A Complete Review of Quentin Tarantino's work

Cast : Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Kurt Russell

What was it about?
A faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood's Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles.

My two cents:
Eventually, I think it turned out to be Tarantino's most challenging movie so far which is not necessarily a bad thing, in the contrary, but I wish this challenge would have been more rewarding. I mean, I really liked it but it just never left like a real home-run to me. Still, on a technical side, it was just a marvel to watch. Indeed, Tarantino went very far in the mood and the details to create a believable version of Hollywood at the time. On top of that, Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio were both pretty good and I was above all impressed by DiCaprio who gave here actually one of his best performances. However, what the main point was probably the nostalgia that Tarantino has for this time and place but, if you don't share this feeling, well, there are so many references that you will either miss or even won't care at all. On top of that, even if it is something you probably should expect from this director, the whole thing was pretty random. Indeed, in 'Pulp Fiction', you had also such seemingly random mess but every single scene did end up being crucial, which wasn't really the case here. Still, I have to admit that I never saw coming the twist at the end as Tarantino used the same trick he did with 'Inglourious Basterds', rewriting history in the process, but I was actually pretty neat and it worked better this time around. Anyway, if it didn't completely won me over, it was still a really bold project, much more interesting than all these remakes, reboots and sequels that you get to see nowadays at the movie theater.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Zoë Bell, Channing Tatum, Quentin Tarantino

What was it about?
In the dead of a Wyoming winter, a bounty hunter and his prisoner find shelter in a cabin currently inhabited by a collection of nefarious characters.

My two cents:
Well, at last, Quentin Tarantino has made an amazing come-back, delivering his best movie since many years. I mean, this time, even though it was maybe not perfect, it surely came close. Basically, not only it was a gorgeous Western with a great soundtrack by the legendary Ennio Morricone, it was also combined with a spellbinding thriller, some kind of mystery that could have come out of an Agatha Christie novel or an Alfred Hitchcock movie and this combination was just really spellbinding. Indeed, even though everyone talks during this movie, you are never sure what's actually their agenda and, during the whole thing, the only thing you can be sure is that none of them can be trusted. Eventually, what impressed me the most was how well written the whole thing was. Obviously, Tarantino has quite a reputation in this area but, recently, I thought he took himself really for granted with some half-baked results. Here, it was totally focused with some really hilarious dialogues, some very well developed characters and a tale that finally kept me on the edge of my set until the very end.

My rating: 08/10

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Cast : Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Don Johnson, Franco Nero, Jonah Hill, Zoe Bell, Tom Savini, Quentin Tarantino

What was it about?
With the help of a German bounty hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.

My two cents:
This time, I was again excited by the idea of Quentin Tarantino tackling this material but I was also more cautious since 'Inglourious Basterds' didn't really convinced me. Eventually, even though I had a good time, pretty much like 'Inglourious Basterds', there were many things I enjoyed but also many things that just puzzled me and, at the end of the day, I can't say that it was really amazing. Let's start with the good stuff. The first half was really good. Indeed, it was sharp, focused and really really fun with some great dialogs. So, what went wrong? From the moment that DiCaprio shows up on the screen, the whole thing lost momentum. The problem is that all those actors were just amazing and Django pretty much get upstaged, sitting quiet in a corner while the other actors were really stealing the show. I don't know, the whole thing with the slave deals was also seriously quite murky (let's sell it! What?! You're trying to fool me?!? Let's sell it anyway!) and, precisely like in 'Inglourious Basterds', after this long talk, the whole thing is concluded with a huge shoot-up.... How disappointing... But it doesn't stop there, no, Django is send away and comes back again for yet another bloodbath! Why?!? What's the point of this second bloodbath?!? Eventually, the only solution Tarantino found was to kill all of them, except for Django but it was a rather weak way to solve this predicament. Still, like I said before, the whole thing was still pretty good and I had a good time watching this.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Diane Kruger, Mélanie Laurent, Eli Roth, Daniel Brühl

What was it about?
In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a theatre owner's vengeful plans for the same.

