dogs
I think this is clear-cut Tarantino’s 2nd weakest film (with Death Proof as the weakest) but even a weak Tarantino film is still a Tarantino film and even these 2 films have their moments
Verdict: R
Django Unchained (2012)
Notes:
Starts with men riding horses with some gorgeous shots of the landscape resembling classic Westerns
Christoph Waltz again, this time playing Dr. King Schultz, a boundary hunter who also happens to be a dentist and Jamie Foxx as Django Freeman
7:50 a great vertical zoom out after slave owner is shot
12:50 great recreation of a town in the old West including of a course a saloon
19:20 great editing in Shultz shooting townsperson who attempts to confront him
26:45 gorgeous low angle silhouette shot with red sky
28 min tracking shot with beautiful scenery
35:55 zoom in on Django with music building to a crescendo, classic Western standoff followed by slow motion violence
41:10 first shots of KKK on horses with white masks over their faces
42:30 hilarious conversation amongst KKK regarding whether or not they should wear their masks; like the portrayal of Hitler in Inglorious, Tarantino relishes making evil historical figures come off as incompetent buffoons
51:17 great doorway frame
1:02:59 great overhead shot of staircase
1:04:09 quick zoom and close up used for introduction of DiCaprio’s Calvin Candie
1:08:00 beautiful shots of Mansions interiors
87 min slow motion shots as we reach Candyland and meet Samuel L Jackson’s Stephen, Mr. Candy’s butler who is as brutal as any slave owner
1:35:30 amazing shots on interior of Candy house, the lighting resembles interior shots of The Godfather (1972)
1:40:50 great frame POV shot when Django walks into room; Kerry Washington’s Broomhilda and Django gives this a love story which is a 1st for Tarantino
1:54:00 Stephen again showing why he’s a great villain alerts Candy in private to the scheme Django and the Doctor are attempting and this leads to:
1:55:00 to 2:00:00 one of the best sequences in a Tarantino film, Hitchcock’s motto differentiating suspense from surprise;
“surprise is when two people are sitting in a coffee shop and a bomb goes off under the table; suspense is when we see a man place a bomb under the table and watch the two people meet to have coffee.”
In this sequence Candy’s knowledge of the scheme to remove Broomhilda is the bomb, it is also the 1st time when the Doctor looks nervous
2:03:53 Fur Elise plays recalling the opening scene from Inglorious, strong editing as Candy writes up bill of sale finalizing the deal to purchase, and doctor has flashbacks of horrific physical abuse against the slaves
2:06:18 Candy tries to serve white cake to the Doctor who rejects the cake, which is funny as Waltz’s character Hans Landa is a big fan of dairy products in Inglorious
The deal is done, and paperwork signed but Candy won’t let them leave until Doctor shakes his hand leading up to Doctor walking up to shake his hand but instead pulling out a gun and shooting Candy
2:11:16 Quick zoom on Stephen’s face who screams in horror after Candy is shot by Doctor
2:11:30 Doctor’s last words “I’m sorry I couldn’t resist” before getting shot to death resulting in an explosion of violence with Django going on kill spree
2:17:20 great overhead shot of all the dead bodies and blood splat right after Django surrenders to Stephen who threats to kill Broomhilda
2:25:30 a great 360 pan with Django making his pitch to the Australians (including Tarantino making his cameo) to join him in a heist that will net $11,000 which according to an inflation calculator is worth about $385,000 today
2:32:20 another explosion of violence
2:35:11 gorgeous silhouette shot of all the remaining members of the Candy house including Stephen
2:38:18 Ennio Morricone score starts up while Django takes care of Stephen
Ends with Django and Broomhilda riding off on horses
Thoughts:
Another brilliant revenge fantasy following the great Inglorious Basterds
Here we have a revenge fantasy crossed with a Western, crossed by a bizarre buddy film
Obviously, this film was heavily controversial even by Tarantino standards for the content, use of n word, and just the sheer brutality and violence which is over the top even by Tarantino standards; however people may feel about it
Sam Jackson’s Stephen is a great villain, he’s just as brutal as any slave owner, it is also arguably his greatest performance (aside from Pulp Fiction of course)
The compositions in many of the interior shots of the Candy Mansion are very impressive and a new field for Tarantino as none of his prior films have been so focused on mise-en-scene
This may be the most beautiful Tarantino film with multiple museum quality shots
While Dr. King Schultz is obviously a far better human being than Hans Landa there are certainly many similarities in terms of how they speak related to diction, cadence, etc.
I watched 12 Years a Slave (2012) for the 1st time a few weeks ago, to say these films are quite difference would be the understatement of the century, but one similarity is the juxtaposing of gorgeous shots of nature/landscapes with the worst brutality humans are capable of
Tarantino’s cameo and his accent is so bad but everything else is so good it is forgivable
I definitely have underrated this film in the past, I have not watched it as many times as most of his other films but I was really impressed here, it is certainly around MP territory
Verdict: MP/MS
Drake,
Does your current Tarantino ranking include Inglorious? I know you have a 10 year rule so obviously DJango, The Hateful Eight, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood are not included. But I don’t know when you made the current list.
