Quentin Tarantinois many things. Above all of them, he is one of America’s most important living directors. In a day and age when everything is a prequel, sequel or part of some tentpole, popcorn extravaganza, Tarantino is someone who has created his own tentpole extravaganza from scratch. Some would say that he even formed a genre all his own, with its own unique hallmarks. That he is able to make them personal and a piece of art in the process is further testament to just how special this director is.
Apparently, we aren’t going to have him around making movies for too much longer. For his planned final film,Tarantino will reunite with Brad PittforThe Movie Critic, with a pending release slated for 2025. While it might not make much sense to even announce you’re quitting, has Tarantino ever done anything in the prescribed way people say he should? Tarantino movies are what they are precisely because he hasn’t done that.
After letting this news gestate, it only seemed fitting to make a list ranking the current oeuvre of Quentin Tarantino. Just what are the best Quentin Tarantino movies? Make no mistake, just because one of those films is ranked over the other on this list doesn’t mean that it’s a bad film. It isn’t as if you are going to get to the end of this list and realize that Tarantino has petered out. Quite the opposite, actually. These are our rankings of thebest Quentin Tarantino movies.
Updated Jun 24, 2025: This collection of Quentin Tarantino’s best movies has been updated with a bevy of brand-new features.
Movies Directed by Quentin Tarantino in Release Order
Film Title
Release Year
Principal Cast
Reservoir Dogs
Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madsen
Pulp Fiction
John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Harvey Keitel, Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Maria de Medeiros
Four Rooms
Tim Roth, Antonio Banderas, Jennifer Beals, Paul Calderon, Sammi Davis, Valeria Golino, Madonna
Jackie Brown
Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, Robert De Niro
Kill Bill: Volume 1
Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah
Kill Bill: Volume 2
Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, Gordon Liu, Michael Parks
Death Proof
Kurt Russell, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, Jordan Ladd, Rose McGowan, Sydney Poitier
Inglourious Basterds
Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Mélanie Laurent, August Diehl, Julie Dreyfus
Django Unchained
Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson
The Hateful Eight
Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Margaret Qualley
11Four Rooms (1995)
Thisnon-horror anthology filmby four separate filmmakers (Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Alison Anders, and Alexandre Rockwell) totals 98 minutes. Of that time, Tarantino’s segment,The Man from Hollywood, is about 20 minutes long. An overarching narrative features Ted (Tim Roth), a first-time bellhop, navigating the fictional Hotel Mon Signor as he has a series of eclectic encounters with its guests.
Tarantino’s segment, the last featured in the film, stars Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, and even Tarantino himself. After a series of seemingly unrelated items are requested by a man named Chester Rush (Tarantino), it’s revealed that they are to be used in a deadly game of chance. It is filled with lots of dialogue that ultimately leads to a finger-severing dénouement that is quite shocking. That said, the end of this movie is really the only reason to wade through this segment.
A Pulp Fiction Follow-Up
The reality aboutFour Roomsis that Tarantino was super fresh off ofPulp Fiction. He could’ve taken his receipts from his comic books, said he had figured out a way to turn those into a movie, and he would’ve been given a green light. This segment, set around a sadistic bet by a group of Hollywood elitists on New Year’s Eve, plays more like the beginning of a Tarantino movie than the final segment in an anthology. It’s ironic, given its placement in the anthology as the final segment before the credits roll. It may not be one of the best projects Tarantino directed, but you have to giveFour Roomsa lot of credit for trying.Watch the trailer forFour RoomsonYouTube
Buy or Rent on Four Rooms on Apple TV
10Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Clocking in at two hours and thirty-three minutes,Inglourious Basterdsis a pitch-perfect Tarantino movie from the first frame. This tale of Jews giving Nazi leaders what they deserve is the kind of movie that had been a long time coming. It is violent, abrasive, controversial, and, like all things Tarantino, positively brilliant. This is in spite of thedisastrous production ofInglourious Basterdsgoing on behind the scenes.
