Quentin Tarantino Films: Cinematographer Director

With his Quentin Tarantino films, he is considered one of the most contradictory directors of the last 30 years in cinema culture and history, which we can call popular American cinema or Hollywood cinema. Let’s get to know the films of Quentin Tarantino, who has a unique name with his films that are full of blood and brutality, his stance against populist culture, and his stories and directing style.

1) My Best Friend’s Birthday (1987) | IMDb: 5.6

Genre: Comedy

Cast: Craig Hamann, Quentin Tarantino, Crystal Shaw

It is the first film Quentin Tarantino directed in his film career. The original version of the film, which was 70 minutes, was burned in a fire and only a 35-minute part was saved. Therefore, although there is no clear information about the film, we can only access that 35-minute part of the film today.

Plot: The character named Mickey Burnett gets dumped by his girlfriend on his birthday. His friend Clarence also prepares a surprise to console Mickey and make him forget his pain. This surprise gives Mickey an unforgettable birthday.

2) Reservoir Dogs – Reservoir Dogs (1992) | IMDb: 8.3

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Cast: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen

In chronological order, although the director’s first film is My Best Friend’s Birthday, which we mentioned above, Reservoir Dogs is considered his first film among Quentin Tarantino films, since the film burned down. The film, which was completely against the cinema style of that period, is considered as one of the turning points in the history of cinema even today. In particular, the blood and violence scenes in almost every scene, the meaningless on the one hand, the funny dialogues on the other, and the complex narration, which was not uncommon for that period, make Reservoir Dogs one of the films that best reflect the director’s understanding of cinema.

Synopsis: Joe Cabot, who assembles a large team to rob a diamond store, names the team the Reservoir Dogs. No one on the team knows anyone’s name. Instead, everyone chooses a color for themselves, and team members call each other those colors. At first glance, each of them seems like a professional and quite flawless team. Heist plans are prepared, all the details are discussed. However, an unforeseen situation arises: There is a policeman, namely the mole, in the team.

When they come to the diamond store, the team that is trapped does not understand who the mole is at first. That’s why everyone suspects each other. The guns are drawn, the conflict begins, and all of a sudden it turns into a bloodbath. Some of the team escaped from the conflict and took shelter in a warehouse, and the showdown continues inside the warehouse.

3) Pulp Fiction – Pulp Fiction (1994) | IMDb: 8.9

Genre: Crime, Drama

Cast: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman

It was nominated for 7 Oscars, including Best Picture, and won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar among these nominations. However, it received the Best Film Award at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival. Pulp Fiction is considered by many to be the best movie among Qunetin Tarantino’s films, but it is shown among the cult movies in the history of cinema. The Pulp Fiction movie is 8th on IMDb’s list of the best movies of all time with a score of 8.9. is ranked.

Plot: Ringo and Yolanda, crazy and robber lovers who love each other very much, want to commit a different heist than they always do. Jules and Vincent are professional hitmen and are tasked with killing the people who defrauded their boss, Marsellus Wallace. Boss Marsellus made a match-fixing deal with boxer Butch. However, Butch can’t afford this match-fixing and breaks the deal during the match.

Then he plans to escape. Meanwhile, one of the professional hit men, Vincent, has to spend a night with Mia, the wife of his boss Marsellus Wallace, at his boss’s request. All her boss wants from Vincent is to take Mia out and entertain her while she gets things done in Florida. However, none of the characters go well, and each of them is forced to face inextricable events.

4) Jackie Brown (1997) | IMDb: 7.5

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Cast: Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster

It was inspired by the novel Rum Punch by American novelist and screenwriter Elmore Leonard, and Foxy Brown, which was published in the 70s. Although it seems to be in the background compared to other films in Tarantino’s filmography, it is one of the films that best reflects the director’s style.

Synopsis: Jackie Brown, who works as a stewardess for a very ordinary and small airline, will retire very soon. But because he needs money, he helps an American arms dealer named Ordell. Jackie Brown smuggles money from Mexico to America for Ordell. As if it wasn’t enough that he was revealed by the police while he was smuggling, Ordell finds him guilty after a while; because there’s half a million dollars missing. In order to get this money, a struggle begins between both Ordell and Jackie Brown.

5) Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) | IMDb: 8.1

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller

Cast: Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, David Carradine

Among Quentin Tarantino films, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 also features one of the most iconic lead characters in the history of cinema. The character of “The Bride”, played by Uma Thurman, even shaped the fashion of a period, especially with her clothes and shoes. The film also draws attention with its traces from Far Eastern martial arts and movies.

Plot: A gang of murderers, each composed of women with extraordinary abilities, has carried out many assassinations over the years. Bride, who is in the gang led by the character named Bill, wakes up in a car one day, numb. He begins to remember the betrayals and evils done to him on his wedding day, one by one. Bride, who is burning to take revenge on her old friends in the gang, especially Bill, will embark on a long, bloody and violent journey.

6) Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) | IMDb: 8.0

Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller

Cast: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Michael Madsen

The sequel to the series, Kill Bill: Vol. 2 offers an incredible experience, once again immersing the audience in the circle of revenge, love, betrayal, blood and violence. The fact that Far Eastern martial arts are even more dominant compared to the first film brings the film to another point in terms of aesthetics.

