Ranking The Top 10 Quentin Tarantino Movies

So yesterday I got out of class early and had nothing to do, so I surfed the TV channels for the first time in a long time. I came across Once Upon A Time In Hollywood a movie I really enjoyed the first time I saw it and decided to give it another go. Tarantino never disappoints, as his movies are the type I enjoy more each time I watch them. I had originally seen Once Upon A Time In Hollywood in theaters, so I forgot a lot of the details, such as how gory and insane the final fight scene is, but we'll get into all of that below. This is all personal opinion so save the "How do you have ___ over ___" cause the answer is simple---- I like it better. Make your own list, then we can debate. Also, I'm not spoiling plots for any of these (except for maybe some of the videos I link) so if you haven't seen any Tarantino movies you can use this list to determine which ones you should start with.

10. Death Proof

This movie is a bit absurd. It just didn't really do it for me. The plot was hard to get invested in, and though the chase scenes are amazing, and the story is very different than any other slasher films else out there, it just isn't that great of a movie. I found this quote from Tarantino after deciding Death Proof would come in at 10 on the list, and it made me feel it was a very fair pick. ---- "Death Proof has got to be the worst movie I ever make. And for a left-handed movie, that wasn’t so bad, all right? — so if that’s the worst I ever get, I'm good." I think that sums up this movie very well.

9. Jackie Brown

I love this movie, so it feels very wrong having it at #9, but this guy makes exponentially better movies than any other director, and therefore his work has gotten even better over time. My only knock on this film (what is keeping it from being higher on the list) is it's pace. The film can feel slow, especially on your first watch, but the plot is so intricate and has so many twists that by the end you want to immediately restart to catch what you missed the first time. A great movie the first time, and a fantastic rewatch movie.

**De Niro and Jackson's characters are hysterical, some of my favorite roles they've ever been in**

8. Reservoir Dogs

The film that made Tarantino the man we know today. I think this is the pick people will highly disagree with, as most people I've discussed Tarantino with have this one in their top 3, but I think people get rose colored glasses when remembering the first Tarantino film they saw. Don't get me wrong, this movie is incredible, but I genuinely believe he has improved as a director/writer, and that his later films triumph this one. However, the film still has all of Tarantino's flare-- Violence, mystery, profanity, and a fantastic soundtrack. The use of "Stuck in the Middle With You" by Stealers Wheel is incredible.

7. Once Upon A Time in Hollywood

The film that inspired me to make the list, and the only Tarantino film I've seen in theatres. Similar to Jackie Brown in terms of pace, this film lacks direction until it doesn't. It feels a little confusing as to who or what the movie is about as you watch, but by the end it really all comes full circle. Leo playing a washed up actor and Brad Pitt as his stuntman was incredible, and their chemistry on screen made any scene involving the two must watch. The use of an alternate ending to the real story was amazing, and the final fight scene makes me gasp even now when I know it's coming. I would argue that final fight scene is a top 2 scene out of all of Tarantino's movies, but the film as a whole is lacking in some areas.

P.S. Margot Robbie is actually the most gorgeous woman in the history of time, so anything with her is worth the watch.

6. Kill Bill Vol 1

The second Tarantino I ever saw. What a film. I absolutely love three types of movies - Tarantino's, sports movies, and martial arts movies. This one combines two of those, and anyone who enjoys Bruce Lee's work will love this film. Side note --- I watched this for the first time in a high school English (existentialism) class. We watched a few scenes, I honestly forget why, but I immediately became infatuated and went home and watched the whole movie, and then the second one. I can only imagine how pumped people were when the second film was announced, as no one likes cliffhanger endings, and the loose ends left open are the only reason I put Vol 2 above Vol 1, as they're both pretty much equally amazing films.

5. Kill Bill Vol 2

I find it weird even trying to rank these two films, as Tarantino wrote them as one film but split them up due to the running time being too long. However, I feel that Vol 1 is lacking due to it's cliffhanger ending, and this film you walk away without really any questions, just amazed at how masterful the storytelling and action-packed fight scenes were.

4. The Hateful Eight

This one feels like if Red Dead Redemption was a movie. Similar to a lot of Tarantino's, there's not necessarily one main character, but it works better in this film then any other as the audience is totally unsure who to "root" for while watching. I typically feel I'm able to have an idea the direction a film is heading, but this one had me on the edge of my seat for every twist and turn. Little fun fact about this one, the guitar that Kurt Russell's character John "The Hangmen" Ruth smashes wasn't a prop but actually a Martin guitar from 1870.