Set in an alternate retelling of World War II, it focuses on two intersecting plots, with the end goal of each being the timely assassination of Adolf Hitler. The first follows a group composed of Jewish American soldiers led by Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) attempting to instill fear into the Nazis via ultra-violent means, whereas the other follows a lone operation undertaken by Shosana Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent), a cinema operator with her own vendetta against the Third Reich. Christoph Waltz co-stars as Hans Landa, an eloquent but merciless SS officer, whose performance would go on to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Inglourious Basterds Is a Pulpy World War II Film
Often times, thebest World War II moviesare made to show the humanity that emerges during combat. That is not the case here.Inglorious Basterdswants nothing to do with that. You can argue the rightness or wrongness of this all you want — the fact remains thatInglorious Basterdsis a brutal war movie that is also uncomfortably funny. Sure, various groups might take umbrage at this, but would it really be a Quentin Tarantino film if it wasn’t?
The performances Tarantino elicits from Brad Pitt (who has shed all of his matinée idol status here), Christoph Waltz, Mélanie Laurent, Michael Fassbender, and Diane Kruger are simply astonishing. The only reason this movie hasn’t occupied a higher position here is because of the strength of the other Quentin Tarantino movies. That said, this hyperviolent historical film is still a particularly strong outing overall.Watch the trailer forInglourious BasterdsonYouTube
Buy or Rent Inglourious Basterds on Apple TV
9Death Proof (2007)
Quentin Tarantino seems to need longer-form films to tell his story. This isn’t to say that his portion ofGrindhouse,Death Proof, isn’t a Tarantino movie. It is filled with voluminous dialogue, tension, and an ending that sums up what Quentin Tarantino movies are. It even features Kurt Russell in a rare villainous role as Stuntman Mike, a murderous mechanic with a penchant for souped up cars and blatant misogyny.
A group of friends, played by Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Jordan Ladd, and Vanessa Ferlito, inadvertently stumble across Stuntman Mike in the middle of a birthday celebration. Unfortunately, after they meet a horrifying demise, a separate group will find themselves bringing the fight to Stuntman Mike as he chases them down in his “death-proof” muscle car.
Death Proof Is a Short, Tense Thriller
This film is really all build-up. Sure, the film’s climax is well worth the wait, but given the context of its development and its relatively-low popularity,Death Proofprobably can’t be included in the canon of the most impeccable Quentin Tarantino movies. It’s likely the only time we’ll ever get to see Tarantino take on his own version of the slasher genre, and though the effort is commendable, it may leave a lot to be desired, even with its ties togrindhouse cinema.
That said, the performances he elicits from Kurt Russell, Zoe Bell, and the entireDeath Proofcast are truly awesome. Everybody is on the same page. Nobody is faking anything. That is probably the most impressive thing about this film. Even Zoë Bell, a professional stuntperson, gets a chance to shine in the film’s lead role while also showcasing her practical experience with dangerous stunts.
It is fairly short compared to Tarantino’s more recent work. At the same time, it still manages to bottle up all the tension that a long-form Tarantino film would contain. It’s just a shame thatDeath Proofbombedat the box office.Watch the trailer forDeath ProofonYouTube
Stream Death Proof on Paramount+ With Showtime
Quentin Tarantino’s 10 Favorite Directors, and Why
The video store savant has incorporated decades-worth of filmic knowledge to illuminate his films and emulate his favorite directors.
8Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004)
Kill Bill Vol. 2
The reality about theKill Billfilms is that they were originally one long movie. However, at a total length of four hours, this was deemed as being too long for a wide release. So, Tarantino chopped the original film in half, and we got two films.
Kill Bill: Volume 2picks up right after the events of the previous film,Kill Bill: Volume 1. The Bride (Uma Thurman) is still in the middle of her quest for vengeance, systematically killing each of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad one-by-one until only one remains — Bill (David Carradine). In addition to continuing her journey, we also see a portion of the Bride’s past during her training under the martial arts master, Pai Mei (Gordon Liu).
Studio Interference Killed Kill Bill’s Pacing
The issue withKill Bill: Volume 2is one of pacing. It is very hard to be in the story ofKill Bill: Volume 1, taken out of it, and then returned to it as a separate viewing experience. The ensuing result is a film that just doesn’t resonate the way it probably should.
