This pod is going to be different today. I’m going to rank my favorite films by Quentin Tarantino - who is one of my favorite directors. Not my favorite, that would be Martin Scorsese.

I’m not going to include Four Rooms, because Tarantino never seems to mention it when he talks about his filmography. Also, the movie consists of four movie shorts, and Tarantino directed one of them. And it was also the best of the film short.

So let’s get started. I’ll be ranking them from least favorite to most favorite.

9. Death Proof

Not a bad movie. It’s actually quite good. I would have no problem watching it again. I actually liked this movie better the first time. The second time I watched it, I was more lukewarm about it. But still a very good movie.

The driving sequences were great. It’s hard to do inventive car chases, but Tarantino found a way. Kurt Russell is incredible in this role. You are frightened of him, hate him, and even feel sorry for him at times.

Michael Parks as a crusty old ranger is great. Quentin also has a small role as the bartender which is great. Tarantino would have been a great character actor if he didn’t direct.

8. Kill Bill Volume 1 & 2

How can this movie be 2nd to last in Tarantino’s filmography? Well, that happens when you direct a lot of great movies. I do feel this movie would have been better if it was one film and under 3 hours. Tarantino would have been forced to cut some scenes out. But Tarantino loves to have two characters just talk. And nothing wrong with that.

The fight scenes are amazing and really show Tarantino’s range as a director. He can direct an action movie.

7. Django Unchained

Probably the sloppiest movie that Tarantino made, but I still love it. And it’s not that sloppy. I don’t like the shootout at the end, which is a typical western shootout. I think he should have done something more inventive. However, the performances in this movie are off the chart. Leonardo DiCaprio gives an amazing performance. And Samuel L Jackson’s character and performance are unreal. Gets better after rewatching. 

6. Reservoir Dogs

What a debut. This movie is so good. It’s a heist movie where we don’t see the heist. But the star of the movie is the script. The dialogue is incredible. I feel this movie is even more influential than Pulp Fiction. It showed audiences and other filmmakers what dialogue in movies can be. Tarantino changed the game by having dialogue that doesn’t necessarily contribute to the plot but just contributes to the character.

5. Inglourious Basterds

Epic! And introduced the world to Christoph Waltz, who gives one of the best performances in all of film. And Brad Pitt is amazing, even underrated. No one talks about his performance in this movie. It reminds me of The Godfather, where a third of the movie is in subtitles. Brilliant. I consider this a war movie and a suicide mission movie.

4. Pulp Fiction

If I had to rank by movie experience alone, then this would be number 1. I still remember watching this movie in the theater. Right before John Travolta and Uma Thurman danced, the crowd started to whisper - “He’s going to dance”. Since everyone knows Travolta from Saturday Night Fever. This movie broke all the rules and changed filmmaking for the better. The number of Pulp Fiction knockoffs alone tells you the greatness of this movie.

3. The Hateful Eight

When I saw this the first time, I ranked it last in his filmography. Since that time, it has risen to third. I heard a podcast where Tarantino said this is the best-directed film he ever made. And he said this after Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was released. After hearing that, I needed to watch this movie again. And he was right. From the film blocking to the detail of the coldness in the cabin (you can see breath coming out of the actor’s mouth), this movie is so well directed. I just love this movie. So underrated.

2. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

What can I say - another epic movie by Tarantino. Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt are off the chart. I think this might be Leo’s best performance. Just the fact that he doesn’t play the alpha makes me appreciate his range. And he is funny in this movie.

And the ending is incredible. I still think about that ending to this day. The rant Leo’s character has on hippies is one of the best. I don’t think I ever heard a good rant on hippies until that. 

1. Jackie Brown

My favorite Tarantino movie. I loved it when I first saw it and still love it when I watch it now. Tarantino calls it his step-back movie. I call it a low-key movie and I love low-key movies. The dialogue in this movie is so good. No one talks about Bridget Fonda’s performance, but they should. It’s so good. I think it might be my favorite acting in all of Tarantino’s movies. She plays the marijuana burnout so well.

The bar scenes with Samuel L Jackson and Robert De Niro are so good. The acting is master class. The kitchen scene between Pam Grier and Robert Forster just gets better and better the more I watched it. Tarantino mentioned that his next film, the 10th, would be his last. I hope it’s a step-back film.