My two cents:
For many years, any decent Tarantino fan had heard that Quentin Tarantino was working for at least a decade on some kind of WWII Dirty dozen style war flick. When I heard that he was finally making it happen, I thought it was a great idea and I was pretty sure that it would be a total riot. Eventually, when it was released it was a huge critical success, his biggest hit at the box-office so far and, once again, an instant classic. However, what did I think personally of this flick ? Unfortunately, once gain, in my opinion, this was just another so-called Tarantino classic... Indeed, in my opinion, Quentin Tarantino dwells much too long on some parts and some characters (like Brad Pitt or Diane Kruger) were barely developed. Furthermore, I think that the whole thing was not really well written. I mean, some scenes were great but some others didn't add much to the whole thing and all those sub-plots were pretty much half-baked in my opinion. But don't misunderstand me, I actually liked this movie. Indeed, there was a terrific cast, Tarantino remains a great director but I just think that the whole thing could have been much better than this. Still, it is worth a look though, especially if you enjoyed Tarantino's previous efforts but it must be one of the most overrated movies ever made, at least, that's my opinion.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Kurt Russell, Zoe Bell, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Rose McGowan, Jordan Ladd, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Quentin Tarantino, Eli Roth

What was it about?
Two separate sets of voluptuous women are stalked at different times by a scarred stuntman who uses his "death proof" cars to execute his murderous plans.

My two cents:
Even though this movie was released in Europe back in 2007, since this movie was not meant to be seen as stand-alone but as a part of 'Grindhouse', I first wanted to watch 'Grindhouse'. Honestly, after watching this Tarantino-Rodriguez collaboration, I wasn't expecting much from this longer version since the 'Death Proof' segment was easily the weakest thing in the whole project. To my surprise, I enjoyed it more the 2nd time around. Honestly, the extra footage didn't add much to the whole thing so that's not the reason why I liked it more. I guess, this time, I knew what was going to happen and I had some rather low expectations and was more able to enjoy it for what it is. Still, even though it is rather entertaining, it remains a rather weak effort and even Quentin Tarantino confessed on record that it was his weakest movie so far.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Kurt Russell, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, Rose McGowan, Jordan Ladd, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Zoe Bell, Eli Roth

What was it about?
Two full length feature horror movies written by Quentin Tarantino & Robert Rodriguez put together as a two film feature. Including fake movie trailers in between both movies.

My two cents:
I wasn't sure what to expect from this flick but it really seemed to be some kind of vanity project for Tarantino and Rodriguez. Seriously, except for them, is there seriously an audience expecting an homage to those 70's exploitation flicks? Anyway, it was a flop, Tarantino's first one, and the whole thing was never released theatrically except in North America. Eventually, it took me about 4 years to finally get my hands on an European version only available on Blue-Ray. So, how was the damned thing? Surprisingly, I thought it was a real riot. Indeed, the fake trailers were awesome and 'Planet Terror' was hilariously over-the-top so it seemed to be a winner until I watched 'Death Proof'... Indeed, up to that point I was seriously having fun but the segment directed by Tarantino was just really disappointing. I mean, if you make a short movie for an anthology, don't split it into 2 stories, for crying out loud!!! Indeed, instead one of a fully fledged story like in 'Planet Terror', you ended up with 2 half-baked tales. As usual with Tarantino, I enjoyed the directing, the whole thing was still rather entertaining but even though the dialogues were pretty cool as usual, they often felt really pointless. So, the whole thing was a bold and daring project and without Quentin Tarantino's misfire, it would have been really awesome.

My rating: 07/10 (for 'Grindhouse') / 06/10 (for the 'Death Proof' segment)

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Honestly, I think it is rather ridiculous that Quentin Tarantino has received a credit as ‘special guest director’ for this movie. For crying out loud, the guy has only directed one scene!!! I understand that Rodriguez and Tarantino are buddies and like to work and have fun together but there is no need to let us all know about every freaking thing they do together. Anyway, considering the movie itself, I must admit it, it is quite awesome. Indeed, it is one of the best comic-book adaptations ever made, it is easily the best thing made by Robert Rodriguez so far and I can’t wait to see the sequel which should be released in 2014. Good times!