@James Trapp- Not entirely sure of the question here. I have a 10 year moratorium on the top 500 film list so there are no films from 2009 or newer (list was made in 2019) on that list. But I have all the available films (at least at the time the page was created) here on this page. And then I went one by one on Tarantino films in 2019. Each page has the date it was published in the URL (at least I think) if that helps
@Drake – yeah sorry I should have worded it better. You have Tarantino as the # 44 director. Does this ranking take into account all of his films?
@James Trapp- Ahh gotcha- that makes sense now. For the most part I tried to stay away from the 2009-current films having an influence when doing my director rankings.
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Notes:
Starts with long shot set on a French dairy farm located in an idyllic countryside in 1941
Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) is a SS officer hunting down Jews
5:30 Landa requests milk over alcohol, there is running theme of Landa loving dairy products
11:35 camera slow 360 pan then moves down to show Jews hiding under floorboard
15 min Landa gives chilling speech comparing Jews to rats
18 min slow zoom and close ups on faces of Dairy Farmer and then Hans Landa whose expression quickly goes from friendly to menacing
20:20 low angle shot of Landa standing over floorboard
20:30 immaculate doorway frame shot of Shoshana
24:15 hilarious portrayal of Hitler
27 min slow motion of German before he’s given ultimatum
28 min back story for Hugo Stiglitz
37:52 low angle “trunk shot” of Aldo Raine and Donnie standing over German after carving swastika onto forehead
39 min shot of Shosanna, now the owner of a French Cinema, on a latter changing the movie signs for what is playing
54 min intense music as Landa stands over Shosanna, dissolve edit of Shosanna running for her life from the 1st Chapter
55:55 Landa orders milk when speaking with Shosanna who is clearly nervous and shortly after makes a big deal about adding cream to his strudel
1:00:48 great non-verbal acting sequence from Melanie Laurent, who immediately breaks down the second Landa leaves the table following their discussion
1:01:54 poster inside Cinema of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s L’Assassin habite au 21 (1942)
1:09:41 great composition involving 3 characters in frame each standing over the other preparing for the Tavern Scene
73 min start of Tavern Scene with characters playing the name game
81 min I love the glass boots they drink beer out of
89 min mark the Michael Fassbender giving himself away by not using the German way of indicating 3 is brilliant
104 min low angle shot of Landa towering over dead body of Hugo
1:45:50 immaculate shot of Shosanna standing in front of circle window in her all-red outfit
109 min great overhead tracking shot of Shosanna on the night of the premiere
1:51:40 excellent 360 pan with Landa speaking to Bridgit Von Hammersmark and the 3 members of the Basterds who are posing as “Italians”
129 min Landa “that’s a bingo!” hilarious
2:10:50 great shot of blue projector light on close up of Shosanna’s face
2:20:18 great use of frame through projector
2:21:11 sad to see Shosanna shot as she is closest thing to a hero but at least she gets a heavily stylized slow-motion death
143 min explosion of violence, this is a theme throughout the film you have long stretches of dialogue followed by quick and intense violence, just a magnificent set piece
2:25:52 gorgeous shot of forest where Landa meets with Aldo Raine resulting in the famous “this just might be my masterpiece” moment
Thoughts:
Tarantino films don’t usually have typical hero’s or villains, but Hans Landa is an obvious exception, and what a villain he is, he can go from friendly to menacing at a moments notice and is polite, funny, intelligent, and interesting but can be absolutely brutal when needed, he’s a top 5 all time Tarantino character
I wasn’t sure what to make the Brad Pitt character, Aldo Raine, but I’ve come to like the eccentric character
There are some great “trunk shots” most notably the final “this just may be my masterpiece” but I noticed many low angle shots in general throughout the film
The first time I ever saw this I had a little trouble following the story as there are so many characters and plot lines intersecting not to mention the multiple languages and yes, I realize there are subtitles the point is simply that it further confuses you as to who is who and what are there loyalties, it definitely is a film that needs multiple viewings for this reason alone
I love Tarantino using Cinema as a crucial aspect in the film’s narrative
The revenge plot is set from Chapter 1, this may be Tarantino’s greatest and most complex narrative
The only real complaint may be the excessive dialogue in a few scenes, there probably are some parts that could be slightly trimmed, but all things considered these are relatively minor
I love the way Tarantino uses red in many scenes with Shosanna and in the theatre at the end
The acting, screenplay, set pieces, and narrative are all top notch
Verdict: a MP
Death Proof (2007)
Notes:
N/A
Thoughts:
I was not planning on watching this one as I saw once years ago and was not very impressed. I decided to give another shot, so I started watching and I liked enough to keep watching but did not take notes like during like I have for all other films for these director studies.
None the less I thought there was enough for a Recommend
I love Kurt Russell in general, he’s not the greatest pure actor but he’s got charisma/star power and is entertaining here. Also Tarantino films don’t usually have traditional hero’s or villains, but this one is a little different with Stuntman Mike as the Villain
This is a female character driven movie no pun intended; I find it hilarious that Tarantino was criticized by some for not giving “enough: lines to Margot Robbie’s character. Tarantino has created some of the best and most original female characters throughout his career
The story takes a while to get going by the action scenes in the 2nd half are well done, Zoe Belle is great
Not everything works but I don’t think this is anything for Tarantino to be ashamed of, he tried something different.
