Summary
- From Michael Madsen in Reservoir Dogs to Brad Pitt in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Tarantino’s films are defined by standout performances.
- Tarantino’s movies showcase some of the best actors in the industry, with iconic roles that elevate the films to the next level.
- Quentin Tarantino’s ability to bring out superb performances from his actors has been a consistent feature throughout his filmography.
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You are watching: 9 Performances That Defined Quentin Tarantino Movies
Quentin Tarantino’s movies have been blessed by some of the best actors in the industry, and this has yielded several iconic performances which have elevated his films to the next level. For each of Tarantino’s nine feature-length directorial efforts, there has been at least one actor who stands out from the crowd and delivers a performance which defines the movie and creates many of its best moments.
Quentin Tarantino recently scrapped plans for his next movie, which was tentatively titled The Movie Critic. Tarantino’s infamous ten movie rule means that his next movie will be his last, at least if he keeps his promise. This means that his cast will come under even more scrutiny than usual when he finally solidifies some details about his elusive final film. Fortunately, Tarantino can look back on his filmography and see that he has always been able to bring superb performances out of his actors.
Related
10 Movies That Could Be Quentin Tarantino’s Final Movie After The Movie Critic’s Cancellation
The Movie Critic is no longer Quentin Tarantino’s final film, and here are 10 other movies that could come back as the director’s 10th film.
9 Michael Madsen In Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Mr. Blonde
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Reservoir Dogs
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Release Date October 9, 1992 Cast Quentin Tarantino , Tim Roth , Michael Madsen , Harvey Keitel , Steve Buscemi , Chris Penn Runtime 99 minutes
Quentin Tarantino’s remarkably confident debut feature established him as a director to watch in the crime genre. Reservoir Dogs was both a tribute to scores of crime movies which came before it, while it also helped to shape the future of the genre. In Tarantino’s gang of criminal misfits, Mr. Blonde is the wildcard who uses the chaotic aftermath of the heist as an excuse to indulge his twisted desires.
There are moments when Mr. Blonde’s brutal violence is rooted in his loyalty to the Cabots, but there are other times when he takes pleasure in maiming his victim.
Other than the image of the gang strutting along to the song “Little Green Bag,” Mr. Blonde’s sadistic torture of Marvin Nash is the most iconic scene in Reservoir Dogs. Michael Madsen portrays Mr. Blonde’s callous nature perfectly. There are moments when Mr. Blonde’s brutal violence is rooted in his loyalty to the Cabots, but there are other times when he takes pleasure in maiming his victim. Madsen plays the entire confrontation with chilling indifference.
8 Samuel L. Jackson In Pulp Fiction (1994)
Jules Winnfield
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Pulp Fiction
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Release Date October 14, 1994 Cast John Travolta , Bruce Willis , Ving Rhames , Samuel L. Jackson , Uma Thurman , Christopher Walken , Tim Roth , Harvey Keitel , Eric Stoltz , Rosanna Arquette Runtime 154 minutes
30 years later, Pulp Fiction is still considered by many to be Quentin Tarantino’s magnum opus. None of his other movies so succinctly capture his idiosyncratic motifs, such as his compelling dialogue and his bursts of glorious violence. Samuel L. Jackson is key to both of these elements as the disaffected assassin Jules Winnfield, who works in tandem with Vincent Vega, played by John Travolta.
Jules Winnfield gets a good chunk of Pulp Fiction‘s best quotes, and Samuel L. Jackson makes them even better.
Jules Winnfield gets a good chunk of Pulp Fiction‘s best quotes, and Samuel L. Jackson makes them even better. Whether he is enjoying a casual chat about McDonald’s or threatening someone’s life, Jules is impossible to dislike. Jackson brings a lot of humor to the character, which makes his sudden epiphany that he needs to turn away from his life of violence ring out like a tragic punch line. Jules is merely grappling for control after witnessing so much chaos and bloodshed.