Cast : Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen, Michael Madsen, Sonny Chiba, Samuel L. Jackson

What was it about?
The murderous Bride continues her quest of vengeance against her former boss and lover Bill, the reclusive bouncer Budd, and the treacherous, one-eyed Elle.

My two cents:
Honestly, I was not a big fan of 'Kill Bill: Vol. 1' but it was fun and liked it even if it wasn't a masterpiece, in my opinion. So, I had some rather low expectations before watching this second part. To my surprise, this movie was eventually even more disappointing than I expected. Indeed, in my opinion, it was not really fun and honestly even quite boring... Personally, I think it is the worst movie directed by Tarantino (Allright, 'Four Rooms' was even worse..). Since Tarantino is directing, it is still not bad at all and actually rather entertaining but it was far from being a great movie and it must be one of the most overrated movies ever made, in my humble opinion.

My rating: 06/10

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Cast : Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Daryl Hannah, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, Sonny Chiba

What was it about?
The Bride wakes up after a long coma. The baby that she carried before entering the coma is gone. The only thing on her mind is to have revenge on the assassination team that betrayed her - a team she was once part of.

My two cents:
After 6 very long years, Quentin Tarantino was finally coming up with a new directing feature. Not only was he releasing a new story but it was a gigantic epos of 4 hours divided into two movies!!! So, the buzz surrounding this flick was quite huge and many fans (like me) were waiting this new movie with more than anxiety. Eventually, it was once again a massive success for QT and it became an instant cult classic. Still, what did I personally think of this movie? Honestly, even though I enjoyed it, I didn't think it was really mind-blowing though. There were some really cool action scenes, the directing was really amazing and the whole thing was definitely entertaining but I thought that the plot was also terribly generic. With his first 3 movies, even though it could be pretty preposterous, the story was always really compelling and I really loved those characters but, this time, I really couldn't care less about The Bride, the other characters and what they were going through. Still, even though it was (so far) his weakest directing effort, it was still a fun movie and I had a good time watching it.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, Robert De Niro, Chris Tucker

What was it about?
A female flight attendant becomes a key figure in a plot between the police and an arms dealer.

My two cents:
In my opinion, it is definitely the most underrated movie directed by Tarantino. Obviously, after the massive success of 'Reservoir Dogs' and 'Pulp Fiction', the expectations were pretty much sky high and it was honestly asking a little bit too much to expect from Tarantino to make something that was that good or even better. So, it was a little step down from his previous movies but just a little one, at least, that's my opinion. Indeed, I personally thoroughly enjoyed it. There was a great cast including the last great performance by Robert de Niro, the story was fun and I just had a really good time watching this. Furthermore, it was the first movie made by Tarantino with a female main character and I thought he really nailed it as Jackie Brown was just really badass. In my opinion, Jackie Brown felt really real, coming from our world, with some sh*t just like us and I really cared about her, which is something I can't really say about The Bride. Anyway, I think it is actually a very entertaining flick and it definitely doesn't get enough credit.

My rating: 08/10

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It was the first script that Quentin Tarantino was paid to write, for the mere sum of $1,500 and it was one of the first projects involving him and Rodriguez (‘Desperado’ and ‘Four Rooms’ were both released earlier though). Like everything else written by Quentin Tarantino, it quickly became a cult classic. Honestly, even though it is a fun flick, it is still nothing amazing though. I mean, if you have never heard of this movie before then it is pretty neat because, half way through, you have this huge surprise (that’s what happened to my sister actually). Unfortunately, before watching this , I knew what was going to happen, so the surprise was rather ruined for me and I just didn’t care much for the second half of this story.

Cast : Tim Roth, Quentin Tarantino, Bruce Willis

What was it about?
Four interlocking tales that take place in a fading hotel on New Year's Eve.