Verdict: R (weakest Tarantino film but better than I remembered and definitely enough for a R)
@James Trapp- Felt the same way here- thanks for sharing these
Kill Bill Vol 1 and 2 (2003 and 2004)
While they were released as two separate films for the purpose of this study I will count as one film as it is essentially one film plus Tarantino himself views it as one movie so I will respect his opinion here
Kill Bill Vol 1 Notes:
“Revenge is a dish best served cold”
Starts in black and white with Uma Thurman’s “The Bride” beat up badly with wedding dress and Bill shooting her after speech, then we get Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang” Tarantino has a knack for great song choices
5:30 hilariously stereotypical suburban house “The Bells”
5:48 The siren sound effect is just amazing
10 min nice overhead shot shortly after temporary break in fighting between the Bridge and Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox)
13:35 Green shoots gun out of box of Cereal called “Kaboom”
16:24 Tarantino using Chapter format and not surprisingly a nonlinear storyline
20:55 min De Palma style split screen as Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah) disguised as nurse makes her way to the Bride’s hospital room, I don’t think much of Daryl Hannah in most roles, her performance in Wall Street is embarrassingly terrible, but she’s perfect in an over-the-top role like this
30 min slow motion in hospital room
35:12 Tarantino trademark low angle shot of Viper Assassination Squad
36 min The story of O-ren (Lucy Lui), this chapter in almost a movie in itself and while I don’t normally care all that much for animation, I think it works brilliantly here given the over-the-top nature of this film
45 min Hattori Hanzo introduction
52:40 Bride receives Hanzo sword
57 min Hanzo talking about breaking his oath he made 28 years ago not to make another sword
59 min Intro to O-Ren (now an adult) and Crazy 88 and the rest of her crew
63 min O-Ren chops head off dissenting council member
65 min great editing cutting between the Bride flying into Tokyo and O-Ren’s crew, then the Bride riding her motorcycle in all yellow uniform
1:14:20 great dissolve edit in red lighting along with siren noise as The Bride and O-Ren lock eyes
1:22:40 Bride vs Crazy 88
1:23:13 switch to black and white
87 min switches to blue silhouette
1:30:20 great doorway frame
A near western style showdown between the Bride and O-Ren with massive buildup
1:34:50 Leone style close up on O-Ren’s eyes
1:35:15 high angle shot overlooking the courtyard right before Bride strikes O-Ren with fatal slash
1:40:10 low angle shot of Bride standing over Sophie Fatale
1:41:50 great shot of plane in red sky as Bride sits inside plane writing out Kill List
64 min series of great shots including dissolve edits and long shots of the Bride walking through the desert
1:10:18 upside down shot right after Bud is bite by the Black Mamba
1:14:42 the Bride with the bad a** flying kick as soon as Elle opens the door leading to an extended battle scene similar to the one with Vernita Green in Vol. 1
1:21:21 last chapter starts with gorgeous shot of mountains
Kill Bill Vol 2 Notes:
Starts at same place that Vol 1 started Bride talking about Killing Bill in black and white
2:45 returns to wedding rehearsal
Sam Jackson makes an appearance as Rufus the piano player
7 min we get to see Bill finally after only hearing his voice in Vol. 1
Great doorway frame
14:14 immaculate composition of Viper Assassination Squad right before entering Church and killing everyone
15:15 Bill and Budd talking at Budd’s trailer in El Paso
16:10 Bill’s face upon discovering that Budd “hawked a Hattori Hanzo” sword is priceless
20 min Bud getting fired/losing hours is hilarious “you’re saying the reason you’re not doing the job I’m paying you to do is because you don’t have a job to do…well you just convinced me”
26 min Bud shows he’s smarter than he looks, setting up The Bride
37 min Being claustrophobic myself I cannot imagine anything wrong than being buried alive…just horrifying
Great narrative decision to go from The Bride in coffin to her fireside conversation with Bill then training with Pai Mei and then going back to the coffin
Takes almost an hour for the film’s first fight sequence, not including the opening scene at the Church although that was more a massacre than a fight
55:17 great red silhouette of The Bride training, similar to the blue silhouette from Vol. 1
57:55 back to the coffin accompanied by the great Western sounding score
Coffin scene is amazingly tense even though you know she’s going to make it out
Surprising to see the Bride vs Bill inevitable face to face meeting occurs with almost an hour left although their actual fight doesn’t occur for a while due to an extended conversation
1:45:10 of course Bill has an encyclopedia level knowledge of superheroes
Good old Truth serum from Bill
Final showdown is great and although it could probably have been cut down we get to see top level acting from 2 epic characters so hard to complain too much
Thoughts:
I used to consider Kill Bill an afterthought when talking about my favorite Tarantino films, at this point I cannot put it any lower than # 3 regarding my personal favorites
The Bride is the best or 2nd best Tarantino character for me; it’s between The Bride and Jules Winnfield
The choreography is so great that I did not even bother to list timestamps of every great shot related to this as it would require doing nothing else while watching (like pointing out every beautiful image in a Malick film)
