Of Tarantino's 9 films which do you believe is the best?

Cafe Society
34

My ranking, and why:

  1. Kill Bill vol. 1 - The hyperobsessive attention to detail just astounds me. The ability to get a story about an 11yo girl who turned into a pre-teen prostitute so she could kill her parent’s murderer (while having sex with him) past American censors was astonishing. KB was a muscle flex like few films ever, and I was completely gobsmacked at the ending’s reveal. That, alone, made chopping this film in 2 perfectly fine with me.

  2. Pulp Fiction. Of course. Had not KB vol 1 hit me in that special zone, this is the obvious #1.

  3. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. I was barely married when PF came out. I took my daughter to this one. A special memory which enhances this film every time I see it.

  4. Death Proof. By far, by far, the most enjoyable opening-night screening of any movie I have ever attended. The midnight crowd was drunk, in a great mood, and willing to go along for the ride. Yes, in many ways this can be seen as his worst movie, but fuck it - you had to be there.

  5. Kill Bill vol. 2. Funny and poignant, just going to say that the final shot of BB and Beatrice… as the then-father of a girl a little younger than that… fucking slayed me. I get that the KB films are noted for their visual acumen, but he really pinpointed some emotional nuance in these films.

  6. Jackie Brown. It’s a love letter to Pam Grier, done via an Elmore Leonard adaptation. Who has a problem with that? Also, Robert de Niro is actually funny in this movie, unlike 96% of his post-2000 ‘comedies’.

  7. Inglorious Basterds. I kinda feel like the king in Amadeus - too many notes (words). On the other hand, can rank fourth on days that I’m feeling it for this movie.

  8. Django Unchained. Saw it twice, it’s a fine movie with some great performances, just kinda doesn’t do it for me.

  9. Reservoir Dogs. Good film, just have seen it sooooooooooooo manyyyyy tiiiimes.

  10. The Hateful Eight. His only failure. You people ranking it #1 because he put a SuperCinemaScope (or whatever) camera inside a soundstage are freakin’ crazy. Bonkers script, revealing an entire cast of characters to whom I didn’t care if they lived or died. And when they died, I didn’t cheer. Well, you can’t win them all, Quentin.

(And I tried seeing the extended version of it, as well as the serialized version of H8, on Netflix. Nope, still a failure.)