From Bad to Bloodied: The First and Last Character Appearances in Quentin Tarantino Films
No one introduces—or kills off—characters quite like Quentin Tarantino.
As we've studied time and time and time again, the first and last of anything, be it a frame, scene, or, in this case, a character appearance, says a lot about the film as a whole thanks to its inherent context. This supercut edited by Albert Gómez shows us the first and last times we see different Tarantino characters in films like Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained, and The Hateful Eight.
So, what does this supercut say about Tarantino's films, or about storytelling as a whole?
His movies are a modern reworking of exploitation; the grandeur and luridness of his characters fit its many subgenres. So, when we meet the players in his super stylish house of horrors brand of cinema for the first time, it's like getting your hair coiffed with a switchblade comb, and watching them die is like getting punched in the gut—with a glove that has knuckle spikes on it. To put it more simply, intros, deaths, or even rides off into the sunset are valuable pieces of cinematic real estate to Tarantino, and he doesn't let any of it go to waste.
He tends to introduce us to characters in intriguing ways: a bloodied bride in black and white, a woman talking about the intricacies of fellatio, the back of a scary dude's head that has a dainty little band-aid on it. In the same way, he tends to leave us with intriguing images of these characters (either in the throes of death or victory) as their visage fades from the screen for the last time: two hitmen tucking pistols into their gym shorts, a crime boss getting the top of her skull sliced off, Hitler getting shot full of holes.
So, the lesson we can learn from this supercut is this: make the first and last appearances of characters remarkable. It doesn't matter if you're making a Tarantino-style film; you don't need buckets of blood and shootouts and fellatio-talk to make these key moments in your film memorable. All you need is some creativity. (And slapping an eyepatch on 'em couldn't hurt.)
Source: Room 237