This film is structured so well, Tarantino is truly the master of nonlinear narrative, the film is somewhat of a jigsaw puzzle in how it progressively reveals various pieces of the story
Amongst many other things Tarantino is masterful when it comes to casting, David Carradine is perfect and the role was written with him in mind, Uma Therman is amazing, and Tarantino’s habit of bringing old stars back continues with Sonny Chiba (that name is mentioned in True Romance which Tarantino wrote but did not direct)
As for my objective rankings, I am not fully convinced that its not his best film, although I will still go Pulp Fiction at this point if forced to pick. But I do wonder if this is his greatest achievement just in the level of skill making this film must have required between the unreal fighting scenes and just sheer size of the cast. You have movie within the movies with the entire Lucy Liu character’s backstory which is phenomenal by itself
My real only complaints are very minor ones, Vol. 2 could have been trimmed down a little but overall this has minimal impact on my overall assessment of its ranking amongst other all time greats
Verdict: a clear cut MP (top 50 film of all time on my list)
Jackie Brown (1997)
Notes:
Great opening scene with Jackie (Pam Grier) gliding across the airport a la the Graduate to Bobby Womack’s classic “Across 110th Street”
4:20 Sam Jackson and De Niro sitting next to each other in Sam Jackson’s place as we learn Jackson is a gun dealer named Ordell Robbie and De Niro as recently released criminal Louis, and Brigit Fonda as Ordell’s moll
The always reliable Robert Forster as bail bondsman Max Cherry
14:40 close up on faces of Max and Ordell as conversation progresses
19:19 Tarantino go to low angle trunk shot as Ordell talks the Chris Tucker character, Beaumont Livingston, into going into the trunk, Ordell finally convinces him by promising him Rosco’s Chicken and Waffles…hilarious
The violence is usually quick and spontaneous in Tarantino’s film, but the killing of Beaumont’s character is more methodical as we see Ordell
27:40 Jackie Brown, a flight attendant, is stopped by ATF agents; played by Michael Keaton and Michael Bowen
30:03 nice dissolve edits of a frustrated Jackie
39:20 “Is white guilt supposed to make me forget I’m running a business?” hilarious
40:50 Max meets Jackie for the 1st time, this might the closest Tarantino ever gets to romance
43:53 red lite bar similar to Pulp Fiction scene with Marcellus Wallace intro
47 min great shot of Ordell walking in street at night with half his face shadowed and him fitting his gloves just as he had done before killing Beaumont
50:30 great split screen shot a la De Palma
1:09:00 nice tracking shot of Max in music store
1:19:00 birds eye view shot overlooking the Mall that will become the location of the caper
1:24:22 nice reverse tracking shot at LAX with Jackie walking with ATF agents
90 min zoom in and zoom outs on Max Cherry face as he observes Jackie’s plan being put into action
1:39:02 another birds eye shot
1:43:00 shot resembling the opening scene with Jackie in her work outfit gliding across the screen
113 min into film we have only the 2nd murder, usually by this point there are double digit murders
115 min the mall scene/money exchange is repeated, only now it is from Max Cherry’s perspective
2:02:50 camera zooms in on Ordell’s face as he comes to the realization that Jackie pulled a fast one on him, great acting from Jackson
125 min I feel bad for suggesting that an on-screen murder is funny but Ordell’s delivery of “What the f**k happened to you man? You’re a** used to be beautiful” after shooting Louis for his utter incompetence
2:22:10 nice frame using window
Jackie sitting in the dark apartments is repeated throughout the film
I know the ending pisses some people off since Max declines to go with Jackie Brown after she invites him to go to Europe with her, after all Max says he wants to retire from his business and there’s clearly a mutual attraction between them so why does he say no? I don’t have the answer unfortunately but maybe Tarantino would view that as too predictable/Hollywood
2:24:10 great low angle shot of Jackie who towers above the ATF agent, she got the better of everyone
Thoughts:
Tarantino loves his genre films and here we have blaxploitation along with noir elements
I feel like this film gets overlooked but, in many ways, it is the ultimate Tarantino film which to be clear does not mean I think it’s his best film, but it has all the Tarantino elements; genre film references, profanity galore, pop culture references, actor/actress making somewhat of a professional comeback, here is obviously Pam Grier, nonlinear storylines, and of course violence although less than most of his other films
After Pulp Fiction this has to be Sam Jackson’s finest performance, also I love all the different color Kangol hats he wears, even Jackie starts wearing them
For a 2-hour 34 min film it moves quickly with no real unnecessary scenes, it’s also less talky than most Tarantino films as it is more plot driven
I think Jackie is arguably the most nuanced/fleshed out character in any Tarantino film, most Tarantino characters feel like movie characters which to be clear is not a criticism but an observation
