A while back, I polled my Instagram users for future blog topics. Many wanted to see a ranking of Quentin Tarantino's movies, but I've already done that one in a previous post (click to view). However, my friend Tuukka suggested posting a ranking of my top 10 favorite scenes from Tarantino movies, and that was an idea worth exploring! Across the filmography of one of Hollywood's finest, these are the very best moments.
Oh, and a spoiler alert is in order for Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, both Kill Bills, Death Proof, Inglorious Basterds and One Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Here are my honorable mentions: Mexican Standoff from Reservoir Dogs (1992), "You shot Marvin in the face!" from Pulp Fiction (1994), House of Blue Leaves Bloodbath from Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003), Cinema Bloodbath from Inglorious Basterds (2009), Candyland Bloodbath from Django Unchained (2012), The Creepy Cult Ranch from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019).
10. Anime Backstory from Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)
Wild creativity and out-of-the-box ideas enriching the storytelling are a big part of the Tarantino recipe, and a prime example is the scene from Kill Bill: Volume 1 where we learn the origin story of assassin O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu). In order to tell the backstory in an interesting and memorable way, while surprising the viewer and also paying tribute to an important visual medium steeped in the culture where his story is taking place, Tarantino cleverly switches things up from live action to anime for this sequence. It's a visually striking and delightfully creative scene, properly introducing us to this badass villain.
9. The One that Says 'Bad Motherfucker' from Pulp Fiction (1994)
What a way to end one of the great films of our time. Circling back to the diner robbery from the beginning of the film, Tarantino ties the Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent (John Travolta) narrative together with the Pumpkin (Tim Roth) and Honey Bunny (Amanda Plummer) robbery. This leads to a tense yet humorous standoff between the groups of criminals, with Sam L. Jackson (the 'L' stands for 'motherfucker') absolutely running the show with his wisdom, street smarts and turn of phrase. It all unfolds in quite memorable fashion, leaving things on just the right note.
8. The Final Confrontation from Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004)
The climax of the second and final Kill Bill film is not unlike the scene from How I Met Your Mother's (2005-2014) series finale where Ted meets Tracy - both scenes have a strong "everything has been leading up to this one moment straight from the title, so the payoff better be worth it" vibe.
And boy, they sure succeed. After fighting her blood, sweat & tears -journey all the way to the main villain's abode, The Bride (Uma Thurman) has a tense conversation with Bill (David Carradine), before they fight. And using the 'Five Point Palm Exploding Heart' technique, very much Tarantino's personal take on Chekov's gun, our protagonist manages, in the most glorious fashion, to kill Bill.
7. The Tradeoff from Jackie Brown (1997)
While this technically could be seen as three different scenes, I'm choosing to count it as one drawn-out sequence. We see the climactic money exchange going down from three different perspectives, each adding some vital new information in a very Tarantino fashion. There's also a cool video on YouTube, where all three points of view have been chronologically synchronized, which I recommend checking out!
All in all, between its heist-movie suspense and neat narrative structure, this tense and twisty sequence is definitely the high point of Quentin's most understated film.
6. The Car Chase from Death Proof (2007)
This 17-minute behemoth of an individual scene serves as quite the thrill ride climax for Death Proof, the Tarantino-directed opening act of the Grindhouse double feature by him and Robert Rodriguez. One of my favorite details* in Death Proof is that it stars Tarantino's longtime collaborator Zoe Bell, who up until then was known as a stunt actress, most famous for being The Bride's stunt double in the Kill Bill films. Here she gets a chance to shine in the spotlight, and her incredible stuntwork is on full display in this impeccably directed action sequence that just keeps on giving.
*My least favorite detail about Death Proof: like many other Tarantino films, this one was produced by Harvey Weinstein - and it's especially upsetting to think about here, as in hindsight one can't help but wonder if the producer saw the film as some misguided fantasy, with Kurt Russell's violent and sexist lead character likely being more hero than villain in Weinstein's twisted mind.
5. Three More Drinks from Inglorious Basterds (2009)
"Why do you have your Walther pointed at my testicles?" Man, no one does dialogue quite like good ol' Tentin Quarantino. In this tense bar sequence, a fun party game escalates into a tense stand-off when the undercover nature of Lt. Archie Hicox (Michael Fassbender) is discovered.
Everything about this memorable scene is just so good - the clever storytelling in Hicox's fingers giving him away when he orders three more drinks, the suspenseful yet classy dialogue during the stand-off, and the violent conclusion that it all leads up to. In just one scene, Fassbender's performance becomes one of the best in a film filled with memorable characters.