Plot: In the sequel, which was released a year after the first movie, Bride gets back to work to complete her unfinished plans. The character, who has not yet been able to kill some of the people on his list, especially Bill, gathers his strength after coming out of the coma and makes a new plan. Apart from the revenge story, the film also reveals the details of the Bride’s relationship with Bill, as well as the past events about why the Bride was burning with the fire of revenge.

7) Death Proof – Death Proof (2007) | IMDb: 7.0

Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller

Cast: Kurt Russell, Zoe Bell, Rosario Dawson

Death Proof is another film that stays in the background in the director’s filmography, just like Jackie Brown. However, with this film, Tarantino wanted to pay homage to the films of the 1970s called Grindhouse. Films such as B movies, porn movies, karate movies, especially slasher and serial killer movies of the period, were broadcast one after the other in Grindhouse cinemas, which were considered second-class cinemas. Tarantino adds Death Proof to his filmography, which he created both by paying homage to that period and inspired by those films.

Synopsis: A stuntman named Mike builds a special contraption inside his car. Thanks to this mechanism, which he calls Death Proof, the car comes out of all traffic accidents undamaged. Using this feature, Mike attacks the young women he catches his eye and turns into a ruthless serial killer in a short time. But one day, he meets 4 women at the bar. His new target is these 4 women. Mike, who is planning to kill women as usual, is unaware of who the women are and unlike usual, he gets into big trouble.

8) Inglourious Basterds – Inglourious Basterds (2009) | IMDb: 8.3

Genre: Adventure, Drama, War

Cast: Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Melanie Laurent

It is one of the most memorable Quentin Tarantino films. Inspired by the 1978 film Quel Maledetto Treno Blindato (The Bouncer Regiment) by Italian-born director Enzo Girolami Castellari, the production is part of the 2nd World War. It takes place in World War II. Similar to 2. Compared to World War II films, it is a Tarantino film with its original interpretation of the events and characters of that period.

It has 8 different Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. However, the shining name of the movie is Christoph Waltz. Christoph Waltz, who portrayed the role of Hans Landa, won Best Supporting Actor at the Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe Awards, and Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival.

Subject: Story, 2. It takes place in Nazi-occupied France during World War II. Shosanna, whose family was murdered by a group of German soldiers led by Colonel Hans Landa, goes to Paris to take revenge on the Germans, where she acquires a new identity and starts running a cinema. On the other side are Jewish Lieutenant Aldo Raine and his Bastards Gang, who set up a team tasked with killing the Nazis. Shosanna, Bastards and Colonel Hans Landa cross paths in a movie theater run by Shosanna.

9) Django Unchained – Unchained (2012) | IMDb: 8.4

Genre: Drama, Western

Cast: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio

Showcasing Tarantino’s admiration for the Western, the movie, which is an example of the genre called Spaghetti Western, is the highest-grossing movie among Quentin Tarantino movies. Tarantino won the Best Screenplay Award at the Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe Awards for this film. In addition, Christoph Waltz, who ran from award to award for his role in the movie Inglourious Basterds, won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe Awards in this movie.

Plot: Set in the Americas of the time, the film tells the story of the black slave Django and the German bounty hunter Doctor King Schultz. Django makes a deal with Schultz, who wants to get his former master dead or alive. This deal includes Django bringing the Brittle brothers to Schultz, and in return he gets free. Both Django and Schultz keep their word, but stay inseparable.

Together they travel south to hunt down wanted criminals. Along the way, Schultz teaches Django how to be a hunter. Django, on the other hand, has only one goal: to find his wife Broomhilda, whom he lost to the slave trade, and save her. The path of the duo falls on a farm called Candyland in line with this goal, and surprise events develop between them and the owner of the farm, Calvin Candie.

10) The Hateful Eight – The Hateful Eight (2015) | IMDb: 7.8

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Western

Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh

The movie is one of the most sensational Quentin Tarantino movies. Because the script of the movie was leaked before the shooting started. That’s why Tarantino decided to cancel the movie. Later, however, Tarantino published the entire script and then began filming the movie. The movie, along with Django Unchained, is another Western in Tarantino’s filmography.

Synopsis: A group of 8 travels to Red Rock, sometime after the Civil War in America is over. A stagecoach carrying hangman John Ruth and fugitive Daisy Domergue passes through Wyoming as it makes its way through harsh winter conditions. Ruth takes Domergue to Red Rock to bring him to justice. Encountering two strangers on the way and taking them to his car, the two characters take shelter in an accommodation when they lose their way in the blizzard. However, there are 4 people they do not know, not the owner of the accommodation. The dialogue that begins between these 8 people reaches a point that no one can predict.

11) Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) | IMDb: 7.6

Type: Comedy, Drama

Cast: Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie

The film has the distinction of being the last film in the director’s filmography. In addition, the fact that it is the subject of the Charles Manson murders in the 1960s makes the film remarkable. Another important feature of the movie is that Brad Pitt won his first Oscar in his career. The star actor won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the Oscars for his portrayal of Cliff Booth.

Plot: The film is about a TV actor who has appeared in many TV series, trying to enter the film industry, and the murders of the Charles Manson sect. Tired of starring in Western TV series, Rick Dalton wants to switch to movies. His biggest supporter is his stunt double, Cliff Booth. The neighbor of these two is Sharon Tate, the wife of the famous director Roman Polanski. The stories of the three names intersect when the Charles Manson cult, founded on a farm in Los Angeles and held responsible for the deaths of many people, attacks Sharon Tate.

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