Tarantino Films In Order of Their Most Tarantino-ist
There are few film makers who have quite the signature to their work as that of Quentin Tarantino. You watch any five minutes of any of his movies and you know immediately who is responsible. I think first and foremost of Tarantino as a writer, and like a David Mamet or Aaron Sorkin, he has a way with story structure and dialogue that is unmistakable. As a director it’s the way he doesn’t rush a scene, let’s it linger and burrow into your psyche where with any other director you’d eventually get bored. The performances he gets out of actors are always exhilarating, even as he tends to use the same ones over and over. But what makes a Tarantino movie so distinctly his? I’ve come up with 3 major factors; dialogue, music, and shocking violence, usually used in concert with each other.
What follows is my list of most Tarantino to least of the films he was the writer on. This past week I re-watched them all (an enjoyable week to be sure) and thought it’d be fun to give my take on the traditional ‘rank the films’ lists that pop up as so much click bait.
#1 PULP FICTION
This is the defining film of Tarantino, and all these years later is just as fresh and electric as the day it came out. He sold the script to this, Reservoir Dogs, True Romance, and Natural Born Killers all around the same time, which is why the films all have characters referenced in each other. Pulp Fiction is quintessential Quentin though. Profane and hilarious dialogue? Check. Story structure that skips forward, backward, and all around? Check. Killer soundtrack of semi-obscure songs you now can’t get out of your head? Check. Sudden or unexpected violence? Uh Marvin, how’s your head? Check!
There simply is no flaw in this movie. The monologues, the quotable dialogue, the way the camera moves, perfect. I remember seeing this opening weekend, before anyone knew what to expect out of a Tarantino film. The people behind me were thinking they were going to get a typical ‘art house’ flick, and sat quietly watching. I was having a great time, but the energy of the room dictated a certain reserved demeanor. Then came said scene where Vincent accidentally blows Marvin’s brains out. I burst out in sustained laughter, tears in my eyes. Then I hear the people behind me, muttering how they couldn’t believe anyone would find that funny and how rude to think so. Well folks, all these years later, that scene still makes me laugh. Only now I laugh at many more moments too.
#2 KILL BILL
Now while Kill Bill is split into two films, I’m listing them as one seeing as how you simply can’t watch one without watching the other. That being said, I do think they have two very different styles and tone to them. Volume 1 is all energy. There are only a couple of typical Tarantino dialogue scenes, notably the Kiddo and Hanzo scene and the O-Ren board room scene. We get the flashbacks and out of sequence scenes, the eclectic music is prominent, but it is the violence that truly takes center stage. Within minutes of starting we get an insane knife fight, there’s the sexual violence both in the hospital (oh my god that dude getting his head slammed in the doorway is so viscerally painful to watch) and in the animated sequence, and then there’s the bug nuts tea house scene. The camera work for all the action is divine. No shaky cam, it’s very purposeful, and there are some great one take no cut moments that are technical wonders.
With Volume 2, we have a more typical Tarantino experience. The pace is much more deliberate, the heavy dialogue scenes are back in force, the action moments are not what you remember from the movie. It’s a much more straightforward film, everything pretty much happening in sequence. I do love the Pai Mai flashback sequence, especially for how the style of kung fu movies was captured, down to the snap zooms and sound effects. It contrasts so well to the Japanese sword fighting of Volume 1, truly giving a sense of how versed in various martial arts Kiddo is. The bookends to this sequence are that of Kiddo getting buried alive in a coffin. The way this is shot, being inside the coffin with her, and the sound design, with exterior noise getting muffled and noise inside the coffin deadening as dirt gets piled on, is truly claustrophobic. So much so that my wife hates the sequence for how it makes her feel. As I was watching, by myself with my headphones on, my wife was crossing from one room to another. In the reflection of the TV I could see her pause as the Pai Mai stuff was happening. She stayed there as it transitioned back to the coffin and Kiddo busting out. I turned to her and said, “I thought you hated this scene”, to which she replied that she did but couldn’t help but watch, even without her hearing the audio. That’s some powerful movie making right there!
So before doing this latest viewing, I would have said Volume 1 was my preference of the two, simply because I love that tea house fight. After, I have to say I enjoyed Volume 2 more. It is the more Tarantino of the two. Thing is, I don’t think I could ever only watch Volume 2, I’m always going to want to watch Volume 1 first. Hence why I am lumping them together as one movie. By the way, it is with this film that I first noticed Quentin’s foot obsession. It’s there in Pulp and Jackie Brown too, just not to this extent. It carries through to all subsequent films.
#3 DJANGO UNCHAINED
I really had a hard time figuring what order to place these next three films. Django Unchained wound up coming out on top simply because it has the most Tarantino DNA in it. Or does it? The movie plays out entirely in chronological order. The song selections aren’t as strong to my ear. The movie has no ‘chapters’. Shoot, even the typical opening credits font is non existent. But lordy, the dialogue. The dialogue has a poetry to it without being able to dip into pop culture references due to this being a period piece. There is a dinner sequence at Candieland that sucks you in completely and becomes so fraught with tension as it goes on and on. It’s an action scene entirely of words. The gun shoot out that follows soon after has Robocop levels of blood squirting out from bullet wounds, but there’s bursts of violence all throughout the movie that shock and surprise.
