5. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Bursting on the scene with this chamber piece, Dogs still has style to burn. A killer ensemble cast and an ethos that spawned a million imitations that never equalled the original indie wonderment of this film. Its legacy is unquestionable whilst also simultaneously championing and destroying black and white suits in the process.
4. Jackie Brown (1997)
This Elmore Leonard adaption is pure ‘70s Blaxploitation, a slow burn character piece that first showcased Tarantino’s affinity for profiling USA social and racial tension on screen. At the time of release, many fans took issue with the slower pace and lack of requisite Tarantino style they had become accustomed with from his initial works. But it’s that exact quality that makes Jackie such an engrossing and unique entry in the filmmaker’s career.
3. Django Unchained (2012)
The first of Tarantino’s western cycle (continued with The Hateful Eight). The wake of devastation in Hateful Eight is set up in Django, which stands as a perfect counter-point to the master filmmaker’s latest work. Django represents a revisionist American history lesson, one that merges exploitation cinema elements with classical western motifs, making a comment on the authenticity of the grand old American West.
2. Pulp Fiction (1994)
Forgoing any concerns that he would suffer from second film syndrome, Pulp represents a filmic signature that made a generation – the soundtrack, the style, the cast, it all holds up despite being over 20 years old. Refining the elements first introduced in Dogs, Pulp takes a pop culture literate audience, drags them by the collar and throws them deep into a world where cinema is king. And it’s a beautiful thing to behold.
1. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
This film is history told as a fairy tale and also a masterpiece of tone, craft and revisionism. Featuring one of Tarantino’s greatest scenes, a scorching opening interrogation sequence that remains one of the most tension fuelled movie moments of the 2000s. This beautiful patchwork morphs reality with the absurd creating a spin on the legacy of WWII whilst never spoofing it. Basterds stands as an intelligent statement and comment on how cinema can change the course of history.
The Hateful Eight is showing on 70mm Ultra-Panavision from Thursday January 14 – Wednesday January 20 at The Astor Theatre.
