Few directors inspire as much debate among cinephiles as Quentin Tarantino. With a career stacked with cult classics, unforgettable characters, and dialogues that lives rent-free in film history, he’s often considered untouchable when it comes to creating movies that linger long after the credits roll. But here’s the twist — Tarantino himself has weighed in on the debate every fan has had at some point: which Tarantino movie is THE Tarantino movie?
During a candid chat on The Church of Tarantino podcast, the two-time Oscar winner finally spilled on which of his films takes the crown for him personally, and which one he believes is his greatest achievement. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is my favourite, Inglourious Basterds is my best,” Tarantino said. “But I think Kill Bill is the ultimate Quentin movie, like nobody else could’ve made it. Every aspect about it is so particularly ripped, like with tentacles and bloody tissue, from my imagination and my id and my loves and my passion and my obsession. So I think Kill Bill is the movie I was born to make, I think Inglourious Basterds is my masterpiece, but Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is my favourite.”
In true Tarantino fashion, he didn’t stop there. The Pulp Fiction director also shared his thoughts on his writing, picking the standout scripts of his career. “I think Inglourious Basterds is my best script, and I think Hateful Eight and Once Upon a Time In Hollywood are right behind,” he explained. “But, there’s an aspect of Hateful Eight that I actually think is probably my best directing of my material, i.e., the material is written and it’s solid. So it’s not like I have to create it, like Kill Bill, it’s solid, it’s right there and I actually think it’s my best servicing [of] my material as a director.”
What is Tarantino up to?
In terms of any new work coming from the legendary director, there has been some buzz around a new Once Upon a Time in Hollywood film, but Tarantino revealed he won’t be stepping behind the camera for the film’s sequel, despite having written the script himself. Why? He explained, “I love this script, but I’m still walking down the same ground I’ve already walked. It just kind of unenthused me. This last movie, I’ve got to not know what I’m doing again. I’ve got to be in uncharted territory.”
It’s classic Tarantino — passionate, unpredictable, and unwilling to play it safe. And for fans, his confession might just spark a whole new round of arguments: if your favourite Tarantino movie isn’t the same as Tarantino’s, are you really a fan?
