Quentin Tarantino's films: where to start

Quentin Tarantino shaped the cinema of the nineties: long conversations about seemingly trivial things, stories that are not told in order, and soundtracks made up mostly of old songs. Then there is the violence, which often breaks in suddenly and loudly. Almost every one of his films has scenes like that, so be prepared. Here is a path through his work, without a ranking and without spoilers.

The easy way in

Pulp Fiction

1994, 154 minutes. Two hitmen, a boxer, a gang boss's wife and a couple planning to rob a diner: several Los Angeles stories that interlock and are not told in the right order. John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman and Bruce Willis play the leads. The film won the Palme d'Or in Cannes and the Oscar for its screenplay. If you only want to see one Tarantino film, make it this one.

Inglourious Basterds

2009, 153 minutes. In occupied France, a unit of Jewish American soldiers led by Brad Pitt hunts Nazis, while a young woman runs a cinema in Paris. Christoph Waltz won the Oscar for his role as SS officer Hans Landa. A lot of it is spoken in German and French, with Daniel Brühl, Diane Kruger and Til Schweiger in the cast. The very first scene, a conversation in a farmhouse, shows how Tarantino builds tension with dialogue alone.

For a long evening

Django Unchained

2012, 165 minutes. Texas, 1858: a German bounty hunter, played by Christoph Waltz, frees the slave Django, played by Jamie Foxx, because he needs him to track down three wanted men. After that, the two set out to find Django's wife. A western about slavery in the American South, funny and very brutal, with Leonardo DiCaprio in a big supporting role. Waltz won his second Oscar, Tarantino one for the screenplay.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

2019, 161 minutes. Los Angeles, 1969: a western star whose career is crumbling and his stunt double and best friend drift through a city in upheaval. Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt play the two, Margot Robbie plays the actress Sharon Tate. For long stretches Tarantino's calmest film, more mood than plot. Brad Pitt won the Oscar for it.

The Hateful Eight

2015, 168 minutes. Wyoming, after the Civil War: a blizzard forces a handful of strangers, among them two bounty hunters and their prisoner, to sit it out in a remote stopover. Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell and Jennifer Jason Leigh play the leads. Almost a chamber piece, slowly built, with lots of mistrust and lots of dialogue. Ennio Morricone won the Oscar for the score.

For revenge and swordfights

Kill Bill: Volume 1 and 2

2003 and 2004, 111 and 137 minutes. Uma Thurman plays an assassin who wakes up from a coma after an attack on her wedding and wants revenge on her former colleagues. is martial arts cinema with samurai swords and an anime sequence, is calmer and more of a western. It was shot as one film and only split in the edit, so be sure to watch them in order.