“My characters like to talk” was what Quentin Tarantino had to say about dialogue in his own films during a interview with Howard Stern. Tarantino has established himself as one of the preeminent film authors of our time, with an unmistakable style. Amid all the different signature elements he incorporates into his films, his signature dialogue is what really sets him apart as a filmmaker.
Characters in Tarantino’s films like to talk, and they do so in a natural, conversational way that is virtually changed cinema for the better. As viewers navigate his strange narrative choices, it’s the mundane conversations between his characters that keep them hooked. Tarantino pretty much turned the tables on what was considered the “meat” of the story, bringing his viewers to the moments in between. From one moment to the next he wrapped us in his beautifully insignificant banter, then proceeded to shock and amaze with more-than-life elocution. So, here are some of the best conversations from Quentin Tarantino’s movies, ranked.
7/7 Clifford Discusses Coccotti’s Sicilian Heritage – True Romance
Tarantino didn’t really direct True love, but the dialogue in the film is his, just as he wrote the script for it. The scene features two equally tough characters facing each other. Christopher Walken as Vincenzo Coccotti interrogates Dennis Hopper’s Clifford Worley to find out his son’s whereabouts. Knowing he’ll never get out of there alive, Clifford begins to mock Coccotti’s Sicilian heritage through a long, derogatory diatribe that leaves the man almost speechless. At the time, Tarantino thought this was the best monologue he ever wrote, and always tried to tailor his later monologues to the standards of this scene.
6/7 Warren Recounts What Happened to the General’s Son – The Hateful Eight
The Hateful Eight is a great example of a film set in one location, a roadside lodge in post-Civil War America called Minnie’s Haberdashery. It’s a riveting tale of suspense that just ripples along based on the dialogue. And when Major Marquis Warren, Samuel L. Jackson’s character, tells the story of what he did to General Sanford Smithers’ son, it’s one of the film’s highlights. Jackson is known for his loud and volatile style of eloquence, best seen in another Tarantino film, Pulp Fiction. However, as a bounty hunter, Marquis Warren, he tells this story to General Smithers in a slow and menacing fashion, enjoying every second of it.
5/7 Rick Nails A Scene As A Villain – Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
When the film was first announced, Tarantino stated: Once upon a time in Hollywood to be his magnum opus. He also called it his most personal movie, as much a look back at his formative childhood as a wish-fulfillment to make a western film of his own. The scene in question is that part of the movie where Tarantino actually gets to make a western movie.
In the scene, Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, Rick Dalton, perfectly performs his movie role as the villain in a western movie. It takes place after Dalton has a major freakout in his trailer about his lines not fluttering. He somehow manages to take shape and delivers a gripping performance as the villain of a movie that doesn’t exist.
4/7 Jules and Vincent Discuss Europe — Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction was the second film ever directed by Tarantino, and perfectly showcased many of the elements that became his signature movie making. The film became known for the many superficial conversations that flowed seamlessly into the bigger scenes – conversations before and after the big job or the big confrontation that most directors simply choose. When John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson discuss the differences between Europe and America, the film is only just beginning. These are two henchmen who are on their way to commit a few murders. But along the way, they casually chat about drug laws in Amsterdam and how McDonald’s works in European countries.
3/7 Jules Discusses the Big Kahuna Burger — Pulp Fiction
This scene is easily one of the most famous movie monologues ever. You could call it the most iconic conversation in all of Tarantino’s films. It is led by Jackson as the criminal accomplice Jules, as he casually threatens a room full of young men. The discussion about the fictional burger joint Big Kahuna Burger is just the beginning of a nearly eight-minute scene in which Jackson masterfully takes charge of the room. He begins with a jovial tone as his victims watch in anxious concern; he even hears one of them for a short duration. Soon, Jackson recites Ezekiel 25:17 in a way only he can, blowing everyone to pieces.
2/7 The Crew Argues About Tips And A Song — Reservoir Dogs
Reservoir Dogs was the very first film directed by Tarantino, and it immediately put him on the map as a talented filmmaker with a unique style. He introduced some unusual movie conventions from the very first scene, where the crew has a long conversation much like one we would have in real life. The scene adds nothing to the plot of the entire movie, other than the introduction of the characters. However, it showed Tarantino’s brilliance in creating a naturalistic dialogue.
1/7 Landa interrogates a French farmer – Inglourious Basterds
Christoph Waltz’s Hans Landa in unglorious bastards could possibly be one of the best villain performances in movie history. The role turned out to be a breakthrough for the Austro-German actor, and he proved his acting skills from the very first scene in the film. As the formidable Nazi SS officer Hans Landa, he loots the isolated home of a French farmer in search of Jews to hide on the farm. Tarantino sets this scene with great suspense, with Denis Ménochet’s performance as the French peasant playing an equally important role in selling us the fear and inevitability. Landa slowly reveals that he has always known the farmer is hiding Jews, and kills the Jewish family before they can run away.