5. Jackie Brown
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.
