Hollywood has given us some of the most loved and talented actors and directors but if we make a list of some of the most acclaimed, insightful, and genre-defining directors of all time, Quentin Tarantino’s name has to be in the top 3. His signature stylistic approach to violence, long and insightful conversations about the most absurd of topics between characters, and the pitch-perfect use of nonlinear storytelling made movies directed by Quentin Tarantino a timeless symphony of comedy, storytelling, and breathtakingly violent action sequences. So, without further delay, let’s dive into the top 10 Quentin Tarantino movies you must watch.
10. Four Rooms
- Release Date- December 25, 1995
- IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes Ratings– 6.7/13%
- Cast- Quentin Tarantino, Tim Roth, Antonio Banderas, Jennifer Beals, Sammi Davis, Marisa Tomei, Ione Skye
This movie by Quentin Tarantino might not be the highest-rated out there but if you are sitting on your couch on a lazy Sunday morning, this flick is more than enough to keep you entertained. It revolves around Ted, a bellhop in Hotel Mon Signor in Los Angeles where we see four different stories play out with Ted at its center.
Throughout the night, he deals with a coven of witches, an unfaithful woman, two chaotic kids, and a Hollywood producer trying to settle a bet with his friend over a cigarette lighter. This movie is a perfect popcorn flick that you can enjoy with a bunch of your friends.
9. Death Proof
- Release Date- April 6, 2007
- IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes Ratings– 7/67%
- Cast- Quentin Tarantino, Zoë E. Bell, Kurt Russell, Rosario Dawson, Robert Rodriguez, Sydney Poitier
Death Proof is an action-packed film by Quentin Tarantino where we follow a deranged serial killer named Stuntman Mike. He is a professional body double and now he has modified his car in such a way that it is virtually “Death Proof” but only for the driver. He likes to offer unsuspecting women a ride in his car and kill them by crashing his car and driving recklessly. However, his insane killings are threatened when he targets a group of tough women who give him a run for his money.
8. Jackie Brown
- Release Date- December 25, 1997
- IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes Ratings– 7.5/ 87%
- Cast- Pam Grier, Bridget Fonda, Robert Forster, Robert De Niro, Aimee Graham, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton
Jackie Brown is a crime thriller flick where we follow Jackie Brown, a seemingly harmless flight attendant. However, she works with an arms dealer and smuggles money for him. One day, she gets caught by Agent Ray Nicolette and Detective Mark Dargus. They ask her to help them bring down the arms dealer but if she does so, the dealer will end her life. So, she finds a middle path and decides to double-cross both the law enforcers and her boss with the help of Max Cherry and keep the money for herself.
7. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
- Release Date- July 26, 2019
- IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes Ratings– 7.6/ 86%
- Cast- Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Margaret Qualley, Luke Perry, Austin Butler, Dakota Fanning
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood takes us back to the golden age of Hollywood where we meet Rick Dalton, an actor who shot up to fame after a mega-successful show in the 1950s. However, since then he has not been able to find a decent job in the everchanging Hollywood where he is now considered a “has been”.
He spends his time with his former stunt double and best friend Cliff Booth. The movie follows the spoils of both these men and their hilarious struggle to get back into the game. If you want to chill on a weekend with your best bud, this movie would just be the right thing for you since it contains just the right amount of comedy and action wrapped in a decently carried-out story.
6. The Hateful Eight
- Release Date- December 25, 2015
- IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes Ratings– 7.8/ 74%
- Cast- Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Walton Goggins, Channing Tatum, Demián Bichir, Bruce Dern, Michael Madsen, Zoë Bell
The Hateful Eight is set in the post-Civil War era where we see bounty hunter John “The Hangman” Ruth transporting a fugitive to Red Rock, Wyoming, to collect a cash price of $10,000. However, the blizzard starts getting worse and he encounters two men, Major Marquis Warren, a former Union cavalry officer, and Chris Mannix, a newly appointed sheriff on his way.
The three of them seek shelter and find it at Minnie’s Haberdashery. However, they are met by four strangers who are suspicious and as the movie progresses, their intentions and identities are revealed leading to a bloody conclusion.
