All 12 Quentin Tarantino Screenplays, Ranked (original) (raw)
Uma Thurman lying on a bed with a cigarette and pistol in the official poster for Pulp Fiction.
Image via Miramax Films
Published Jun 8, 2024, 3:00 PM EDT
Jeremy has more than 2500 published articles on Collider to his name, and has been writing for the site since February 2022. He's an omnivore when it comes to his movie-watching diet, so will gladly watch and write about almost anything, from old Godzilla films to gangster flicks to samurai movies to classic musicals to the French New Wave to the MCU... well, maybe not the Disney+ shows.
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On top of old movie references and bloodshed, another thing that can be expected when entering a Quentin Tarantino movie is great writing. He’s credited with writing all nine (or 10, if you split Kill Bill, as will be done here because they’re both very different screenplay-wise) movies he’s directed so far, and has also been behind a couple of other screenplays for films he didn’t ultimately direct, both from the 1990s.
What follows is an attempt to rank Tarantino’s 12 main screenplays to date, which will take into account different qualities than would be taken into account for ranking his films ordinarily. That being said, there’s some undeniable crossover, owing to how important a great script is for an overall film to work effectively. The following will not include movies that Tarantino only received a “story by” credit for (sorry, Natural Born Killers), and also won’t include the anthology film Four Rooms, because it’s hard to think of that one as having a Tarantino screenplay (it’s also just not particularly good, in all honesty).
12 'From Dusk Till Dawn' (1996)
Starring: George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Harvey Keitel
The Gecko brothers aiming guns at the camera while a woman in a bikini stands behind them in From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) directed by Robert Rodriguez
Image via Dimension Films
Though From Dusk Till Dawn begins as a crime movie, it soon distances itself pretty drastically from Quentin Tarantino’s other crime films from the 1990s, thanks to an infamous halfway plot switch-up. Without getting too detailed, the crime stuff takes a backseat, and supernatural elements are introduced. It’s exciting and kind of wild, but it’s not exactly the most satisfying of things.
That could be the point; to start as one thing and end up as another. For the thrill that provides, From Dusk Till Dawn is still a good bit of fun, and there are enjoyable aspects of the novel screenplay (Tarantino’s acting, on the other hand, leaves a bit to be desired). It’s fun to see him write something a little different, and Robert Rodriguez’s direction is solid, but both men have worked on much better films within their respective careers.
11 'Death Proof' (2007)
Starring: Kurt Russell, Zoë Bell, Rosario Dawson
Stuntman Mike and one of his female victims in Death Proof (2007) directed by Quentin Tarantino
Image via Dimension Films
Perhaps a little like From Dusk Till Dawn, Death Proof is a movie of two distinct halves, and also happens to be one of the lesser efforts by Quentin Tarantino, as far as the screenplay is concerned. There’s one memorable scene at the halfway point, and then an extended car chase near the end; these sections deliver when it comes to thrills and action, and ultimately make Death Proof worth watching.
The dialogue doesn’t quite sizzle the same way it tends to in the other films Tarantino both directed and wrote, but this could be because it’s a throwback to grindhouse cinema and such films weren’t exactly revered for their writing most of the time. It’s not the most airtight of excuses, but there is still enjoyment to be gained from Death Proof’s more visceral moments. It’s just the action and stunt work that shines much brighter than the writing tends to.
10 'The Hateful Eight' (2015)
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh
John "The Hangman" and "Crazy" Daisy walking into a cabin in The Hateful Eight.
Image via The Weinstein Company
If there’s a Daft Punk song title that sums up The Hateful Eight, it would be “Too Long,” the closing track of their seminal 2001 album Discovery. If there’s a Daft Punk song that doesn’t relate to The Hateful Eight, it would be “One More Time,” the opening track of the very same album, because you probably won’t be itching to see the film one more time for a while after seeing it once.
It’s long, intentionally cruel (hey, “_Hateful_” is in the title), and quite grisly, making it a pretty miserable experience at points, but anyone after a dark, cynical, and brutal Western will find things to appreciate here. The performances elevate things quite a bit, and Tarantino’s screenplay is still strong; just not up there with his very best efforts… nor is it anywhere near one of his most tightly written.
9 'True Romance' (1993)
Starring: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper
Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette sit in a movie theater together in Tony Scott's 'True Romance'
Image via Warner Bros.
The other 1990s movie Quentin Tarantino wrote without directing (again, Natural Born Killers isn’t included here) was 1993’s True Romance. Similarly to how From Dusk Till Dawn stands out for being a Tarantino movie that dips its toes into an unexpected genre (horror), True Romance sees Tarantino tackling a story that’s pretty heavy on romance, as promised by the title.
Tarantino’s other films aren’t devoid of romance, but True Romance leans into it pretty hard, telling a story about two young lovers on the run after they get on the bad side of some dangerous individuals. Tony Scott’s direction is typically solid, and the performances from a remarkably stacked cast all deliver, but it’s probably the simple yet satisfying screenplay that stands out, feeling like a strong effort from a still-young – at the time – Tarantino.
Release Date
September 10, 1993
Runtime
119 minutes
Director
8 'Django Unchained' (2012)
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio
Calvin Candie, holding a hammer and smoking a cigarette, in Django Unchained.