"The guitar destroyed by Russell's character was not a prop but an antique 1870s Martin guitar lent by the Martin Guitar Museum. According to sound producer Mark Ulano, the guitar was supposed to have been switched with a copy to be destroyed, but this was not communicated to Russell; everyone on the set was "pretty freaked out" at the guitar's destruction, and Leigh's reaction was genuine, though "Tarantino was in a corner of the room with a funny curl on his lips, because he got something out of it with the performance."[28] Museum director Dick Boak said that the museum was not told that the script included a scene that called for a guitar being smashed, and determined that it was irreparable. The insurance remunerated the purchase value of the guitar. As a result of the incident, the museum no longer lends props to film productions."

This is a beautiful disaster. That scene is amazing, and learning that the reactions to Russell smashing the guitar were candid makes it even better. Lowkey, I think Tarantino told Russell to really smash it to get the candid reactions, and lied to the press to avoid looking like a guy who borrows and destroys pieces of history from a museum.

3. Pulp Fiction

This is the Tarantino film you watch on a Friday night after eating 500 mg's of edibles. It is a hysterical film with plenty of twists that uses the technique of telling three separate stories and tying them together. The writing, acting, and production of the film are all top notch. The soundtrack is filled with catchy rock songs that perfectly fit each scene they're used in. There's a reason this is the biggest Tarantino film in terms of cult following and pop culture - this film is so unique. There have been gangster films made for nearly the past 100 years, but none have gone so in-depth into the actual people and their life choices and none have been able to tell a story the way Pulp Fiction does. Also, the only Gangster film (in this case TV show) that has even been close to as funny as Pulp Fiction is The Sopranos, so I'd say matching the gold standard of TV in terms of gangster story-telling mixed with humor means this was a pretty good movie.

P.S. Goodfellas has hilarious scenes, but doesn't hold a candle to Pulp Fiction in terms of laugh out loud scenes, and don't even try to compare the storytelling.

P.P.S -- Tarantino definitely made Travolta and Uma Thurman actually get high as balls before this scene.

2. Django Unchained

This is the film that got most of my friends into Tarantino, as the beautiful combination of an old-western cowboy movie that had such a unique and interesting story with absolutely intriguing characters. Even Dicaprio's Monsieur Candy (Don't speak French to him he doesn't speak French it's insulting) was beyond interesting despite being such an evil person. Typical to a lot of the films above, the ending becomes absolutely insane and keeps you on the edge of your seat even on your 25th rewatch, but it's a really well written story throughout the whole film. Similar to The Hateful Eight, this film had a candid reaction, as Leo actually cut his hand during the scene where he explains phrenology, and decided to continue the scene with shattered glass stuck in his hand.

During the scene when DiCaprio's character explains phrenology, DiCaprio cut his left hand upon striking the table and smashing a small glass. Despite his hand profusely bleeding, DiCaprio barely reacted and remained in character under the astonished eyes of his fellow actors. He is seen taking out pieces of broken glass from his hand during the scene. After Tarantino's cut, there was a standing ovation by the other actors to praise DiCaprio's performance despite the incident;[Tarantino therefore decided to keep this sequence in the final cut. DiCaprio is seen with his left hand bandaged in the scene after when he is signing Broomhilda's papers. Contrary to popular belief, DiCaprio wiped fake blood on Washington's face in a separate take.

Another fantastic candid scene, that is even better when you watch it the second time knowing his hand is actually torn up while he's giving the monologue. Just a small factor that helped make this a masterpiece. The story, the cast, the production, and the music (containing a beautiful mix of songs by Jim Croce, James Brown, Tupac, Beethoven, and Rick Ross) are once again all done perfectly. Also, the Ku-Klux-Klan scene is probably Tarantino's funniest scene of all time, so I'm gonna link that and the shootout because they're both too good to pick just one.

And now,

1. Inglorious Bastards

Okay, this is actually (more like obviously) my favorite movie in the history of movies. It is in every sense of the definition a masterpiece. I should preface this by saying I'm a history major who has always been super interested by WWII, so a historical fiction set in WWII written and directed by the G.O.A.T is right up my ally. I went in with high expectations and was blown away. The film makes all of its protagonists total badasses, and paints how evil the Natzi party was, while somehow keeping a lot of humor and suspense throughout the film. The ending is poetic justice at it's finest. I really can't recommend this movie enough if you haven't seen it.

That is all today

PS - This list is not up for debate unless you make your own. I'm allowed to have Inglorious Bastards at 1.