It’s not an exaggeration to say that Quentin Tarantino changed the course of American cinema. When “Pulp Fiction” was released in 1994, it kicked off an independent-film boom that still resonates today, helping launch the careers of fellow DIY cinephile filmmakers like Robert Rodriguez and Kevin Smith.
Since then, Tarantino has gone from an outsider to a Hollywood power player, racking up numerous Oscar nominations and huge box-office returns. He’s done all of that without compromising his unique vision, making films that are digressive and idiosyncratic, full of references to the obscure genre and arthouse cinema that he admires. Seeing “Pulp Fiction” for the first time was a formative experience for me, and I’ve eagerly anticipated every subsequent Tarantino movie, even when some have been disappointments.
With “Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair,” the long-awaited unified version of Tarantino’s previously two-part “Kill Bill,” now streaming on Peacock, here’s my definitive ranking of Tarantino’s filmography.
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9. ‘The Hateful Eight’
The Hateful Eight Official Trailer #1 (2015) – Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell Movie HD – YouTube
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Tarantino’s longest film (aside from the combined “Kill Bill”) feels even longer than it is, with its slow-moving, primarily single-setting story about an assortment of nefarious types converging at a Wyoming stagecoach stopover in 1877. As a blizzard rages outside, bounty hunters John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) eye their fellow travelers with suspicion, since any of them could be in cahoots with vicious killer Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), whom Ruth is transporting to be hanged.
Although it belatedly turns into a sort of locked-room murder mystery, “The Hateful Eight” is mostly a slog, as the characters talk in circles and make repetitive threats toward each other. As a Western, it’s pretty meager, and it’s not nearly as thrilling as Tarantino’s other period pieces. It’s an unassuming, small-scale story stretched thin over nearly three hours.
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8. ‘Death Proof’
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Originally released as part of the “Grindhouse” double feature with Robert Rodriguez’s “Planet Terror,” this faux-exploitation movie is as close as Tarantino has ever gotten to a breezy, tossed-off lark. It’s still weightier and more intense than the drive-in cheapies that Tarantino is imitating, although the first half effectively mimics the scratches and skips of worn-out film prints.
Vehicular murderer Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) ties the movie together, stalking two different groups of young women in two different locations. Tarantino devotes most of the running time to the sometimes charming, sometimes tiresome banter among the female friends, and Sydney Tamiia Poitier gives the movie’s standout performances as brash radio DJ Jungle Julia. The climax offers an impressive showcase for stunt performer Zoë Bell, but the disjointed whole is less than the sum of its parts.
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7. ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’
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While Tarantino agonizes over what will be his 10th and allegedly final film, it almost seems like he put every remaining idea he had into his ninth and most recent film to date. This meandering but likable 1960s-set showbiz story is less harsh and violent than other Tarantino movies (at least until the finale), with more of a genial hangout vibe as it spends time with washed-up Hollywood actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his longtime stuntman and best friend Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt).
They live next door to Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), and anyone with a little knowledge of movie history will understand what’s coming for her. Tarantino confronts that notorious crime, but it’s only one part of this shaggy love letter to a transitional time in the film industry, which has room for fake variety shows, kung-fu challenges, and one of the decade’s best child performances from Julia Butters.
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6. ‘Reservoir Dogs’
Tarantino’s first feature bears some of the hallmarks of a filmmaker still finding his footing. The banter in the opening scene is the type of overwritten, smug posturing that makes people dismiss Tarantino as macho nonsense for film bros.
But the rest of the movie is far better, with a command of the cinematic form that evokes a much more seasoned director. “Reservoir Dogs” is a heist movie that almost entirely avoids showing the actual heist, instead focusing on the messy aftermath as a group of criminals turn on each other.
From the very beginning, Tarantino knew how to make the most of an eclectic cast, including Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi and Hollywood legend Lawrence Tierney, plus lead actors Tim Roth and Harvey Keitel conveying a surprising amount of pathos. It’s a promising debut from a filmmaker who would go on to fulfill all of his potential.