The only real critique I have is does not have as many stunning visuals as some of his other films although there are still some great moments, the opening scene at LAX in particular. Still between the brilliant narrative, rich characters, quality acting, some great camera movement, brilliant use of music, etc. I think this is near MP level
Verdict: MS/MP
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Notes:
Like Reservoir Dogs it starts in a Diner
4:50: Amazing freeze frame at 4:50 of Amanda Plummer and Tim Roth standing with guns raised, this segues into the opening credits
7:06: Sam Jackson and Travolta driving on way to hit; hilarious conversations ranging from Burgers, Amsterdam, TV pilots, to giving women foot messages
9:09: The trunk shot, uses this same shot in Reservoir Dogs when Mr. Blonde kidnaps the police officer, I am pretty sure Tarantino got this idea from a Japanese film Lady Snowblood (1973). Will definitely bring up this film again when I get to Kill Bill
Big Kahuna Burger, Red Apple Cigarettes, Tarantino is a world creator, I Iove all the fictional brands in his films
21:11 transition to Mob Boss Marcellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) Marcellus Wallace, who is introduced showing the back of his head, ordering Butch (Bruce Willis) to throw a fight, Al Green playing in background in red lite bar
27-30 min: low angle shots of Vince buying heroin
30:15 Vince taking heroin scene begins, use of close ups and accentuated sounds such as drugs bubbling in spoon
In joke; Steve Buscemi who plays the anti-tipping Mr. Pink in Reservoir Dogs is cast as a waiter here serving Vincent (Travolta) and Mia (Thurman); “I don’t think Bud Holly’s much of a waiter” hilarious
Uma Thurman with the Anna Karina look, particularly in the mid length black hair
48 min The dance sequence is brilliance, really the entire restaurant scene between Vincent and Mia, again there is a French New Wave reference with Band of Outsiders (A Band Apart is Tarantino’s production company)
No matter how many times I’ve seen this film, the adrenaline shot is so hard to watch; the song playing while Mia is doing the drugs right before the OD, Tarantino uses such a perfect song for this moment “Girl, you’ll be a woman soon”
72 min the conversation with the female cab driver asking Butch “what does it feel like to kill a man?” is one of the few misses in this film, silly and pointless conversation but also very minor and really the scenes following Butch fleeing after the fight until him meeting Vincent in his apartment is the weakest stretch of the film in my opinion. I will admit I have never enjoyed the storylines featuring Butch as much as the others, but they are still intriguing; it’s more that everything else is just so amazing that by comparison it less interesting, certainly no insult
98 min to 106 min, most disturbing scenes of film with Marcellus and Butch tied up in back of pawn shop
118 min Jules and Vince bring Marvin, who Vince accidentally shoots, to Jimmy’s house and of course Jimmy is played by Tarantino. Tarantino’s use of racial epithets along his over-the-top violence are probably the 2 most controversial aspects of Tarantino the filmmaker. There are many great articles that explore this so I am not going to go into discuss these aspects of Tarantino during this study as I believe that is a subject that can be explored in depth on its own. I am going to keep the focus on the art, filmmaking, characters, writing, etc.
Harvey Keitel should be in every gangster film, the Wolf is almost a parody of the “fixer” character
Just like how Reservoir Dogs does not show the actual heist, here we don’t see the boxing match with Bruce Willis’s Butch who goes on the run after double crossing Mob Boss Marcellus Wallace as Butch was supposed to throw the fight
Every time Travolta’s Vincent goes to the bathroom something major happens, Mia OD’s, the Diner Robbery, Butch returns to his residence and finds Vincent’s gun
The Diner scene and the Sam Jackson speech might be the single best scene and acting performance in any Tarantino film.
Thoughts:
I must confess that there was a period of time where I started to think Pulp Fiction was somewhat overrated, not because I enjoyed the film any less but rather because I thought it was a series of great vignettes that lacked cohesion. Basically I thought the nonlinear structure did not completely work. Well I admit that I was dead wrong, as the non-linear structure is absolutely brilliant in large part because the film isn’t focused on any one character or problem that needs to be resolved. It is about interconnected events occurring within the brilliant fictional mob world Tarantino creates
Speaking of Tarantino Universe apparently Travolta’s Vincent Vega is supposed to be brothers with Michael Madsen’s Vic Vega aka Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs and Tarantino considered making a movie called “The Vega Brothers”. Tarantino being the creative genius that he is someone could probably write an entire book on all his ideas for films that were never made
So many great performances but the 3 standouts in my opinion are Sam Jackson, Travolta, and Uma Thurman probably in that order. As stated above I believe that the Diner scene and the Sam Jackson speech might be the single best scene and acting performance in any Tarantino film. I am a huge Jackson fan, and this is obviously the greatest performance of his career, it’s my favorite Travolta performance as well with Blow Out a close second.