5. Kill Bill Volume 1
- Release Date- October 10, 2003
- IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes Ratings– 8.2/85%
- Cast- Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, David Carradine, Chiaki Kuriyama, Daryl Hannah, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen
Kill Bill tells us the tale of a former assassin known as The Bride. She had already left the life of being a killer behind but on her wedding day, the entire ceremony was assassinated by her former lover, Bill. She was presumed to be dead but as it turns out, she was just in a coma and wakes up four years after the attack.
With her new life being destroyed by Bill, she makes it her life’s mission to find and kill Bill for what he had done to her. This movie features some of the best action sequences ever seen on screen so if you are someone who loves watching action-packed movies, this Quentin Tarantino movie is the perfect fit for you.
4. Reservoir Dogs
- Release Date- October 8, 1992
- IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes Ratings– 8.3/ 90%
- Cast- Quentin Tarantino, Harvey Keitel, Timothy Roth, Michael Madsen, Steven Vincent Buscemi
Reservoir Dogs brings in six criminals hired by a mob boss to carry out the perfect diamond robbery. However, the twist is that they are strangers and only know each other by the codename given to them by their employer.
Even though the plan was flawless, at the time of the robbery police showed up and ended up killing two of the criminals. The four surviving members meet at the rendezvous point, a warehouse, and suspect that one of them is an undercover cop. Will they be able to find out who? This movie also features some violent flashback sequences so if you are looking for a violent yet suspenseful flick, this movie will hit just the right spots.
3. Django Unchained
- Release Date- December 25, 2012
- IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes Ratings– 8.5/ 87%
- Cast- Quentin Tarantino, Christoph Waltz, Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, Walton Goggins, Don Johnson
Probably one of the most loved movies directed by Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained follows a bounty hunter named King Schultz who finds a slave named Django. He buys him to assist him in seeking out some men he is hunting down. After Django does his part, he asks for King Schultz’s help to find his long-lost wife who was sold separately.
Schultz agrees to help him if Django agrees to be his partner. Soon, they find out that she was sold to a cotton plantation in Mississippi however, it is not an easy job to get her out of there and hereby begins the chaotic, fun, absurd, and amusingly violent quest of these two men to free Django’s wife.
2. Inglorious Bastards
- Release Date- August 21, 2009
- IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes Ratings– 8.4/ 89%
- Cast- Quentin Tarantino, Christoph Waltz, Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, Mélanie Laurent, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Michael Fassbender, Til Schweiger, Jacky Ido
One of my personal favorites, Inglorious Bastards is set in Nazi-occupied France. While Nazis were exterminating the Jews, a young Jewish girl, Shosanna Dreyfus, who witnessed the slaughter of her whole family, starts plotting revenge when she is approached to host a movie premiere in the theater she owns. Attendance of some of the most notorious Nazi officers is confirmed and the “Bastards”, a group of Jewish-American guerrilla soldiers led by Lt. Aldo Raine gets the scent of this event happening. The Bastards and Shosanna ally to set the theater ablaze killing all these Nazi officers but the task is not as easy as it seems.
Inglorious Bastards brings forward an intriguing story based on true events with much artistic liberty. This movie features brings along all the aspects of a Quentin Tarantino directed movie and if you haven’t watched this one, you are missing out on one of the best World War setting movies ever made.
1. Pulp Fiction
- Release Date- October 14, 1994
- IMDb/Rotten Tomatoes Ratings– 8.9/ 92%
- Cast- Quentin Tarantino, John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Christopher Walken, Harvey Keitel, Ving Rhames, Maria de Medeiros, Eric Stoltz
Pulp Fiction is the crown jewel of movies by Quentin Tarantino and is to date one of his most celebrated and loved creations. Pulp Fiction brings us two low-level hitmen Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega. They are given the task of finding a suitcase that has been stolen from mob boss Marsellus Wallace, their employer.
Wallace has also asked Vincent to kill his wife when he is out of town and has also paid an aging boxer named Butch Coolidge. Even though these people are completely unrelated to each other, circumstances weave their destinies together in a story filled with crude humor, violence, and everything that makes Tarantino a legend.
So, there are the top 10 movies by Quentin Tarantino, and in the comments, do let us know which of these you have watched and the one you’d binge multiple times without ever getting bored!