7 Pam Grier In Jackie Brown (1997)
Jackie Brown
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Jackie Brown
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Release Date December 25, 1997 Cast Bridget Fonda , Michael Keaton , Robert Forster , Pam Grier , Samuel L. Jackson , Robert De Niro Runtime 154 minutes
One of the criticisms Quentin Tarantino has faced most often in his career is that his female characters really measure up to his male ones. Jackie Brown is his most effective counterpoint to this argument, as it provides a brilliant role for Pam Grier, who is more than equal to the challenge. Robert Forster and Michael Keaton are both superb, but Grier isn’t willing to let anyone steal her spotlight.
Jackie Brown was partly inspired by blaxploitation films from the 1970s, some of which Grier herself had starred in. This makes it a strangely personal movie for her.
Jackie Brown was partly inspired by blaxploitation films from the 1970s, some of which Grier herself had starred in. This makes it a strangely personal movie for her. Just as she was struggling to maintain her relevance in the movie industry, her character struggles to break free from the control of an abusive drug smuggler. Jackie Brown has a patient, methodical pace, and this creates room for Grier to do her best work.
6 Uma Thurman In Kill Bill (2003 & 2004)
The Bride
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Kill Bill
Release Date October 10, 2003 Cast David Carradine , Michael Madsen , Uma Thurman , Daryl Hannah , Lucy Liu , Vivica A. Fox Runtime 111 minutes
Kill Bill is a blood-soaked revenge thriller that gives Uma Thurman a chance to shine. Split into two parts but counted by Quentin Tarantino as one movie, Kill Bill is inspired by samurai cinema and martial arts movie, but there are elements of anime in the frantic action. Kill Bill has such a simple premise, and such a lightweight plot, that Thurman’s performance is vital to provide any sort of emotional anchor.
Kill Bill is about revenge, but it’s mostly about Tarantino living out his most violent stylistic fantasies on the big screen. The joy of watching Kill Bill comes from soaking up the joy that so clearly went into it.
Kill Bill is about revenge, but it’s mostly about Tarantino living out his most violent stylistic fantasies on the big screen. The joy of watching Kill Bill comes from soaking up the joy that so clearly went into it. Thurman is perfectly measured as the Bride, who never once winks to camera or revels in the fun in any way. It’s important that, to her, everything is utterly serious and weighty. This gives the audience license to enjoy themselves.
5 Kurt Russell In Death Proof (2007)
Mike McKay
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Death Proof
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Release Date May 22, 2007 Cast Kurt Russell , Rosario Dawson , Vanessa Ferlito , Jordan Ladd , Rose McGowan , Tracie Thoms , Mary Elizabeth Winstead , Zoe Bell , Sidney Poitier Runtime 113 minutes
Death Proof is Quentin Tarantino’s most divisive movie, and it hasn’t earned the same level of prestige as his biggest hits. This could have been predicted, partly because Death Proof‘s B-movie roots mean that it trades in cheap thrills. However, even within this framework, it doesn’t feel much like a Tarantino movie. The dialogue between the female characters feels inorganic and cheesy at times.
Russell’s star power is enough to elevate Death Proof from a mere exploitation movie into something a little more interesting.
One element of Death Proof that does work, though, is Kurt Russell’s performance as Stuntman Mike, the serial killer who uses his modified car as a deadly weapon. Russell’s star power is enough to elevate Death Proof from a mere exploitation movie into something a little more interesting. It also returns him to his glory days as an action star in movies like Tombstone and Escape from New York. Not everything about Death Proof works, but Russell is undeniably fun to watch.
4 Christoph Waltz In Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Hans Landa
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Inglourious Basterds
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Release Date August 21, 2009 Cast Christoph Waltz , Michael Fassbender , Brad Pitt , Diane Kruger , Eli Roth Runtime 153 minutes
Christoph Waltz made his American film debut in Inglourious Basterds, so audiences didn’t know what to expect from the Austrian-German actor. Within his first scene, he had established himself as a chilling presence, and he has since built a career out of other villainous roles. This introductory scene, in which Colonel Hans Landa interrogates a French farmer about the Jewish family he is harboring, is a miniature masterpiece in dramatic acting. Quentin Tarantino has called it his favorite scene.
Although Inglourious Basterds juggles a few different narratives, everything seems to come screeching to a halt when Hans Landa is involved, such is his unavoidable magnetism.