Yes, it is filled with dark humor and all the things we expect from the bestQuentin Tarantino movies. The issue is thatKill Bill: Volume 2was initially paced for a certain point in the combinedKill Billduology. So, when we reconnect with these characters, the pacing of the movie feels off. It is still rich, it is still violent and surprising, and it is still very much Tarantino. That said, on a list such as this, it couldn’t have been placed anywhere else.Watch the trailer forKill Bill: Volume 2onYouTube
Buy or Rent Kill Bill: Vol. 2 on Prime Video
7The Hateful Eight (2015)
Quentin Tarantino seems to be harkening back to hisReservoir Dogsdays with this film.The Hateful Eightmeets the criteria for an excellent Tarantino film, but its ranking has to do with its presentation more than anything. Without giving too much away, it’s anincredible modern-day murder mystery. It follows a bounty hunter who, while transporting a prisoner to jail, has to hole up in Minnie’s Haberdashery during a major snow storm with a handful of other isolated patrons. Over the course of the film, the facades that each of the patrons put on are gradually peeled away, and as each character’s true intentions are revealed, a life-or-death battle will ultimately decide everyone’s fate.
An Isolated Thriller
Tarantino gets everything right about this film, especially with itssnowy Western setting: the cold surroundings, the warmth of the cabin, the juxtaposition of this warmth with the steely-eyed characters in the cabin. The extended cut exclusive to Netflix that expands the film’s scope into a miniseries only amplifies its positive qualities further. However, the theatrical cut’s pacing and some of Tarantino’s most excessive dialogue yet do ultimately bringThe Hateful Eightdown a few pegs.
Just because Tarantino can make whatever movies he wishes, that doesn’t necessarily mean that he should. Restraint is also a virtue. It is something that Tarantino knows well, a la the infamous ear scene fromReservoir Dogs. Ultimately,The Hateful Eightmight have been better served if he had shown this a little more. The score provided by genre legend Ennio Morricone is, at least, an incredible listen.Watch the trailer forThe Hateful EightonYouTube
Stream The Hateful Eight on Netflix
6Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)
Kill Bill Vol. 1
Tarantino’s first film a whopping six years after the release ofJackie Brown,Kill Bill: Volume 1was a different time for Quentin Tarantino. We sawJackie Brownas the effect ofPulp Fictionon its director.Kill Bill: Volume 1was an entirely different animal. It was in so many ways a departure for Tarantino from the filmmaker we once knew.
The first film in theKill Billduologyoriginally released in 2003, we follow The Bride (Uma Thurman), a professional assassin who is ultimately betrayed by the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, a group of highly-trained killers whose bloody methods vary significantly. The Bride survives a subsequent hospitalization, driving her on a journey of revenge lined with the bodies of the Deadly Vipers led by the eponymous Bill (David Carradine).
Kill Bill Mixes Genres
This tale of the Bride smashes 50 different films into one. It is a tale of vengeance, remorse, love, death, and there’s even a violent animated sequence for good measure. Some people didn’t love this film the way they loved the earlier Quentin Tarantino movies. How could they? The filmmaker’s life had completely changed. He was no longer a video clerk stuffing his movies with his favorite movie scenes. Tarantino had truly come of age andKill Bill: Volume 1only served to confirm that.Watch the trailer forKill Bill: Volume 1onYouTube
Buy or Rent Kill Bill: Vol. 1 on Prime Video
Quentin Tarantino’s Most Iconic Female Characters, Ranked
Some of the greatest female characters in the history of cinema were written by Quentin Tarantino. These are his most iconic, ranked.
5Jackie Brown (1997)
Coming off the heels ofPulp Fiction, Tarantino seemed poised for an inevitable slump. Thankfully, the opposite occured.Jackie Brownadapts the 1992 novelRum Punch, originally written by Elmore Leonard. It follows the eponymous Jackie Brown (Pam Grier), a woman whose involvement in an illicit plot quickly goes south in a plethora of ways. To date, this remains the only film directed by Tarantino that adapts an existing work. It was a box office smash success, and is cited as a key film in returning both Grier and Robert Forster to the limelight.
