Quentin Tarantino is one of our great modern auteurs. It deeply saddens us at No Film School that there may only be one more movie from this guy. But before he's all said and done, we wanted to take an internal poll to rank his movies to what we consider to be his lesser to his best.
After much deliberation, some weighted voting, and actual arguments, we came up with this list below. We're sure it'll cause some controversy, but we're excited to hear your reactions.
A disclaimer: Tarantino movies are all pretty good, and some are stone-cold classics. There are no bad ones. We're incredibly lucky to have him making art in our time with such a consistently solid oeuvre.
Let's load up our quippy swear words and dive in.
9. 'The Hateful Eight'
The Hateful Eight
via Miramax
There are no bad Tarantino movies, but this one just feels like it never twists the screws as much as the others. A claustrophobic whodunnit that still has a lot of fun payoffs.
8. 'Death Proof'
Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof opening credits
via Miramax
This is a weird one. Part of a duel feature with Robert Rodriguez, it takes the grindhouse aesthetic and plays like an homage to a bygone era. While loads of fun, it's Grindhouse, double-feature constraints withhold it from really popping.
7. 'Reservoir Dogs'
Reservoir Dogs
via Miramax
The movie that put Tarantino on the map was right out of the gate and turned every head in Hollywood. Reservoir Dogs is where Tarantino started to stretch his legs and form his style, rendering a tight thriller that showcased a lot of voice and allowed the rest of these movies to be made.
6. 'Jackie Brown'
Jackie Brown
via Miramax
Jackie Brown may be the most underrated Tarantino movie; it's a classic in its own right, but not as noisy as some of the others on this list. It can feel forgotten in the pantheon, but it's still great... and that is unfair.
5. 'Django Unchained'
Django Unchained
via The Weinstein Company
Django Unchained is a revenge movie that takes on the ugliness of slavery and has a lot to say about the modern United States as well, this is a movie that's easy to love but can be hard to watch. It's unflinching and unrelenting.
4. 'Kill Bill Vol. 1&2'
Kill Bill
via Miramax
This duo was fought for by our very own Jason Hellerman to be even higher on the list. The best sort of homage to these kinds of movies, it lives in its own right as high entertainment without ever weighing down what a love letter it is to Japanese cinema.
3. 'Inglourious Basterds'
Inglourious Basterds
via The Weinstein Company
Both thrilling and violent, this movie burst onto the scene and suddenly brought everyone into Tarantino's aura. It was commercial, fun, and felt like a movie that had to be talked about.
2. 'Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood'
Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood
via Sony
Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood is the newest and freshest in our minds, but it almost made it to number one. It's a contemplative look at the world Tarantino wants to live in, one that's fair and just. One where the people who deserve it get success. It's beautiful, and a true masterpiece.
1. 'Pulp Fiction'
Pulp Fiction
via Miramax
It's hard to root against Pulp Fiction as one of the best movies of all time. It really is possibly the most important movie of the '90s and changed the course of Hollywood history. It's exciting, noisy, and has an all-time great opening scene.
We hope this sparks a debate across the internet. Tarantino is such a singular filmmaker that all of his movies can be looked at with depth and honor.
Let us know your personal Tarantino rankings in the comments.
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Mulholland Drive via Universal Pictures