Tarantino is on the same level as Scorsese and PT Anderson as far as infusing pop music into his films, I immediately purchased the Pulp Fiction Soundtrack after watching. They are especially effective in transitioning between the film’s various segments/vignettes and altering the mood. For example, right after Jules and Vince carry out their hit, Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” plays as the film transitions to the bar scene with Marcelles Wallace and Butch shortly before Jules and Vince enter the bar
Verdict: MP (a top 30 film of all time and 2nd best film of the entire 90’s after Goodfellas)
Director Study – Quentin Tarantino
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Notes:
Starts with Tarantino talking about Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”, brilliant start having the character played by Tarantino himself talking hilarious nonsense showing his penchant for pop culture references, vulgar language, and hilarious dialogue
All the tough guys who turn out to be professional criminals/thieves are wearing identical suit and ties with the exception of Joe Cabot (the leader and elder statesman of the group), and his son “Nice Guy Eddie” who is wearing blue and purple track suit
Starts with camera constantly moving in circular motion around with medium shots on the faces of the tough guys eating in a smoke-filled diner
4:38 min Buscemi with his hilarious anti-tipping rant
7:45 iconic opening credits of the tough guys walking in suits in slow motion to George Baker’s Little Green Bag
18 min Low angle shots in warehouse including great hallway shots
21 min the production value is obviously not what later Tarantino films would become, not that it really hurts it much, but it is noticeable from the fake blood to the shootout scenes with the police
27 min Mr. White flashback showing conversation between him, and Joe Cabot with Cabot shown in low angle shots and Mr. White in high angle
32:30 slow zoom out of White and Pink fighting to Mr. Blonde sipping on a soda “you kids shouldn’t play so rough some one is going to start crying”
34:55 “you going to bark all day little doggy or are you gonna bite?” Mr. Blonde
Tarantino the Cinephile; Mr. Blonde says he’s a “big Lee Marvin” fan
37:30 Tarantino trunk shot
46 min cuts between Nice Guy Eddie on the hilariously huge cell phone and Blonde, White, and Pink tying up the cop that Blonde took hostage
55:45 min the sadistic Mr. Blonde dancing to “Stuck in the Middle” while torturing the police officer he takes hostage; Tarantino does not show the cutting off of the ear
57 min great tracking shot of Blonde getting gasoline
1:08:36 Mr. Orange practicing his story with Silver Surfer poster in his apartment
1:09:25 Orange surrounded by the wall of graffiti is a great shot I forgot about as he recites the “commode story” in front of his boss, this turns into Orange telling the story to Joe Cabot, Nice Guy Eddie, and White in a club with red disco light
1:16:48 “Hooked on a Feeling” Orange, Pink, White, and Nice Guy Eddie joking around in the car
80 min Joe Cabot explaining the job in front of blackboard and assigning names; this entire scene is quite amusing as Cabot is like an Elementary or Middle School teacher with the criminals as his immature students who would rather sit around and tell jokes
1:21:10 slow zoom on Mr. Orange
Joe Cabot is hilarious “You’re not Mr. Purple, some guy on some other job is Mr. Purple, you’re Mr. Pink”
The Mexican Standoff shootout is classic
Thoughts:
I posted this before:
“The foreshadowing in the opening scene is absolutely brilliant
Mr. Orange, the undercover cop, quickly “rats out” Mr. Pink when Joe Cabot comes back from the bathroom and asks who didn’t put in a dollar for the tip
Speaking of Mr. Pink his I don’t tip speech shows he’s all about himself and he’s the only one to survive
Mr. Blonde “jokingly” threatening to shoot Mr. White for Joe Cabot after Mr. White steals his notebook because Joe’s annoying him
Mr. Brown talking about hilarious but ultimately pointless subjects and his character ends up not really mattering in the flashbacks
Mr. White defends the waitress just as he later defends Mr. Orange”
I’ll add that Mr. Blue, played by real life criminal turned author Edward “Eddie” Bunker” says little in the opening scene and is the least essential character in the robbery
Mr. White shows divided loyalties in the opening scene, questioning Joe Cabot even if it’s comedic in nature, and this plays out in the final scene
Brilliant piecing together of the story which is presented using non-linear narrative and flashbacks that fill in character storylines and character motivations
The performances are outstanding, in particular Buscemi, Keitel, Roth, and Madsen. Even Chris Penn who is not on the same level of these guys overall is great here as Nice Guy Eddie
This was my favorite Tarantino film for a long time, now I am not so sure but that has less to do with this and just more to do with me loving other Tarantino films more over time
I love that this is a heist film and the only thing we don’t see in the film is the actual heist as that would likely have ended up being the least interesting aspect of the film. Tarantino is playing to his strengths with the great dialogue, characters, Mexican standoff ending, etc.
Verdict: MS/MP
@James Trapp- What a fun study James. I did this one in 2019- enjoy!
Going to start a QT Study.
Wanted to do a modern day director after Jean Pierre Melville and Truffaut as my two last so I flipped a coin (literally) between QT or PT Anderson
I watched a fun podcast on Quentin Tarantino from The Ringer (link below), it’s a site that follows both sports and pop culture including films. In the podcast three of the writers on the site talk Tarantino and make there top 5 lists for him. Around the 8:20 mark (podcast is 65 min) one of the site’s writers, Chris Ryan, says that Tarantino movies always feel like a national holiday. He said they feel like an event in a way that is different from any other filmmaker. This got me thinking, which director do you get the most excited for? I think this is a different question than who is your favorite filmmaker or who do you think is the best; of course it’s possible that you could pick the same director to all 3 of these questions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6__dKWSWjK0&t=862s
For me:
Best Living Director: Martin Scorsese
Favorite Living Director: Martin Scorsese
Director Most Excited For: Quentin Tarantino with Scorsese and Fincher not far behind
Drake, I thought you had Death Proof in the archives but it isn’t listed above.