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5. ‘Django Unchained’
Tarantino’s version of a spaghetti Western is heavy on violence and gore, with perhaps the most problematic racial politics of any of his films. It’s still lots of fun, thanks to the enthusiastic lead performances from Jamie Foxx as the title character and Christoph Waltz as his partner. Foxx’s Django is a slave in 1850s Texas who’s liberated by bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Waltz), and they team up to take down wanted criminals and rescue Django’s wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington).
It’s immensely satisfying to watch Django and Schultz destroy slave owners and horrific racists, including vile fop Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), overlord of a truly dystopian plantation. The satisfaction turns into slight overkill as the movie goes on, especially in the multiple finales, but it’s so stylishly and exuberantly staged that there’s still plenty of enjoyment to find in the excess.
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4. ‘Jackie Brown’
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The expectations on Tarantino to deliver a worthy follow-up to “Pulp Fiction” overshadowed the modest but genuine charms of this Elmore Leonard adaptation. Blaxploitation icon Pam Grier plays the title character, a flight attendant who makes ends meet by shuttling illicit cash back and forth to Mexico for arms dealer Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson). After she’s picked up by the authorities, she turns to soft-spoken bail bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forster) to help get her free from both Ordell and the feds.
Tarantino makes room for enjoyably casual scenes featuring Ordell’s dirtbag gangster associates, including characters played by Robert De Niro and Bridget Fonda. The final multilayered heist is gripping, and the movie is a stealth showcase for a now-retro LA shopping mall. Its biggest strength, though, is as a tender, understated middle-aged romance, with Jackie and Max coming alive as they find kindred spirits.
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3. ‘Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair’
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Tarantino always intended “Kill Bill” to be a single film, so it’s fitting that his original vision is finally widely available. Even at a little over four hours, “The Whole Bloody Affair” never feels padded or drawn out, and the core plot is remarkably straightforward. It’s a simple revenge story, with the heroine known as the Bride (Uma Thurman) tracking down the people responsible for killing everyone at her wedding rehearsal and leaving her for dead.
Thurman is fantastic as the vengeful but soulful Bride, and Lucy Liu and Vivica A. Fox are standouts among her adversaries. Tarantino pays tribute to vintage martial-arts films while staging original action sequences that stand up to the classics. “The Whole Bloody Affair” restores the massive scope of the Bride’s quest, without losing any of the visceral excitement of the individual showdowns.
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2. ‘Inglourious Basterds’
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The strongest of Tarantino’s counterfactual takes on major historical moments also takes the biggest swing, with a finale that completely alters the course of world history. As exciting as it was to witness that unexpected swerve for the first time, the rest of the movie is just as compelling, starting with a bravura opening sequence featuring Christoph Waltz’s chilling, charismatic Nazi villain Hans Landa. Waltz justifiably won an Oscar for his portrayal of the sadistic Landa, who takes pride in hunting down and exterminating Jews in hiding during World War II.
Landa eventually comes up against the title characters, a brutal band of American soldiers led by Brad Pitt’s Lt. Aldo Raine. But “Inglourious Basterds” showcases multiple brilliant set pieces before then, including a tense confrontation in an underground bar and an equally fraught lunch meeting between Landa and Jewish escapee Shoshanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent). Tarantino expertly builds suspense until scenes explode in a violent catharsis.
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1. ‘Pulp Fiction’
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Tarantino’s breakthrough film is still his best, and is rightly considered by many to be one of the greatest movies ever made. That makes it sound like a staid cultural institution, but it’s also a total blast to watch, even after seeing it multiple times. Tarantino and co-writer Roger Avary put together an intricate collection of interwoven crime stories, laid out in a non-linear fashion so that each one illuminates something crucial about the others.
For me, the highlight is hitman Vincent Vega (John Travolta) taking his boss’ wife Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) out for an ill-fated date, which includes the iconic dance-contest scene. But every segment is fantastic, from the opening set-up with diner robbers played by Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer to Ving Rhames and Bruce Willis as enemies caught in a ridiculously compromising situation. The dialogue is endlessly quotable, the performances are transcendent, and the humor is sly and sharp. It’s all of Tarantino’s strengths in one movie.
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