Every Quentin Tarantino Movie, Ranked By Rewatchability

Death Proof always felt like the acclaimed director scratching off “make an homage to 1970s grindhouse films” from his bucket list. The sadistic Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) uses his “death-proof” stunt car to kill women, at least until he meets his match in a group of female friends who work on a film crew, including—Kim (Tracie Thoms), Abernathy (Rosario Dawson), and stuntwoman Zoë Bell (as herself). The grainy film effects contribute to the feeling that you’re watching a lost gem, and Bell riding on the hood of Mike’s car is one of the best action sequences in any Tarantino film. But the masterful dialogue Tarantino movies are known for is missing, the short runtime leaves Mike feeling underdeveloped, and the film simply has the unorganized feel of an experiment rather than a coherent thought.

If you don’t like me calling Death Proof Tarantino’s worst film, take it up with Tarantino yourself because he feels the exact same way.

Samuel L. Jackson, the most frequently recurring actor in Tarantino’s films, delivers his best performance in any of them as Major Marquis Warren in The Hateful Eight, a Western packed with Tarantino’s signature shifting character dynamics, sudden massacres, and controversial race commentary. It follows a group of strangers—two bounty hunters, a fugitive, a former Confederate general, and a mysterious executioner—trapped in a Wyoming lodge during a blizzard, where paranoia and hidden agendas lead to betrayal and brutal violence. While Jackson, Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Walton Goggins anchor the star-studded ensemble, the film struggles under its own weight, with an uneven pace preventing every character from fully shining despite its nearly three-hour runtime. Though The Hateful Eight is a compelling Tarantino experience, it feels more like a film you watch when craving Tarantino’s style, rather than for the movie itself.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood might be Tarantino’s most overrated film. It’s inexplicably the only film of his that has ever been nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and is often ranked way too high on the list of Tarantino’s best films. There’s nothing wrong with a character-driven movie where there’s no real end goal to look towards, but the results of Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt playing a washed-up actor and his stunt double as they adjust to a changing film industry are a bit boring. I understand the film is largely Tarantino’s love letter to 1960s Hollywood, but its replayability is hurt by the fact that if you aren’t entertained by the characters, there’s not enough story to keep your attention.

Given Tarantino’s cavalier history with race, including having himself unnecessarily say the N-word in a Pulp Fiction cameo, a movie about a slave enacting revenge on a plantation owner should’ve been oozing with cringe. While Django Unchained has moments of skip-worthy awkwardness, like a bit in which wannabe Klu Klux Klan members are painted as funny idiots for arguing over the quality of their masks, this movie still delivers a stirring story of perseverance and family. Jamie Foxx as Django gives one of the most charismatic performances ever in a Tarantino film, nimbly balancing the stoicism necessary to watch a slave be mauled to death in front of him with the emotional vulnerability to convey the internal struggle of watching that moment without helping. At 165 minutes, Django Unchained is the second longest Tarantino film, and the questionable race commentary makes it a difficult watch at times, but it’s still a fine movie to watch multiple times if you’re in the mood to see slaveowners get their comeuppance.

Inglorious Basterds isn’t Tarantino’s best film, but it’s his grandest in scope. His revisionist retelling of the end of World War II is centered on two sprawling revenge plots against the Nazis: one on an intimate, personal scale with Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) avenging the death of her family, and another on a more epic scale, with a ragtag team of American soldiers known as “The Basterds” led by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt). Tarantino’s knack for personalizing spectacle is one of his greatest talents, and turning fierce Nazi villains into caricatures of themselves offers a fresh perspective on a horrific time. This is one of the Tarantino films with so much to dissect and enjoy that it requires multiple viewings to fully appreciate.

Before Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, before Death Proof, and before Inglorious Basterds, Jackie Brown was Tarantino’s first female-led film, and it remains a shining achievement in his undeniable legacy. Pam Grier is as fierce and domineering as she’s ever been in this ‘90s classic about flight attendant/drug smuggler Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) double-crossing everyone from the gunrunner she worked for (Samuel L. Jackson yet again) to the cops she worked with to try and take him down. This is a film you can watch every weekend for the grounded intimacy between Jackie and her bail bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forster), the realistic suspense, and one for the best music choices in any Tarantino film.

I’m here to end any and all debates: The undisputed greatest character that has ever materialized from Tarantino’s genius mind is Beatrix “the Bride” Kiddo, played to brutal perfection by Uma Thurman. No Tarantino classic is rooted in one character’s performance quite like Kill Bill Vol. 1, aside from its even better sequel. This film has everything you want from a Tarantino film —- visually arresting bloodbaths, smart and snarky dialogue, a stylized revenge story, and a world so thoroughly fleshed out that people are still asking for Tarantino to return to it.

Tarantino initially conceptualized Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Kill Bill Vol. 2 as one big movie, which would’ve easily been his greatest cinematic achievement. As opposed to Kill Bill Vol. 1's fast-paced thriller vibe, Vol. 2 is a slower tale of fatal love between Beatrix “the Bride” Kiddo (Uma Thurman) and the center of her revenge plots, Bill (David Carradine). In one climactic scene, Bill delivers one of the most salient observations ever on Superman, and the “Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique” is both a moment of triumph for Beatrix and a heartbreaking end to the painful history of these former lovers. No other Tarantino movie balances near-perfect dialogue with a complicated love story and gripping action quite like Kill Bill Vol. 2, a movie everyone should watch once a year.

Pulp Fiction might have the second most replay value of any Tarantino film. It’s not just one of his most famous movies, but also the one that made him a household name, influencing countless filmmakers and pop culture moments. Pulp Fiction earns its place because of its perfect balance of humor, violence, and endlessly quotable dialogue. The film’s nonlinear structure makes every viewing feel fresh, as different pieces of the puzzle come together in new ways each time. Even though it’s nearly three hours long, there’s never a dull moment, thanks to iconic scenes like the diner conversation between Jules Winfield (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent Vega (John Travolta), the overdose of Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman), and Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) seeking samurai sword revenge after one of the most disturbing scenes in any Tarantino film. It’s the kind of movie you can drop in and out of at any point and still enjoy, making it one of the easiest Tarantino films to revisit over and over.

Don’t overthink it, Reservoir Dogs has the most replay value of any Tarantino film, no contest. No other movie in his filmography is as tight, raw, and endlessly rewatchable as this stripped-down heist-gone-wrong masterpiece. This film has everything you want from Tarantino—snappy, razor-sharp dialogue, a nonlinear story that reveals new layers with every watch, characters so well-drawn you feel like you’re sitting in that warehouse with them, and tension so thick it never loses its edge. While later Tarantino films grew bigger and bolder, Reservoir Dogs remains pure, undiluted Tarantino, proving that sometimes, all you need is a room full of criminals, a bag of stolen diamonds, and a whole lot of betrayal to make a classic.