Quentin Tarantino’s Favorite Movies of All Time — 20 Cinematic Gems

Quentin Tarantino and Paul Thomas Anderson hold a great deal of respect for one another and have had a number of lengthy interview or podcast style chats over the years. The two have remarkably different styles but also share a lot in common, right down to their affinity for 70mm film (Tarantino shot The Hateful 8 on 70mm and Paul Thomas shot the majority of The Master on 70mm). Tarantino recommends There Will Be Blood and finds the central character, Daniel Plainview, extremely compelling.

Quentin Tarantino loves Rolling Thunder so much that he has homaged it a number of times within his films. Tarantino. From 1995 to 1999 Tarantino had his own film distribution company, and he named this company… Rolling Thunder Pictures. While on the Empire podcast with fellow director Edgar Wright (see how we rank Edgar Wright’s filmography), Tarantino proclaimed his love for Rolling Thunder with an even wider audience.

Bong Joon-ho’s South Korean monster movie The Host is one of Quentin Tarantino’s favorite movies in recent years. Bong Joon-ho has cited Quentin Tarantino as both a source of inspiration, and as a powerful voice who championed his movies before he was a world-wide success. Tarantino also recommends Bong-joon Ho’s other films as well, such as his 2003 detective thriller Memories of Murder.

From time to time Quentin’s name gets attached to DVD and Blu-ray releases in what is known as the ‘Tarantino presents’ line of films. This label serves as a sort of ‘Tarantino stamp of approval,’ and provides lesser known, often foreign language films with a promotional boost that helps them reach a much wider audience. The Protector is one such film.

Other excellent martial arts films to receive Tarantino’s megaphone include works like Hero (2002) and Iron Monkey (1993).

Tarantino’s love for this Spaghetti Western is immediately clear through the title of his own Django Unchained. Franco Nero who starred as the titular Django in the original film has a cameo in Tarantino’s  film. As many as 30 unofficial sequels exist to the original Django, though only one, Django Strikes Again, sees Franco Nero reprising the iconic role, though that may change as there is a new sequel called Django Lives! Rumored to be in production.

Switchblade Sisters is among Tarantino’s favorite grindhouse films. It was one of the films released through his short-lived Rolling Thunder Pictures brand in an attempt to bring in a new generation of fans to the underseen girl-gang flick. This is a film that goes under many different titles depending on where you live and which copy you track down.

You might find this film going under the titles The Jezebels, Playgirl Gang, Maggie’s Stiletto Sisters, and even The Warriors II.

See how StudioBinder ranks Tarantino’s entire filmography. How does your ranking compare? Best of Tarantino Ranked by Filmmakers.

Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam war epic is one of Tarantino’s all-time favorite films and has left an indelible mark on the director’s mind. Apocalypse Now had a direct hand in inspiring the use of dogs crossing frame during the Spahn ranch scene in Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood.

Did you love Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood? Check out our Spahn Ranch scene breakdown to see how Tarantino crafts tension.

On a number of occasions, Tarantino has professed his love for the ‘hangout movie.’ He considers both Jackie Brown and Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood to be his contributions to the sub-genre. Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused is a worthy contender for king of the hangout movie.

For more QT goodness, be sure to check out our comprehensive study on the Directing Style of Quentin Tarantino.

Tarantino recommends The Great Escape, the Steve McQueen-led WWII film from director John Sturges. Tarantino’s own WWII film, Inglourious Basterds surely pulled inspiration from The Great Escape. Both Steve McQueen and The Great Escape itself make appearances and factor into the plot of Tarantino’s own Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood as well.

The immense talents of the likes of James Garner, Charles Bronson, and Donald Pleasance among many others round out this cast of memorable characters attempting to escape a POW camp in Nazi Germany.

The influence that the work of Sergio Leone had on Tarantino’s work is unmistakable. Tarantino has a great love for the best Spaghetti Westerns, none more so than The Good, the Bad & the Ugly.

Once Upon a Time in the West and Once Upon a Time in America were also important influences for Tarantino. Alongside Black Sabbath and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Tarantino considers The Good, the Bad & the Ugly one of the three most influential films for his filmmaking.

Christopher Nolan’s 2017 WWII film Dunkirk made Tarantino’s best of decade list for the 2010s, landing at the number two spot. As a die-hard proponent of practical effects, Tarantino greatly admires Nolan’s rigor in crafting such jaw-dropping scenes of warfare in as authentic a manner as possible.

Tarantino calls Taxi Driver perhaps the best character studies. It puts the viewer directly into Bickle's head — we see through his eyes. Point of view is a difficult thing to master in cinema but Tarantino posits that Scorsese absolutely nailed it.