Image via The Weinstein Company
Of Quentin Tarantino’s two full-on Westerns, Django Unchained is the better one, having similar amounts of style and bloodshed to The Hateful Eight, but also proving a little more satisfying narratively. Said narrative isn’t exactly complex, centering on a freed slave teaming up with a bounty hunter to rescue his wife from a plantation owner, but the directness works, and most of the characters are very compelling.
The main thing that holds Django Unchained back a little is a final half-hour that feels somewhat tacked on, or at least not as grand as what came before. Also, while most of the characters – both the heroic and villainous ones – are great, Django’s wife, Broomhilda, does feel underwritten compared to other prominent female characters Tarantino’s created (Kerry Washington is somewhat wasted). But these are nitpicks; the dialogue is largely excellent, and most members of the cast get great material to work with.
7 'Kill Bill: Vol. 1' (2003)
Starring: Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox
Lucy Liu as Cottonmouth unsheathing a sword in Kill Bill Vol. 1
Image via Miramax
While Kill Bill: Vol. 1 might not be super complex narratively, saving a good deal of dialogue and character depth for the second volume, this first half of the story delivers when it comes to action. It’s a near-perfect homage to classic martial arts cinema, doing so with more care (and what feels like more love) than when Tarantino homaged grindhouse cinema with Death Proof.
If it’s style over substance, that’s okay when Part 2 has the substance, and Part 1 can focus on dazzling visuals, some fun cameos/supporting performers, and entertainingly over-the-top action. The writing is still high-quality, because care was taken to introduce most of the second volume’s characters and set the stage for that second half to deliver something a little slower and more thoughtful, but it’s the direction that shines more than the writing, for the most part, when it comes to Kill Bill: Vol. 1.
Kill Bill Vol. 1
6 'Reservoir Dogs' (1992)
Starring: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen
Joe, Mr. White, and Mr. Orange engaged in conversation during the opening of Reservoir Dogs.
Image via Miramax Films
There’s a little roughness to Reservoir Dogs’ screenplay, if compared to some of Tarantino’s later, more polished films, but the quality of writing is still largely fantastic. It’s a tight and exceptionally well-paced movie, playing around with non-chronological storytelling to great effect and having some amazing dialogue that hits just as hard as – and feels similarly memorable to – the film’s more notorious scenes violence-wise.
Reservoir Dogs also works as a heist movie done on a lean budget, finding a way to not even show the central heist and have things still be entirely engrossing and not at all disappointing. It’s a clever film, and one where the screenplay shines a little brighter than the direction (it looks more than solid visually, and has style, but later Tarantino films would show an increase in his skill as far as directing was concerned).
5 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' (2019)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie
Cliff Booth shaking Marvin Schwarz's hand while Rick Dalton looks in Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood.
Image via Sony Pictures Releasing
Given Quentin Tarantino counts Kill Bill as one film, rather than two, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood stands as his penultimate movie, as the filmmaker maintains he wants to direct 10 and retire. It’s a hang-out movie, and by design, isn’t one of his most exciting, but the overall mood of the film is an absorbing and even relaxing one (at least until the violent climax), with the dialogue throughout being excellent.
Some might not consider Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as one of Tarantino’s most entertaining because it's light on plot, but for a movie almost exclusively about characters and “vibes” (for lack of a better word) to work, the screenplay needs to be dynamite. It’s a testament to the writing here that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is still enjoyable and immersive, getting you to care about the characters and feel engrossed in the late-1960s world they inhabit.
4 'Jackie Brown' (1997)
Starring: Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert De Niro
Ordell holding Max at gunpoint in Jackie Brown (1997) - directed by Quentin Tarantino
Image via Miramax Films
Jackie Brown not only has one of the best casts of any Quentin Tarantino movie (including Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, and Robert De Niro, to name a few), but it also has one of the filmmaker’s best screenplays. Interestingly, it’s also the only film Tarantino’s directed that was an adaptation of a pre-existing work, here adapting Elmore Leonard’s 1992 novel Rum Punch.
As such, credit has to go both to Leonard and Tarantino, but however you want to split the praise, Jackie Brown’s immensely well-written. It takes its time, especially during the first half-hour or so, but slowly sucks you in, building tension gradually and telling a crime-related story that ends up being thrilling, funny at times, and also surprisingly heartfelt. The screenplay is overall fantastic, and a big reason why Jackie Brown is often considered one of Tarantino’s most under-appreciated films.
3 'Kill Bill: Vol. 2' (2004)
Starring: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Daryl Hannah
David Carradine as the titular Bill in Kill Bill Vol 2 (2004)
Image via Miramax
Completing the duology in a surprisingly moving way, Kill Bill: Vol. 2 is very much a different beast to Vol. 1, but ultimately feels just as compelling and rewarding, even if it’s for different reasons. Those who are just after action and bloodshed will probably prefer the first volume, but Vol. 2 is just so well-written, and needs to be, given how dialogue-heavy it is.
Uma Thurman’s The Bride becomes more than a one-woman-army here, with a fleshed-out backstory and further character development humanizing her, while a similar approach is taken to the titular Bill, who was merely a faceless boss in the first film (cool, intimidating voice, though, thanks to David Carradine). By the end, Kill Bill: Vol. 2’s largely action-free climax proves just as riveting as the over-the-top violence found at the end of Vol. 1, which is quite astounding, really.