My Top 5 Tarantino films. Scorsese be damned.

Posted by: Tony – May 05, 2010

Could Tarantino be America’s finest director? One could pose the question, that much is certain, and while the misguided cult of Scorsese is already chafing, in truth Quentin is simply one of many who could lay claim to that title. His work typically provokes a strong reaction, whether that be complete adoration or utter disdain. Surely that is one of the measures of a master at work, but I digress.

I won’t argue about directors here, my personal favorite being John Carpenter, a choice many would scoff at despite a body of work ripe with iconic pictures and performances, not to mention a handful of epic scores. Rather, my intention will be to examine QT’s legacy to date, and to decide upon my Top 5 for this innovative and nostalgic cinematic mastermind’s films. This will be difficult for me, as I’ve been a fan of his work from the onset.

I was reading a magazine my parents got me about filmmaking when I was a teen, and it had a sidebar about an indie film garnering rave reviews. I can’t remember the name of the magazine or the title of the article in quesiton, but I can still see the picture of Mr. Orange that ran with the piece. The caption read “Tim Roth bleeds in Reservoir Dogs.”

This was back in the days when you rented from little mom-and-pop rental shops, long before Blockbuster came to town, though both of those iterations of the rental industry are now memories in lowly Martinsville, Virginia. Anyway, I was intrigued by the sidebar, so I went to 57 Main Feature in Basset and asked about Reservoir Dogs. The owner and operator, a kind lady named Brenda, had no idea what I was talking about, but she was resourceful enough to find a copy of the movie for her store. I quickly fell in love with Reservoir Dogs, and it remains a personal favorite. This is partly due to the soundtrack, partly due to the blazing performances and the quirky dialogue, but mostly it was the masterful direction, the flawless storytelling that moved to a beat that was at once familiar and altogether foreign.

I’ve been a fan ever since, and it’s fair to say that I’ve greatly enjoyed all of Tarantino’s films. That makes it particularly difficult to decide upon a Top 5, but here goes.

1) Pulp Fiction (director, actor)

Pulp Fiction sits at the head of the table, right? Everything works to perfection here, including an electric ensemble cast, a wonderful script, and a scorching soundtrack. John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson own the screen, but Bruce Willis, Christopher Walken, Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Eric Stoltz, Ving Rhames, and Harvey Keitel nail their parts as well. The game cast provides audiences with so many quotes that a number of memorable lines are destined to go unnoticed, and the finest offerings of the bunch are still being imitated on a regular basis. The juxtaposition of the story works to great effect here, and the pace is at times relaxed and at times frantic depending upon the nature of the scene playing out. This gives the film a natural feel, and while this is one the director’s most outlandish films, it never seems nearly as ridiculous as it probably should. In fact, though the movie is loaded with violence and bad behavior, the story and the players are rather charming. Quentin never aimed higher, and Pulp Fiction still registers as a perfect bullseye.

2) Inglorious Basterds (director)

Tarantino’s most recent picture, the long-awaited WWII film he had teased for years, may be his best. Certainly the section with Lt. Archie Hicox and the basement shootout (“Well, you don’t got to be Stonewall Jackson to know you don’t want to fight in a basement.”) and the grind finale are among the director’s finest setpieces. In fact, each scene in this film is a setpiece of some merit, and while many feel the effort is disconnected and overly long, I thought it was a true epic. This is a war film in the same vein as Leone at his bloated best, like when he delivered the monumental classics Once Upon a Time in the West and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Consequently, the film is lengthy and rather subdued in a peculiar fashion, meaning that while there is a bit of gore and a few instances of total brutality, there is a lot more in the way of suspense and mood than action. This may disappoint those only interested in the carnage provided by the Basterds of the title, a dastardly unit led by Brad Pitt in a great turn as Lt. Aldo Rayne, or “Aldo the Apache” if you prefer. Yet this somber mood doesn’t diminish the power or the majesty of this thoughtful gem. The acting is terrific across the board, but Chistoph Waltz’s Oscar-winning portrayal of Hans Landa is particularly spectacular. Waltz shows a perfect understanding of the material, hence Landa is easily as likable and despicable as a classic villain can be, elevating a fine film to an even greater plateau.