My two cents:
Even though I have sometime a hard time with his more recent features, this short movie still remains the most disappointing thing Tarantino has done so far. Basically, it is one of those quirky indie productions but it was just rather tedious to watch. Back then, Quentin Tarantino still believed he could be an actor and kept being cast with some rather embarrassing results. Fortunately, he gives only small cameos nowadays. To his defense, none of the other short movies included here were much better either and the whole thing rightfully remains some obscure addition in the filmography of all the people involved. The best thing here was Tim Roth who was really good as usual and it's such a shame that we don't hear much from him anymore.

My rating: 06/10 (this is my rating for Tarantino's short but also for the whole movie itself)

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This was Quentin Tarantino's second feature length screenplay (his first was ‘True Romance’). The script was rewritten by Oliver Stone, producer Richard Rutowski and screenwriter David Veloz and eventually the finished film bears little resemblance to Tarantino's original script. Anyway, how was the movie itself? Even though it was really controversial when it was released and even though it was obvious they tried to make a 90’s version of ‘Clockwork Orange’, I don’t think it was really that amazing. Don’t misunderstand me, I thought it was pretty good and I enjoyed the kinetic directing but, to be honest, even though Stone is pretty clever, he is not Kubrick and I thought that Mickey and Mallory were rather shallow and not really interesting. So, no masterpiece but still a pretty good flick though.

Cast : John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Eric Stoltz, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Maria de Medeiros, Rosanna Arquette, Uma Thurman, Steve Buscemi, Christopher Walken, Quentin Tarantino, Harvey Keitel

What was it about?
The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

My two cents:
Actually, it might surprise you, but it is not my favorite Tarantino movie. Indeed, I think 'Reservoir Dogs' is actually better but it doesn't change the fact that it is and remains a great movie with such a huge impact on cinema as an Art. When it was released, I must have been 14 or 15 years old and I saw it three times in the theater. Basically, Tarantino managed to make an Artsy flick without making it dreary and, for once, you could watch something which was smartly built up and also having a great time watching it. What else should I add ? The music was great (one of the best selling soundtracks ever), the dialogs were hilarious, the cast was awesome (with a major come-back for John Travolta) and the whole thing was just really fun to watch. My only complain would be that, in contrary to the superior 'Reservoir Dogs', you already could feel a little bit Tarantino's ego behind the whole thing (There are many moments which basically scream 'Look how great I'm! I'm so f*cking awesome!'). Still, it wasn't a major nuisance like in his more recent work and the whole thing remains an impressive masterpiece and a must-see for any decent movie lover.

My rating: 09/10

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After 'Reservoir Dogs' was released, Tarantino became a hot property and the studios rushed to release as many of his (previously rejected) projects as possible. This flick directed by the late Tony Scott has generated a huge cult following since its release. Personally, I have some rather mixed feelings about the whole thing. I mean, I liked it, it was a fun flick, very well made and all but, honestly, there was nothing mind-blowing about the story and this couple, at least, that's my opinion.

Cast : Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Edward Bunker, Quentin Tarantino

What was it about?
After a simple jewelery heist goes terribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.

My two cents:
It seems hard to believe but, for many many years, Quentin Tarantino was actually struggling to make his first feature. Eventually, after many failures, he came out with this and the rest is history. I remember when this movie came out, there was a huge buzz surrounding this flick. Anyway, it had a huge impact and it is rightfully consider one of the best directing debuts ever made. In my opinion, it is actually Tarantino's best movie and, as a matter of fact, I do think that he just went downhill from there. Indeed, it is his best because Tarantino couldn't do everything he wanted and he couldn't go on and on in his egotrip that has become most of his recent features. I mean, limited in space, time and money, he produced his best work and here, you have some amazing writing, directing and acting. Harvey Keitel makes a tremendous come-back here but the rest of the cast was just as amazing and all provided some tremendous performances.

My rating: 09/10

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