Top Ten Tarantino Movies

One of the most famous directors working today, Quentin Tarantino, is known for making movies which feature great dialogue, lots of violence and a distinct style. His film style has been coined “Tarantinoesque,” describing anything reminiscent of one of his top films, has even found its way into the general vernacular. The former video store clerk is lauded for his writing skills and homage to cult films and genres. Below is the top ten picks from the Tarantino compilation of movies he directed, produced, appeared in, and/or took inspiration from.

1. Pulp Fiction

Pulp Fiction tells three interwoven tales of seedy Los Angeles. There’s robbery, hit men, drugs, overdoses, murder, rape, and wit. It’s a film bursting with irrelevance that somehow managed to start a revolution in the film industry.

2. Inglorious Basterds

This World War II Western doubles as Tarantino’s epic love letter to cinema. The plot centers around two revenge plots against the Nazis, there’s the “Basterds,” a group of American-Jewish soldiers in the killing Nazi business, and cinema-owner Shosanna Dreyfus. The film is tense, graphic and somehow, very comedic.

3. Kill Bill, Vol. 1 and 2

Filmed as one movie but released in two volumes, Kill Bill is a movie that’s just as precise, brash, and aggressive as the main character’s plan for revenge. Tarantino has stated that he’d like it to be his franchise, where he’ll release a new one every decade or so. He’s on the right path as the next on is scheduled for release in 2014.

4. Rio Bravo

Paced slower than most movies released today, Rio Bravo is a character-driven Western starring John Wayne, Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson. More than that though, it’s an under-rated masterpiece that is fantastic for its unabashed mythologizing of the West.

5. Jackie Brown

This film is often referred to as Tarantino’s most mature work. It’s accused of having no humor. Nonetheless, this adaptation of an Elmore Leonard novel follows flight attendant Jackie Brown as she attempts to steal half a million dollars right under the nose of an arms dealer and the police.

6. Reservoir Dogs

This crime drama, which put Tarantino on the map, follows the surprisingly intellectual characters in a crime gang. It’s a violent, non-linear movie that works just as well as a character ensemble. Reservoir Dogs is a “cops and robbers” flick that achieves more than most other films in the genre.

7. Breathless

This nihilistic road movie sparked the infamous French New Wave style. The plot revolves around a criminal running away from the cops and looking for an American girl. There’s nerding out over movies, rockabilly, and comic books, but the film never ceases to be cool.

8. From Dusk ‘Till Dawn

Back in ’96, Tarantino accomplished something that seems impossible today— he helped make a vampire movie actually worth watching. Starring George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino himself, this film follows two fugitive brothers in a Mexican town where the crooks turn out to be vampires. The result is almost two hours of pure fun.

9. Suspiria

One of the director’s favorite grindhouse films, Suspiria is an over-the-top, lush nightmare committed to film and backed by a killer soundtrack. The many quiet, tense, and graphic murder scenes only contribute to the general senselessness.

10. Sukiyaki Western Django

Tarantino plays a gunslinger in this ambitious though not wholly successful Japanese remake of Django (itself a remake of Yojimbo), which pairs philosophizing with slapstick. The hefty dialogue is mumbled with heavily accented English. The film is entertaining and visually striking even if certain aspects lag behind.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE