Power Rankings: Quentin Tarantino

Power Rankings is a series where I'll select a director, actor, writer, artist, etc. and rank their 5 best pieces of work. 

Tarantino is a name that has become synonymous with film. His films never fail to excite audiences around the world, and he has become one of the few filmmakers out there whose movies sell out opening weekends while remaining popular and important to the hip, overly critical crowd of internet critics and unrelenting purists. He first hit the scene with his indie hit Reservoir Dogs, followed by his magnum opus Pulp Fiction, a film so iconic and memorable that it still remains relevant 20 years later, it's poster still gracing college dorm rooms around the country. Unsurprisingly, choosing 5 pieces of work to represent Tarantino is a difficult task, so let's take a look at just what makes Tarantino so great.

5. Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2

Since the two Kill Bill's work together to form one four hour film, I've decided to group them into one category. Uma Thurman stars as The Bride, an ex-assassin who vows to take vengeance on those who wronged her after a wedding gone to hell at the hands of her ex-boss. Tarantino's genre-bending epic is undeniably one of his best works, and has every staple of his directorial style. One highlight of the first film is the quick animated sequence. This is the first time Tarantino has delved into animation, and the choice to use an anime-style for the scene worked very effectively. The Kill Bill epic truly isn't for everyone though, and I believe that a previously established appreciation of Tarantino is necessary to really enjoy it. 

4. Rolling Thunder Pictures

While it may have been short-lived, Rolling Thunder Pictures was a truly great idea, and one that should've never been cancelled. Set up through Miramax, Tarantino's small group was dedicated to releasing and re-releasing foreign and unknown films of which the director was a fan and which influenced his own work. Included in Rolling Thunder's release list are Switchblade Sisters, From Beyond and Chungking Express. I think that Rolling Thunder Pictures showed that Tarantino not only makes films, he loves films, and was dedicated to sharing some lesser-known gems with his fans. 

3. Inglourious Basterds

While Inglourious Basterds is probably a terrible film to watch if you're looking for a history lesson, it is no doubt one of Tarantino's best. The film follows a group of Jewish-American soldiers in war-torn France during the second World War. The group dedicate their lives to the murder of Nazis, with their leader, Lt. Aldo Raine, demanding that each of his men bring him 100 Nazi scalps. This film introduced us to Christoph Waltz, who has won Oscars for both Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained under Tarantino's direction. There's no doubt that Waltz will be added to Tarantino's motley crew of regulars, along with Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Madsen, Harvey Keitel, Uma Thurman, and Tim Roth. 

2. Reservoir Dogs

The film that put Tarantino on the map is still one the best indie films of all time, and a Tarantino classic. The film is about a big bank heist set up by a crew of color-coordinated criminals, and while this may sound like the perfect Tarantino plot already, the entire plot actual begins after the heist has already taken place, leaving that part out completely. The film deals with the paranoia and anxiety of each member of the gang as they try to figure out which guy set them up. This is certainly the place to start if you haven't begun your journey through the Tarantino-verse just yet, as it is still one of the best films of all time.

1. Pulp Fiction

As I stated earlier, Pulp Fiction is certainly Tarantino's magnum opus. While it doesn't mean his other films are bad in anyway, none of them have ever been able to capture what Pulp Fiction did. This movie brought the indie-star Tarantino to a new level, and made him a superstar. Pulp Fiction played with narrative structure in a way that had very rarely been seen before, and has every single Tarantino staple in the book. If you only ever watch on Tarantino film, it should be Pulp Fiction.

So, there you have it, the Power Rankings for the prince of modern film, Quentin Tarantino. Now that Django Unchained is said and done, nobody knows what's next for the legendary director. Many speculate over the possibility of Kill Bill Vol. 3, but as of now, nothing is set in stone. The only certain is that Tarantino's next film will be another unforgettable piece of cinema history.