4. Mans(i)on Bloodbath from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
One of my favorite tropes in storytelling is a story feeling atmospherically different from what you'd expect based on previous works, until suddenly it uses the expected feeling as an ultimate power move. For example, the first episode of Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) feels atmospherically very far off from the original Twin Peaks - which makes it such a payoff when we hear the familiar main theme and see the familiar settings close to the end of the episode. Or, in both the book and movie adaptation of Stephen King's Doctor Sleep, which is a pseudo-sequel to The Shining, the atmosphere is very far off from certain elements we remember from the original work, which just makes it all the more satisfying when the climax hits you with a gut punch of The Shining elements.
The same trope can be found from Tarantino's newest release; while many of the elements in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood feel Tarantino-esque to the maximum, one key element is missing: the violence. Tarantino's specific brand of entertaining violence, to be exact. And this makes it all the sweeter when, in the final act, we get the most Tarantino action sequence that Tarantino has ever Tarantinoed across his decades of being Tarantino. By the time Leo grabs the flamethrower, you just know you're watching the stuff of legends unfold.
3. The nerve-wracking opening from Inglorious Basterds (2009)
There's a fantastic Hitchock quote about suspense: "Mystery is when the spectator knows less than the characters in the movie; suspense is when the spectator knows more than the characters in the movie". And therein lies the genius of Tarantino, early on, letting the viewers know about the Jewish family hiding under the floorboards while SS-Standartenführer Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) questions the owner of the house.
Waltz won an Oscar for his villainous performance in this film, and honestly, it feels like he would've won it for this scene alone without appearing in the rest of the movie. The evils of antisemitism and the Nazi movement are condensed into his performance in a way that feels simultaneously over-the-top in its immorality yet strikingly believable, realistic and humane (humane as in "yeah, it makes sense that humanity came up with this shit"). Between its unforgettable introduction to the main villain, the extreme levels of tension and suspense, and the way Shosanna's (Mélanie Laurent) escape poetically sets up the film's climax, this opening scene is one for the ages.
2. You Never Can Tell from Pulp Fiction (1994)
You can be cool all you want - but no matter how cool you are, you will never be "John Travolta and Uma Thurman dancing the twist to Chuck Berry's You Never Can Tell at a 1950's themed diner" cool. The aesthetic in this iconic scene is quite simply off the charts, and the chemistry between Travolta and Thurman is nothing short of electrifying.
The scene's lack of importance for the film's plot makes it all the better - Pulp Fiction has been dubbed 'the masterpiece without a message', and it's scenes like this, scenes where Tarantino just went "Ah fuck it, wouldn't it look cool if the characters did this and that" that truly make the film stand out. The film's plot wouldn't be very affected if the twist dance was cut, but the film would sure as hell be less memorable and less of a stylistic masterpiece without this charming interlude. I suppose it goes to show you never can tell.
1. A damn tasty burger from Pulp Fiction (1994)
The dialogue in this legendary scene is the only thing even more delicious than a Big Kahuna hamburger. If you merely summarized the events of this scene, it would be no different from tons of similar scenes in crime films - honestly it feels a bit weird, that a "two hitmen arrive to take care of a guy who double-crossed their boss" moment from the film's first act would be the #1 best scene of a great filmmaker's filmography, going ahead of numerous climactic and spectacular sequences.
But if you watch the scene, it all makes sense. Sure, all of Tarantino's films have decent dialogue, but this scene is the very epitome of quality dialogue in cinema. Every single line is perfect, and the way in which Samuel L. Jackson delivers them is beyond amazing. The scene's atmosphere is somehow funny as hell while being threatening, weirdly chill while being intense and suspenseful, and just a whole strange mixture of things as is evident from Vincent Vega's random kitchen exploring in the background while Jules does his thing. If there's one scene you need to watch in order to understand and appreciate Tarantino's genius, it's this one.
Thank you for reading! Tune in next week, as I celebrate the anniversary of a classic Monty Python film by ranking the 10 funniest movies of all time.
Also, one thing I forgot to do last week was keeping my promise to revisit my Oscar predictions after the gala is over. So, one and a half weeks after the Oscars, I can proudly say that I matched last year's score, with a whopping 17 out 23 correct. I'm especially thankful that I got Best International Feature and Best Visual Effects right due to certain promises I had made - now I won't have to watch and rank all Sharknado movies and/or all Michael Bay movies.
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