@Haider- It is in- I just did the page for it https://thecinemaarchives.com/2019/06/26/death-proof-2007-tarantino/ after the Tarantino page
I’m sorry to say but Tarantino actually has an overrated film and that is Death Proof. It pisses me off that Django Unchained is ranked 4004 on the TSPDT list while Death Proof is 1454.Even Scorsese’s Gangs of New York is ranked 1000 slots lower at 2444.Rumble Fish is ranked at 1537.Almost 100 slots lower than Death Proof.
I’ve only seen the film once and admittedly I think I could go to a Recommend on a rewatch but I don’t think it’s archivable (not displayed here but Drake put up a page for it that you can look up at “Death Proof 2007 Tarantino). I mean I just think it contained so many of the worst tendencies that Tarantino has (and I say that while generally liking him a lot): an utterly mindless plot, huge amounts of gore and I think the dialogue is easily the worst in any of his films – and he’s normally a great writer. You can say Tarantino made it so it would be intentionally “bad,” so to speak, but I don’t really think that’s a strong defense of it. I do think it’s generally well-edited though which is a point I’ll give it.
I’ll repeat that I could give it an R upon a rewatch; I’m just not there right now. And I think #1454 all-time and ahead of Gangs of New York, Django Unchained and especially Rumble Fish is utterly preposterous.
Totally agree. Death Proof is fun and well made but nowhere near the level of the other films u mentioned that are much lower on TSPDT.
Here’s something interesting that i found yesterday haha,
Oops, i am missing the link
https://theadventuresofaninsomniac.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/the_tarantino_rodriguez_movie_connections_by_morsoth-d6d731n.jpg
That Shaft one… damn. I love the whole infographic but I didn’t even make the connection between Django and Shaft until now (probably because it’s Broomhilda with the surname and not Django himself).
Interesting Tarantino article that focuses on his screen plays including films he did not end up directing:
https://screenrant.com/quentin-tarantinos-screenplays-including-ones-didnt-direct-ranked/
I posted something similar on the 1993 page, not the article, but I mentioned True Romance (1993) and if it would have been a much better film had Tarantino directed?
what do you want his supposedly final film to be? i heard he was doing star trek but i’m not a big fan of trek so i don’t know. he was planning a spinoff with vince and the villain from reservoir dogs but madsen and travolta are too old and both their characters died. one i heard was he planned on doing a biopic about puritan abolitionist john brown. that could be interesting.
this was on wikipedia:
” In January 2010, Tarantino announced that his next film, after Inglourious Basterds, will be a medieval film. He offered a role to Helen Mirren as a foul-mouthed monarch. The film was to retain Tarantino’s signature traits, bloody violence and foul language, and was to be set in England’s Middle Ages. ”
that sounds awful and i sure hope he doesn’t. i find old british queen’s to be the most boring thing ever.
@D.W.Griffith- I’m a big fan of Star Trek but yeah I hope that isn’t QT’s final film. I really just hope he keeps going. He’s clearly still at or near the top of his game and he’s what? 57? I know he’s always been about “battling average” and not volume and doesn’t want to be one of those older directos past his prime just making bad movies– but he admired the hell out of The Irishman and Scorsese is in his late 70’s— so maybe that will inspire him to keep going
This is from the great critic John Simon. I dont agree with everything he says but this is a great quote. (Also this does not mean that people who like those guys are dumb, just that they are).
“And what, in any case, is wrong with elitism? All it implies is a certain choosiness (from the Latin eligere, to choose). As in preferring the intelligent over the dumb (Ingmar Bergman and Woody Allen over Quentin Tarantino and Judd Apatow), the true poet over the faker (Amy Clampit and Mary Oliver over Jori Graham and Maya Angelou). Or, if we must pick politicians, the ones who don’t filibuster over the ones who do.”
The irony of this quote is that I agree with the sentiment wholeheartedly. It is only the examples that I find woefully misplaced (at least the ones he places on the negative side of the ledger, I have no objections to the ones he chooses to praise).
There simply is no justification for calling Tarantino “dumb”. Immature at times perhaps, but if one fails to find the intelligence in his work, the failure of intelligence is one’s own.
Okay guys we deviate from the main thing, here is about @James Robbins not getting Tarantino, he made his points, i just said that I did not like that quality, i never complained artistically or cinematographically about him, i really enjoy his movies and he is an incredible filmmaker, be happy and let’s enjoy the movies, greetings guys
We’ve got no issue @Aldo . I just wanted to explain my perspective on his use of the word. It’s not a word any of us is at all fond of.
The only use of the n word that made me cringe was when QT used it repeatedly in Pulp Fiction. I have no quibble with black characters using it in proper context, or even white ones if it’s historically appropriate, but in Jimmy’s scene in Pulp Fiction it seemed gratuitous. I realize that QT has drawn these characters so that Jules doesn’t care at all that Jimmy talks like that and he doesn’t appear to have any racist intentions, and that Bonnie is black and he’s clearly got respect for her, but it just doesn’t sit right. For me it was jarring and took me out of the moment for a sec. Probably the only flaw for me in this MP.
