One of the finest filmmakers out there, Quentin Tarantino has had a series of great films during his career. Tarantino is an auteur whose style can be identified instantly and who has amassed a good following of massive fans over the years. With mostly - but not all - great films, Tarantino’s directed/written features have proved immensely popular.
A good gauge for this popularity is on Rotten Tomatoes, a great authority on a film’s consensus by critics and audiences alike. Arguably more important than the Tomatometer for more general popularity is the audience score which can often differ from the Tomatometer with that sentiment being shown in Tarantino’s filmography. With that in mind, here are all Quentin Tarantino’s written/directed features ranked according to their Rotten Tomatoes audience score.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (2019): 70%
With a score 15% lower than its Tomatometer, it is clear Tarantino’s latest piece Once Upon A Time In Hollywood did not connect with all audiences despite its star-filled cast and phenomenal leads. It follows aging actor Rick and his best friend, deadbeat stuntman Cliff as they navigate a changing Hollywood in 1969 in a story that runs alongside the Manson family murders.
Leonardo DiCaprio is fantastic as Rick while Brad Pitt as Cliff steals the show. With brilliant chemistry in the leads, a visually great look, a typically good soundtrack, the film is long with no real Tarantino-esque excitement until the last stretch which ultimately puts some audiences off.
DEATH PROOF (2007): 72%
A very unmemorable flick, Death Proof is Tarantino’s attempt at the “Grindhouse” movies of old and it does not hit like Tarantino’s other films. The movie follows a mysterious killer, ‘Stuntman’ Mike, in his modified car as he goes on murderous rampages against, mainly, women and eventually faces the consequences.
It is surprisingly weak in the dialogue/screenplay department for a Tarantino picture and is a very forgettable film. It does have its admirers, 72% is not a poor audience score, it succeeds as the exploitative, Grindhouse horror it sets out to be. However it is not expertly made, nor is there much in the acting or narrative departments that stand out.
THE HATEFUL EIGHT - 76%
Overly long, with a lot of boring and dragging parts, The Hateful Eight is definitely on the weaker end of Tarantino’s filmography. Following a group of hateable strangers who are trapped due to snow in a cabin, it soon becomes clear there is a deliberate, violent plot at play.
The dialogue and script are sharp with gorgeous visuals, up until the last third where the film just drags and has a lot to forget. Couple that with an excessive use of racial slurs for no relevant or understandable reason and the film does have some serious issues.
KILL BILL: VOL 1 (2003): 81%
An iconic lead character with an iconic soundtrack and some great action make up one of the most well known Tarantino films Kill Bill. It follows ’ The Bride’ on her quest to kill the members of her former group - the deadly viper assassination squad - who left her to die.
Kill Bill has great action and Uma Thurman’s performance is excellent, while not as groundbreaking or as stupendously made as other parts of Tarantino’s filmography the film still has a lot to offer - not least of all an iconic heroine. The film has more audience reviews than any other Tarantino flick which affects its score as the film is, to some, overrated due to its overreliance on gory violence.
JACKIE BROWN (1997): 85%
Perhaps the most underrated Tarantino flick, Jackie Brown is a very good entry in the auteur’s filmography. The plot centers around a flight attendant played brilliantly by Pam Grier, who is caught up between giving up to the cops her arms boss, or herself, with a blossoming romance also being a part of the plot based off of Elmore Leanord’s Rum Punch.
Tarantino gets fantastic performances out of both Pam Grier and Robert Forster in what is perhaps his most relaxed paced plot to date. The narrative of the film is not to everyone’s taste and may be boring to those expecting more from Tarantino. However, Jackie Brown has a lot to offer and many an audience member thinks the same.
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (2009): 88%
One of, and arguably the very best of Tarantino’s filmography, especially in the last twenty-five years, Inglourious Basterds is a masterfully made movie. Following both a group of Jewish soldiers known as ‘The Basterds’ as well as a cinema operator whose family was murdered, all seeking retribution on the Nazi’s.
Anchored by the best performance in any Tarantino movie from Christoph Waltz as the deplorable Hans Landa, Inglourious Basterds has some fantastic cinematography, masterful filmmaking, a great script, and some iconic scenes. The end may not be for everyone but if you can get past it or enjoy it, you love Basterds as a majority of the Rotten Tomatoes audience do.
KILL BILL: VOL 2 (2004): 89%
If the first was too action-heavy with not enough dialogue or meaty narrative, then Kill Bill: Vol 2 fills that in. Still following Black Mamba on her quest to find Bill, she encounters the rest of the deadly viper assassination squad on the way.
With another fantastic outing by Uma Thurman and a new one in David Carradine, the film is well made with some great action pieces and some great moments. The ending is anticlimactic between Bill and Beatrix, but Bill’s speech is expertly delivered and it is clear more fans love the movie than do not.
DJANGO UNCHAINED (2012): 91%
Tarantino’s second revenge flick in a row, coupled with a second Oscar-winning performance by Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained is a film that is much more good than bad. Django Unchained follows free slave Django and bounty hunter Shultz on their way to find Django’s love and collect Shultz wanted bounty.
Fantastic performances from DiCaprio, Waltz, and Samuel L. Jackson, as well as a solid outing by Jamie Foxx, help deliver brilliant dialogue with some great action in this revenge western. Although the film is too long and weaker when it is Django on his own, it is still an amazing effort from Tarantino.
RESERVOIR DOGS (1992): 94%
Tarantino’s feature-length directorial debut was a phenomenal one in Reservoir Dogs. Following hired criminals in the aftermath of a diamond heist gone wrong, Reservoir Dogs is a simple plot with relatively low budget production that delivers phenomenally.
Reservoir Dogs has a cast who all deliver great performances and a script which exclaims perfectly Tarantino’s talents as a screenwriter who pens dialogue like no other. Possibly one of the greatest feature-length directorial debuts, Reservoir Dogs is iconic and riveting and earns its popularity.
PULP FICTION (1994): 96%
It is trivial now to see a Tarantino list and to see Pulp Fiction in the number one spot, but the fact of the matter is it is one of the greatest, most influential, and most iconic films ever made. It follows intertwining storylines of hitmen, a wanted boxer and the gangster he is wanted by, and uniquely muddles up its timeline throughout the film to create a masterpiece.
Fantastic performances from the likes of Tarantino regular Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta and Uma Thurman come together with Tarantino’s spectacular script create iconographies such as the diner dancing scene, the Ezekial 25:17 scene and various others. It is Tarantino’s greatest films and one of the best of the ’90s as well as being one of the most popular films ever made and that is shown by its placement on this list.