Although Inglourious Basterds juggles a few different narratives, everything seems to come screeching to a halt when Hans Landa is involved, such is his unavoidable magnetism. Landa is polite and even jovial at times, but this feigned cordiality barely masks his grotesque evil. Whenever he wants to, he can flip a switch and unleash his true deranged nature, as seen when he strangles Bridget.
3 Leonardo DiCaprio In Django Unchained (2012)
Calvin Candie
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Django Unchained
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Release Date December 25, 2012 Cast Leonardo DiCaprio , Jonah Hill , Samuel L. Jackson , Jamie Foxx , Kerry Washington , Christoph Waltz Runtime 165 minutes
Although Django Unchained provides Jamie Foxx with a career highlight, Leonardo DiCaprio is the actor who leaves an indelible mark on the Western. Quentin Tarantino also gets brilliant performances from some of his regulars, including Samuel L. Jackson and Christoph Waltz, but Leonardo DiCaprio’s slimy slave owner, Calvin Candie, makes the film work as a despicable yet believable villain.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s slimy slave owner, Calvin Candie, makes the film work as a despicable yet believable villain.
Just as the name of his Candyland plantation suggests, Calvin Candie has an air of whimsy to his cruelty. He revels in his privilege and flaunts his superiority over his enslaved fighters with reckless abandon. This makes his eventual demise a satisfying moment of catharsis, but it doesn’t free Broomhilda, nor does it save Schultz. DiCaprio is perfectly detestable as the dark heart of the American slave-owning South.
2 Jennifer Jason Leigh In The Hateful Eight (2015)
Daisy Domergue
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The Hateful Eight
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Release Date December 25, 2015 Cast Zoe Bell , Jennifer Jason Leigh , Michael Madsen , Tim Roth , Channing Tatum , Bruce Dern , Kurt Russell , Samuel L. Jackson , Walton Goggins , James Parks Runtime 188 Minutes
The Hateful Eight takes place almost entirely in one location, and this places added emphasis on the script and the acting. Fortunately, it succeeds in both departments. In a superb cast, Jennifer Jason Leigh is the outstanding performer, and she earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Daisy Domergue, the captured gangster at the center of the movie’s violent struggle.
In a superb cast, Jennifer Jason Leigh is the outstanding performer, and she earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Daisy Domergue.
Jennifer Jason Leigh’s performance helps steadily unravel the mysteries in Tarantino’s twisty narrative. She has a coyness that betrays a subtle menace to her performance. The script never fully delves into the specifics of Daisy’s crimes, but the reactions of the other characters, coupled with Leigh’s sly disposition, are enough to suggest that she is just as dangerous and morally reprehensible as her reputation suggests.
1 Brad Pitt In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)
Cliff Booth
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Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
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Release Date July 26, 2019 Cast Tim Roth , Margot Robbie , Mike Moh , Timothy Olyphant , Al Pacino , Kurt Russell , Leonardo DiCaprio , Dakota Fanning , James Marsden , Brad Pitt , Luke Perry , Bruce Dern , Scoot McNairy , Michael Madsen , Margaret Qualley , Emile Hirsch Runtime 159 minutes
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Quentin Tarantino’s love letter to the days of Old Hollywood assembled a team of huge movie stars in an era when they are becoming increasingly hard to find. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Rick Dalton, the fading star struggling to keep up with the fast pace of the movie industry as it threatens to pass him by, but Brad Pitt steals the show as his stunt double Cliff Booth, who finds his financial fate tethered to his friend.
Not all of his scenes are necessarily vital to the plot, but they are nonetheless captivating. Pitt has enough humor and charisma to make them work.
Tarantino has always provided room to let his stars do their thing, and he gives Brad Pitt ample time on screen to simply drive around the sun-soaked streets of 1960s Los Angeles or work on some home maintenance. Not all of his scenes are necessarily vital to the plot, but they are nonetheless captivating. Pitt has enough humor and charisma to make them work. Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood sequel plan may have been scrapped, but giving Cliff Booth another couple of hours to stroll around in style wouldn’t have been a terrible idea.
Source: https://www.lsu.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment