Quentin Tarantino is one of the most prolific filmmakers of all time, and the director’s announcement of a new film is drawing the attention of film critics and mainstream audiences alike. The director has found a way to combine cult film genres traditionally considered low-brow and transform them into critical darlings and award contenders by giving them a level of craftsmanship and cinematic clout unrivaled by many.
Tarantino’s career is now over four decades long and everyone probably has their own personal favorite Tarantino movie. Since his films have always been a hit with critics, how can they all be stacked against each other using a general consensus?Rotten Tomatoes is a review aggregator that aggregates the various reviews and gives a general idea of what the critical consensus was, so using that metric what is the best movie directed by Quentin Tarantino? Take a look and find out.
10/10 Dead evidence – 65%
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While none of the Quentin Tarantino-directed films have ever received a bad review, Dead evidence is easily the director’s lowest-rated film. While the link with Planet terror for the Gravel house release earned as much as 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, Dead evidence scored 65% on its own. The Gravel house release failed to catch on with the public, and Dead evidence notably, is one of the few Tarantino films not to receive an Academy Award or Golden Globe nomination.
9/10 The Hateful Eight – 74%
After the back-to-back critical and blockbuster hits of Inglorious Bastards and Django unleashed used to be The Hateful Eight (particularly Tarantino’s eighth film). The film was highly anticipated and a version of the script even leaked online, almost forcing Tarantino to scrap the entire project. The film had a high-profile release, both in Tarantino’s feud with Disney over it Star Wars: The Force Awakens shooting screens at the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles to the studio’s decision for a roadshow-style release.
The finished film was impressive, but was seen by many as a step back for Tarantino who earned a 74% percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Notably, the film won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for legendary Spaghetti Western composer Ennio Morricone and was his last score before his death in 2020.
8/10 Kill Bill Vol. 2 – 84%
Kill Bill Vol. 2 was released just six months later Kill Bill Vol. 1 and critics were just as impressed as the first entry. The film earned 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, with many critics noting that while it didn’t have the same level of action as the first film, it doubled down on the emotional character beats. Kill Bill Vol. 2 was a hit and fans are still hoping that Tarantino will finally make the third film in the series.
7/10 Kill Bill Vol. 1 – 85%
Strike out Kill Bill Vol. 2 by only one percent Kill Bill Vol. 1 convinced critics with an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was the director’s first film in six years after the release of Jackie Brown and critics and audiences alike eagerly awaited it. Kill Bill Vol. 1 was a box office hit, grossing $180 million at the worldwide box office on a budget of just $30 million.
Kill Bill Vol. 1 has become an iconic film, from Uma Thurman’s yellow jumpsuit to the rising popularity of Tomoyasu Hotei’s song “Battle Without Honor and Humanity”, which has since been used in films such as Transformers, Shrek the thirdand The Mitchells vs. the Machines.
6/10 Once upon a time in Hollywood – 85%
Linked to Kill Bill Vol. 1 is Once upon a time in Hollywood, Tarantino’s latest movie. The film was notable as the first film Tarantino made without producer Harvey Weinstein following the gruesome details of multiple sexual assault allegations by the producer. Quentin Tarantino’s latest film resulted in a bidding war with Sony Pictures winning and releasing Once upon a time in Hollywood as their adult-oriented summer film. It paid off, as it made $377 million worldwide and received an impressive 85% on Rotten Tomatoes.
While some critics objected to the film’s length and its more layered structure, as well as its historical revisionism ethics, the film still marked a high mark in the director’s career. The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards, winning two for Best Supporting Actor (Brad Pitt) and Best Production Design.
5/10 Jackie Brown – 87%
Tarantino’s successor to Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown paid homage to 1970s Blaxploitation films. The film is an adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s 1992 novel Rum punch (so far the only time Tarantino has adapted someone else’s work) and plays Pam Grier, the titular character who is a flight attendant caught smuggling money and becomes involved in an elaborate conspiracy. Jackie Brown has an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes and was seen as a disappointment at the time Reservoir dogs and Pulp Fictionthe film was still positively spoken of and its appreciation has only grown over time and is considered too much as one of Tarantino’s most underrated films.
4/10 Django unleashed – 87%
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Django unleashed is connected to Jackie Brown with an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. What puts it higher on the list is the fact that Django unleashed is Tarantino’s most successful film at the box office and the film earned five Academy Award nominations, winning Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz) and Best Original Screenplay for Tarantino himself.
As with many Tarantino films, the film generated much controversy around its use of racial language and excessive violence, but the film received critical acclaim for its style and commentary. The film even made it onto a number of critics’ Best of 2012 lists and was a bright spot at the Christmas box office that season.
3/10 Inglorious Bastards – 89%
Inglorious Bastards was a great comeback for Tarantino after the disappointment of Dead evidence and received some of the best reviews of the director’s career. It stands at 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, with Christoph Waltz’s performance as the villain Hans Landa being cited in every review as the film’s highlight. The film launched Waltz to superstardom and he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, his only win Inglorious Bastardseight nominations that night.
The film made the top 10 list of multiple critics. Not just a big win with critics, but Inglorious Bastards was also a box office hit for general audiences with worldwide grosses of $321.4 million. While Tarantino’s revisionist historical end is now expected, 2009 was a shock that no one saw coming and provided a pleasant surprise.
2/10 Reservoir dogs – 90%
Reservoir dogs was Quentin Tarantino’s directorial debut and he almost immediately broke through to critics as an emerging talent. Reservoir dogs has a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and while some of those reviews are from post-release critical re-evaluations of the movie, it’s important to note how beloved the movie was when it was released in 1992.
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was the most talked about film that season, and while it was not heavily promoted in theaters, it still managed to rake in $2.8 million against its small budget and eventually found great success on home video, especially after Pulp Fiction. Reservoir dogs is an important film in American cinema, especially independent cinema, and the new wave of independent films in the 1990s. It put Tarantino on the map and paved the way for what would become his most iconic film.
1/10 Pulp Fiction – 92%
Pulp Fiction is Quentin Tarantino’s second film and easily his most iconic. It has been referenced, quoted and parodied in various other media. It’s probably the movie poster that’s been hung in more college dorms than any other. The characters and dialogue are iconic and cemented Tarantino as one of the most famous directors in the world. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Palm d’Or, becoming a major blockbuster grossing $213 million at the worldwide box office.
Pulp Fiction was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won Tarantino his first Oscar for Best Original Screenplay alongside co-writer Roger Avary. Many still consider it one of, if not the best film of 1994, even surpassing that year’s Best Picture winner. Forest Gump. It’s no surprise that Pulp Fiction would be Tarantino’s highest rated film on Rotten Tomatoes at 92%.