3) Reservoir Dogs (director, actor)

Perhaps Tarantino’s most creative offering, a terrific example of doing a lot with a little, the director takes a minimalist setting and small cast and creates a brooding masterpiece on a broad scale. The players tower over the plot like titans, their color-inspired monikers only enhancing the mythic feel of the piece. Mr. White, Mr. Orange, Mr. Blonde, and Mr. Pink seem much bigger than the petty crooks they are. Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Chris Penn enthrall us in a riveting spiral into despair as a burglary turns sour and tensions mount. This unlikely band struggles to salvage the botched job and survive, but we understand from the opening frame that their chances are slim and those odds only get worse as the plot progresses. There is a question of whether or not there is a mole among the crooks, but we already know that the man shot in the commission of the crime is, in fact, an undercover police officer. The grim scenario plays out in predictable fashion, but there is nothing routine about the way the film is presented. A throbbing score ripe with seventies gems and a biting sense of humor made Reservoir Dogs an instant classic. Additionally, it should stand as a credit to Tarantino’s considerable skill and humor that a tightly-wound thriller about a robbery gone bad is perhaps equally memorable for a speech about Madonna’s songwriting and a torture scene set to music.

4) Death Proof (director)

Maybe it’s the groovy feel of Quentin’s grindhouse homage, or perhaps it’s the delightful performance he got from Kurt Russel in another of his iconic roles, but whatever the case may be, Death Proof could be his most entertaining (and sure, sophomoric) film. However, QT isn’t thumbing his nose at the low-budget movement he so enjoyed, and he isn’t really making such a picture either, he’s doing his own version of such a flick and reinventing the slasher genre in the process. If this is a horror film, and I think it is, it is as unique as any film in the genre. We’ve seen madmen prey on teeneage girls before, but never like this, and never with the same result. Fans of femdom will certainly enjoy the girl power on display here, and most of the chase footage is positively exhilarating. Stuntman Mike (Russel) dominates the movie in a relatively small part, and the energy level suffers when he isn’t involved, but the two sides of a coin that make up this horror film/revenge pic offer solid entertainment and Tarantino’s unique flair for dialogue. This is a throwback to the days of double-feautres, and in true drive-in fashion, it proves to be a fun and startling film without ever daring to be taken too seriously.

5) True Romance (writer)

This film offers nearly as much as Pulp Fiction so far as star performers in great roles are concerned. The cast includes Christian Slater, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer, and many others, all of whom are granted interesting parts with great lines. Patricia Arquette steals the show, performing beyond any reasonable set of expectations in a violent and multi-layered turn as the leading lady, the heart and soul of this turbulent love story. She also takes part in one of the goriest battles ever to grace the screen, a horrid life-or-death struggle with James Gandolfini that is extremely depraved and equally powerful. The characters in True Romance are bold and the action is lively thanks to director Tony Scott, who has never produced a more intense ride. The shootout that closes the picture is a lightning-placed explosion of bloodshed that punctuates this twisted saga with style and oomph. I’m sometimes tempted to wonder how different the movie would be if QT had sat in the director’s chair, but it’s hard to imagine this cult classic being any better.

Obviously, there are notable admissions here, to include classics like From Dusk ‘Til Dawn and the Kill Bill films, all of which are stellar features. Let’s not forget Jackie Brown, perhaps the finest Elmore Leonard adaption ever filmed, despite some significant alterations. As I said before, I’m a fan of everything this inspirational director has accomplished, but I thought long and hard in making my selections and I’m satisfied with my list as it stands.

I hope you’ll share your thoughts and any suggestions for future Top 5 lists that you would like to see.

Get in touch at jimmybdamned@hotmail.com

by Jimmy Wayland photo found at http://zillowzollo.wordpress.com