The thing I like most about Django is how it tells the story of slavery without being preachy. For the record, I hated 12 Years A Slave and literally used this movie as an antidote immediately after watching that self serious maudlin pile of guilt. Watching Django get his revenge is so satisfying. As is the whole movie in general.
#4 TRUE ROMANCE
I know what you’re thinking; this isn’t a Tarantino film, it’s Tony Scott! And yes, he directed it and has his style stamp all over it, but just listen to it. Every bit of what Quentin wrote is on display and there to be heard. The monologue from Dennis Hopper about Walken’s Sicilian ancestry is pure Tarantino. Same with Drexel taunting Clarence about “this white boy thinks he’s motherfuckin’ Charlie Bronson!” Music still plays a huge part, but this time it’s a score by Hans Zimmer. The original script did the typical out of sequence thing but Tony Scott made it chronological, something Quentin has said was the right choice. The story is filled with character types Tarantino loves, they talk about pop culture things throughout, and the movie seamlessly moves from being caustically funny to extremely violent, sometimes in the same breath. I wish Quentin would cast Christian Slater in one of his own movies, because I think he’d fit right in next to Sam Jackson or Tim Roth. At least Brad Pitt got the opportunity.
The best sequence of the movie is when Gandolfini’s character comes to Alabama’s room. It is brutal to watch, yet is also the heart of the film. You absolutely get the love Alabama has for Clarence, what she is willing to endure for him, and through Gandolfini’s eyes you get how easy it is for her to charm anyone and why Clarence fell head over heals for her. There’s also a sequence that takes place on a roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain that I paid homage to myself. I was working on a script with a friend and we needed a meeting to discuss various aspects of it. I had passes to the Magic Mountain, so that’s where we did it! Yeah, total nerd moment.
#5 DEATH PROOF
This movie often gets put last on the list of Tarantino movies, and I couldn’t disagree more. It almost made number 3 for me. To be clear, the version of the movie I enjoy is the one that is in Grindhouse. It’s 90 minutes in length due to the ‘missing reel’ as opposed to the stand alone version that has nothing missing and even more attached. It’s bloated and overly long and not the version to enjoy. So why do I place this version where I do? First you have to appreciate that it is paying homage to a certain type of film, and it does that extremely well. Next, I think it has my favorite soundtrack of any of his films. I admit the movie is a bit odd in that half of it is with one set of characters and then we kind of do a repeat with an entirely new set, but damn if the dialogue doesn’t crackle in both. Lastly, it has hands down one of these most thrilling car chases I’ve ever seen.
If you really wanted to, you could just watch the last 45 minutes of Death Proof and you’d get a really satisfying experience. It starts with an amazingly shot scene in a diner that is a bit of Quentin one upping himself to what he did in Reservoir Dogs. This time he manages to do it with no cuts, camera floating from one character to another, never missing a bit of dialogue. It’s simply masterful. The final 20 minutes of the movie though are the car chase, which features amazing stunt work, all very much real and very fast. Again the camera work is top notch, there aren’t a ton of cuts or edits, and it is filled with visceral thrills. The actual ending of the movie is one of my favorite of any movie, period. I literally clapped and cheered when I saw it in the theater. But do yourself a favor, watch the first half of the movie too. That is where all the best bits of music are, and the performances are all wonderful to watch. Of course the absolute best way to watch this is by doing the entire Grindhouse experience, watching it as the second half of the double feature to Planet Terror.
#6 INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
On any other list, Inglourious Basterds would probably rank higher. It is a fantastic piece of revisionist history, has Tarantino’s knack for twisted humor, tense dialogue, and bursts of graphic violence. On this list though, where we are looking at which movies carry his signature the most, Quentin seems to be trying something new. Music is hardly a part of this one, or certainly doesn’t play the role it usually does. The dialogue isn’t even close to it’s usual profane self, and with a few choice edits would be downright PG. Much of the movie is also subtitled, making for an experience that plays out as much more in your head as your ears. This was Tarantino’s first period flick, and it feels a little of him got lost in that.
This all may sound like I’m painting the movie with negatives, which is far from the truth. The opening scene in the French farmer’s house is riveting in all the ways Quentin is good at. Another scene, in a basement tavern, is one of his best written cat and mouse scenes to date. While events happen in order, they are spread out over geographical distances, slowly merging together, which also is new for Quentin and much welcomed. I really truly think this is an outstanding movie, but when I am in the mood to watch something distinctly Tarantino, it’s not what I grab.