An Enthralling Character Study
This story of a stewardess who gets in too deep is a character study in the best sense of the word. In some ways, it feels like all the characters get equal screen time. And with a supporting cast that includes Samuel L. Jackson, Robert De Niro, Robert Forster, and Michael Keaton, what was once seen as confusing is now seen a stroke of genius. The only reasonTarantino’sJackie Brownisn’t higher on this list of the best Quentin Tarantino movies is because it may take a handful of viewings for its true strengths to be revealed.Watch the trailer forJackie BrownonYouTube
Stream Jackie Brown on Netflix
4Django Unchained (2012)
Some might scoff at this film’s high standing on this list. The Tarantino movies below it were more groundbreaking, they might say. The stories of the other films were more in keeping with what a Quentin Tarantino movie is. Whatever anyone’s reasons for not feelingDjango Unchainedshould be ranked this high, this tale of a bounty hunter and a freed slave doing battle with a plantation owner from Mississippi is everything anybody wants in a movie.
A deliberate homage to theDjangofilm series, in addition to Spaghetti Westerns as a whole,Django Unchainedpairs Jamie Foxx with Christoph Waltz as Django Freeman and Dr. King Schultz, respectively. A former slave indebted to Schultz, the two attempt to rescue Django’s wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) from the “Candyland” plantation operated by Calvin J. Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). However, even the best laid of plans can go terribly awry.
A Revisionist Western Tribute
Django Unchainedisa Black westernin the mold of John Ford. It is big, bold and brash at a time when most directors are trying to be minimalists. Ultimately, what really sets this film apart is how Tarantino not only deconstructs the Western film, but also reinvents just what we think a hero should be and act like.Django Unchainedis a brutal film that makes everyone take a second look at their cinematic expectations and themselves, prompting two Academy Award wins for Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Screenplay in addition to a nomination for Best Picture.Watch the trailer forDjango UnchainedonYouTube
Buy or Rent Django: Unchained on Apple TV
3Reservoir Dogs (1992)
That this film barely got a theatrical release from Miramax was probably a harbinger of how truly independent films would ultimately be crushed by burgeoning superhero movies. Yet, some people feel thatReservoir Dogsis the best Quentin Tarantino movie. Thank goodness for the very video stores that spawned Quentin Tarantino, because those ultimately breathed new life into this film. This movie was vulgar, brutal and intense, all while being an art movie and an ode to all the films that Tarantino loved.
Tarantino’sfeature-length debut movieis a nonlinear crime film that tells the story of a diamond heist gone terribly awry. Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, and more star as the heist’s perpetrators while we jump between different points in time, chronicling the planning of the heist to its horrifyingly bloody conclusion. All the while, we’re given clues as to how the plan went south so quickly.
A Film About Communication
Reservoir Dogsis all about a fundamental (read: human) breakdown in communication. Centered around a heist gone wrong (due to a lack of communication), we are taken into the world of thieves as they convene at a safe house. Nobody knows who the rat is in the thieving group, they can’t talk about it without arguing, and the longer they stay in hiding the worse things appear to be getting. All this time, this film remains effortlessly cool, funny, and interesting, because that was precisely how Quentin Tarantino wanted it to be.Reservoir Dogs’s iconic sceneshave long since become a staple of pop culture and film circles alike.Watch the trailer forReservoir DogsonYouTube
Buy or Rent Reservoir Dogs on Apple TV
2Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
A quarter-century afterPulp Fiction, thebest action movie of the ’90s, Quentin Tarantino released another masterpiece,Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. This deeply nostalgic film is set in 1969, the final moment of Hollywood’s golden age marked by a truly grim event — the Manson Family killings of Sharon Tate (played in the film by Margot Robbie). It centers on the director’s two fantasy creations: a fading Western-style actor named Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his longtime stuntperson and friend Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). To date, this is the only one of Tarantino’s numerous films to receive a complete novelization, written by Tarantino himself no less.
Tarantino at His Finest
Some would consider it to be impossible to be a Tarantino fan and not likeOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood. A film as much about Tarantino himself as it is aboutthe death of an era,Once Upon a Time in Hollywoodfeels like the penultimate film in an incredible filmography, one that laments the end of the golden age of Hollywood as much as it reveres its numerous inhabitants. The film would go on to secure a total of ten Academy Award nominations, ultimately winning the awards for Best Supporting Actor and Best Production Design, alongside nominations for Best Picture and Best Director.Watch the trailer forOnce Upon a Time in HollywoodonYouTube
Stream Once Upon a Time in Hollywood on Hulu
Why Quentin Tarantino Calls David Michôd the Most Uncompromising Director of His Generation
Quentin Tarantino has heaped endless praise on Australian filmmaker David Michôd, and with good reason.