Early in his career he sought to strip that word of its power by using it. Perhaps that was naive; I’m not certain what his current views are on that subject.
When it comes to Django, however, it matters who is using the word. Reprehensible antebellum racist monsters. It is appropriate in that context, and certainly not celebrated.
At no time have i said that he is a bad filmmaker or something similar, nor do I complain that he steals.
You two answered me about stealing, but you don’t comment on the excessive use of the word.
I will repeat it, my only problem is the word
@Aldo- of course- that’s your right if it bothers you. But that is an ethical/moral complaint. For my purposes, I’m talking about Tarantino artistically/cinematically- which is different. Also, that’s a slippery slope- as you’d have to consider Scorsese and the use of that word in Goodfellas, Casino, and The Departed…
Django is a movie about slavery. You have to use the word in the movie for authenticity because white Americans did say that to their slaves.
Also, it is not racist to have your characters say the word if it is to make a historical movie since people in the past did speak like that. It is the unfortunate reality of American history and the movie Django accurately depicts it.
It also not racist for an African American to say that word to another African American and many black people say the word. So Tarantino making Samuel L Jackson say the n word isnt wrong. Infact many raps songs by famous African American rappers use the word far more frequently than Tarantino’s movies do.
As I said, it doesn’t bother me that he steals, many do, only that he says it publicly.
@Azman he writes his scripts, he decides that his characters say so, so i hope your comments @Matt Harris are not about me, what I dislike is the word, just watch Django, how many times do they say the word.
Tarantino draws on cinema of all types, from blaxploitation and grindhouse schlock, to Leone, Von Sternberg, Pabst, Scorsese, Depalma, Kurosawa and many others. His aesthetic engagement with films and with the cinema itself is the core film-philosophical dimension of his work. Any talk of stealing, borrowing, homaging, etc. simply misses the point.
part of the problem is he doesn’t understand the guys he stole from. de palma took ideas and style from a lot of b movie junk but added art to it to study human behaivor, longings and such. quentin strips the study of human nature and the style is not on par with de palmas mastry so we are just left with mostly junk. also james robbins you should watch inglorious bassterds. that is a good movie. of course it has some scenes that are junk (it’s tarantino) but it is a very entertaining film that examines three interesting characters, shoshanna hans and zoller, and studies in particular shoshanna and zoller’s relationship very interestly and with good aesthetic.
Fascinating. You don’t often come across something that is so wrong in so many different ways that you can’t quite decide which part of it to tackle…
I have long noticed two things, one, @Matt Harris is a fan of Kurosawa and Tarantino, talks a lot about them, two @m don’t like Tarantino.
If anyone wants i can tell a joke about Tarantino and De Palma
My only complaint towards Tarantino would be that in his movies he has an obsession with saying the “N” word I’m sure he would never say that in person, but somehow he loves to use it in his movies, it’s annoying.
I don’t care if he steals from movies, because he steals from bad movies, if they were good meh, maybe.
Tarantino borrows from good movies like Band of outsiders and psycho too. Why would this be a “meh-maybe” problem?
Also Tarantino doesnt say the n word often. It is one of his characters who do. Like samuel l Jackson in pulp fiction.
This doesn’t make sense to me at all. Psycho (1960) has more in common with The Lodger (1927) 33 years earlier than Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019) has in common with The Hateful Eight (2016) a mere 3 years earlier. Tarantino, like all of the greatest auteurs, has recognizable traits, stylistic choices, and thematic considerations that he develops and reiterates throughout his body of work, but to say that he merely repeats himself in some formulaic way is frankly asanine.
I’ll be honest, I don’t get Tarantino. I find him interesting and I really like him as a person, and I enjoy his films, but they all seem the same and I don’t understand why he is considered so great. 44th all time doesn’t bother me but some ranking have him as the greatest director of his generation and I’d put PTA well above of him
@James Robbins– hmm “they all seem the same”? You clearly mean that as a bad thing. Do you also feel the same way about other great directors? Hitchcock? Ozu? Malick? Wes Anderson?
I don’t know how to explain, and this might not make sense but here it is. I like when directors have a signature style that defines them, but they do try to say different things with each movie. The first Wes Anderson movie I watched was Rushmore, and I loved it and couldn’t wait to watch another one, I watched them all and never got tired of him. I haven’t seen all of Ozu but I did love Tokyo Story. But basically with Tarantino the first one I saw was Pulp Fiction and it was great, I loved it. I then watched Resevoir Dogs, then I was like ok, I think I’ve seen enough of Tarantino. It’s like some bands you need the whole discography, some I’m just satisfied with the best album and a greatest hits collection. All his movies have to have the stupid feet references, all of them have a big fight scene, all of them steal from old movies, all his movies have the same types of jokes basically. I just feel like he has a formula and it works for him and he’ll never change it. Yes, Hitchcock has distinct style, DePalma has a distinct style, Scorsese deals with similar themes in many movies but watch Hitchcock’s 1930s films and then watch Psycho, he didn’t just repeat the same formula for 30 years like Tarantino.