#7 RESERVOIR DOGS
One of the most confident, self assured directorial debuts period. I saved this movie for last in my viewing, just to see how it holds up in comparison. Other than the age of the actors, nothing gives away that Reservoir Dogs is the first Tarantino movie. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to this soundtrack, and it’s not even my style of music. You can’t hear ‘Stuck In the Middle’ without picturing Mr Blonde cutting off the cop’s ear. The opening scene in the diner has layers of conversations going on, all profanely hilarious. The tough guy imagery and verbal posturing is all there, not a trend in development. The way scenes are staged and filmed, every bit similar to even his most recent films. This is quintessential Quentin, but there’s a reason it falls so far down the list.
In virtually every way, Tarantino has improved on everything he does in Reservoir Dogs in his other films. I mentioned already the diner scene being topped by the one in Death Proof. The Jack Rabbit Slims twist contest of Pulp Fiction is a signature music moment. Kill Bill does the flashbacks with more assurance. As a whole, Reservoir Dogs is really strong. It’s just that each of its parts have been improved upon and surrounded by other elements that make the other movies before it on this list more enjoyable.
#8 THE HATEFUL EIGHT
Hateful Eight is Tarantino’s most recent movie. It is an example of too much not being a good thing. There are dialogue scenes aplenty that are very Tarantino in nature, but most of them go nowhere. The fact most of the movie takes place in a single room can’t help but bring comparison to Reservoir Dogs, but it lacks the efficiency. It is a movie in love with itself, not allowing the audience to get in on the action. To illustrate this, I’ll point out that the movie was shot with the same cameras and lenses used for Lawrence of Arabia, known for it’s grand epic feel and super wide screen aspect ratio. All so we can be stuck inside a large room or a stagecoach. It is the first time an actual film score is used, and you can tell Tarantino is just not comfortable with how to use that.
This is an exceedingly long movie, and it’s not until 5 minutes before the intermission break that things finally start clicking. If the whole movie had of just been what we see after intermission, it would be better (obviously with a little moment or two from the first 90 minutes). Again, as someone who really loves Tarantino’s stuff, I am willing to watch and enjoy. I would never though make this someone’s first Tarantino movie to watch, as they know doubt wouldn’t put up with it.
#9 JACKIE BROWN
Poor Jackie Brown. It gets dumped on all the time. It had the dubious duty of being the follow up to Pulp Fiction, an impossible task. I never hated on it myself, but I also never found it memorable. Going into this viewing I decided to really give it a chance, but quickly started identifying why the signature of this film just doesn’t work.
For starters, this is the only adaption Quentin has done. Not having read the novel it is based on, I can’t tell you how much of the story structure is Quentin and how much is Elmore Leonard, but it feels like Tarantino is trying to shove a square block into a round hole. You can hear his spin on the dialogue, but it’s forced. There are long languid scenes that lack the tension found in his other movies. It is the least violent of all his films, while being the film most in need of the threat. To my ear, this is also the least successful in terms of his music selection. It sounds like what an imitator would go for. It’s the only movie not shot widescreen, which also makes it not look like his others. Everything about the movie just feels like Tarantino doing an imitation of himself. The only bit of the movie that I think truly works is the shell game Jackie plays in the mall, and you really wish that had been at the front of the movie with the rest being played in flashback. And again, Jackie Brown is not a bad movie, it’s just Tarantino’s least effective.
#10 NATURAL BORN KILLERS
I debated whether to include this on the list or not. I didn’t even bother watching it again. Tarantino famously wrote it, and then it was completely altered by Oliver Stone. The structure doesn’t resemble Quentin at all, the dialogue lacks subtlety and wit. This movie is a blunt hammer to the skull. So why include it? Well, certain characters mentioned in other scripts appear here. The music is so tied in, I can listen to any song on the soundtrack and immediately have imagery from the movie pop into my head. The violence is completely unleashed, giving us a taste of where Kill Bill came from.
There was a time when I really liked this movie, but as the years go by I find it just difficult to watch and enjoy. It was actually quite prophetic, about the news media essentially becoming a ratings whore. At the time it seemed unfathomable for Micky and Mallory to become celebrities for vile deeds, but then today we have the Kardashians (not that they are serial killers or anything). In terms of being a Tarantino movie though, so much of his imprint has been scrubbed. This is an Oliver Stone movie through and through, and he clearly didn’t trust the material in remotely the same manner that Tony Scott did with True Romance. I’ve always wanted to read Quentin’s actual script just to see what might have been. No doubt it’s night and day different. Reboot anyone?
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So there you have it, my list of Tarantino movies according to how signature they are. He’s currently working on a new movie that takes place during and around the Manson murders. Initially I rolled my eyes at that, but after watching all these movies during the past week, I’m actually excited. The music is no doubt going to be something special, it’s not going to be a biopic and maybe it’ll even be a bit revisionist like Basterds was. Quentin has said he’ll ‘retire’ after his 10th film, but the loophole there is he’ll still maybe direct. For instance, he’s attached to direct an R rated Star Trek movie, but that won’t count toward his ouvre.
Please feel free to comment and let me know if you agree or disagree with this article. I enjoy a good discussion, especially when it’s about a director like Tarantino who’s work I truly admire.