THE QUENTIN TARANTINO FILMOGRAPHY
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Starring Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Tim Roth
94 mins; R18+; DVD/VCR
When Quentin Tarantino emerged on the filmmaking scene in the early nineties with Reservoir Dogs, the response was one that the ex-video store clerk could not have predicted – amazement, revulsion and the acknowledgement th
at there was a brilliant young maverick in Hollywood. The film, shot from Tarantino’s own script (like all of his directed films to date) surrounded five suave criminals (played by Keitel, Madsen, Roth, Steve Buscemi and Tarantino himself) who hold up a jewellery store. When things go wrong, it emerges that there is a police informant among them. Heavily based on Ringo Lam’s Hong Kong heist movie City on Fire (although this is uncredited), Tarantino puts a lot of his own work in the film as well, especially in the form of witty pop culture references. Violent, profane and forceful; bolstered by a cool seventies soundtrack (Steeler’s Wheel’s classic Stuck in the Middle With You is used infamously here) and career best performances makes this a must see and Tarantino’s best film to date. 10/10
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Starring John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson, Uma Thurman
148 mins; R18+; DVD/VCR
Based on his 500 page script (a normal feature length screenplay is 120 pages), Tarantino shot into the mainstream with this ode to the smutty paperbacks of the fifties. The film contains three interlocking crime stories played in non-chronological order about two low-rent hitmen, a mob boss’ wife and a prize fighter. The entire cast (which includes Harvey Keitel, Christopher Walken, Ving Rhames and Eric Stoltz) are remarkable and energetic and at no point does Tarantino appear to be straining. Some of the scenes from this film have gone down in cinema legend and the infusion of pop culture references is far more evident than in Reservoir Dogs. Pulp Fiction went on to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, as well as a nod for Tarantino as director, Travolta as actor, Jackson as supporting actor and Thurman as supporting actress. Tarantino and co-writer Roger Avary won the statuette for best original screenplay and the director went on to take the prestigious Palme D’Or award at Cannes. 8/10
Jackie Brown (1997)
Starring Pam Grier, Samuel L Jackson, Robert Forster, Robert DeNiro
154 mins; MA15+; DVD/VCR
The forgotten Tarantino movie and based upon renowned crim
e novelist Elmore Leonard’s book Rum Punch, Jackie Brown is an ode to the blaxploitation films of the seventies and eighties and stars genre queen Pam Grier as the titular character. When Jackie, a middle-aged flight attendant, is busted by the ATF for smuggling cash for gun runner Ordell Robbie (Jackson), she is forced to cooperate with the federal agents in order to avoid jail time. The plan is simple – with the help of a bail bondsman (Forster), Jackie must smuggle one last bag of money for Ordell, in the process setting him and his partner-in-crime Louis (DeNiro) up for a long jail stretch. But who’s playing who? The direction and performances are slow-burns and devoid of the frenetic pace of Dogs, Pulp and Tarantino’s next film Kill Bill Volume 1, making it the least accomplished of his films. However, this is still a worthy crime movie that has some very heavy stylistic elements and good performances. 7/10
Kill Bill Volume 1 (2003)
Starring Uma Thurman, Michael Madsen, Lucy Liu, Vivica A Fox
106 mins; R18+; DVD/VCR
Wow, what a film! From the get go, Kill Bill Volume 1 is an action film on acid, a menagerie of flying knives, limbs and samurai swords – from the thrilling wedding massacre sequence to the frantic House of Blue Leaves limb lopper. More graphic and blackly comic of any Tarantino movie, Kill Bill begins with an unnamed assassin (‘The Bride’, played to perfection by Thurman) being shot on her wedding day by her boss Bill (David Carradine), a sadistic hitman. But the Bride does not die and, after awakening from a four-year coma, vows revenge. There are many Tarantino devices here, from the nonlinear narrative to the bouts of over-the-top, unrealistic violence. Also notable is the casting of Michael Madsen as Budd, his first role for Tarantino since his career making performance as Mr Blonde in Reservoir Dogs. The homages are also evident, particularly of seventies kung-fu films (the film opens with the old Shaw Bros. logo) and bloody samurai efforts such as Lone Wolf and Cub. Truly excellent and unlike what any other filmmaker has even attempted. 9/10
Kill Bill Volume 2 (2004)
Starring Uma Thurman, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah
131 mins; MA15+; DVD
The conclusion of Tarantino’s double-bill, Kill Bill Volume 2 is a Jackie Brown-esque slow burn – we’ve seen the frantic action and now we are focussing on the Bride’s life leading up to that fateful wedding ceremony. Granted, the ride isn’t quite as fun but there are still a few more figureheads to dispatch, and it is in this film the titular event occurs. Gordon Liu, star of the Shaw Bros. kung-fu films, plays the brutal Pai Mei, the Bride’s martial-arts mentor. While in Vol 1 the samurai and kung-fu subgenres were the main homages, this film is an ode to the Italian spaghetti westerns and some scenes (the ‘revenge’ music, the Bride emerging from the earth) are directly derivative of some of the genre’s most iconic films. Interesting, but don’t go expecting the frantic pace of the first film. 8/10
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Starring Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Tim Roth
94 mins; R18+; DVD/VCR
When Quentin Tarantino emerged on the filmmaking scene in the early nineties with Reservoir Dogs, the response was one that the ex-video store clerk could not have predicted – amazement, revulsion and the acknowledgement th
at there was a brilliant young maverick in Hollywood. The film, shot from Tarantino’s own script (like all of his directed films to date) surrounded five suave criminals (played by Keitel, Madsen, Roth, Steve Buscemi and Tarantino himself) who hold up a jewellery store. When things go wrong, it emerges that there is a police informant among them. Heavily based on Ringo Lam’s Hong Kong heist movie City on Fire (although this is uncredited), Tarantino puts a lot of his own work in the film as well, especially in the form of witty pop culture references. Violent, profane and forceful; bolstered by a cool seventies soundtrack (Steeler’s Wheel’s classic Stuck in the Middle With You is used infamously here) and career best performances makes this a must see and Tarantino’s best film to date. 10/10Pulp Fiction (1994)
Starring John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson, Uma Thurman
148 mins; R18+; DVD/VCR
Based on his 500 page script (a normal feature length screenplay is 120 pages), Tarantino shot into the mainstream with this ode to the smutty paperbacks of the fifties. The film contains three interlocking crime stories played in non-chronological order about two low-rent hitmen, a mob boss’ wife and a prize fighter. The entire cast (which includes Harvey Keitel, Christopher Walken, Ving Rhames and Eric Stoltz) are remarkable and energetic and at no point does Tarantino appear to be straining. Some of the scenes from this film have gone down in cinema legend and the infusion of pop culture references is far more evident than in Reservoir Dogs. Pulp Fiction went on to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, as well as a nod for Tarantino as director, Travolta as actor, Jackson as supporting actor and Thurman as supporting actress. Tarantino and co-writer Roger Avary won the statuette for best original screenplay and the director went on to take the prestigious Palme D’Or award at Cannes. 8/10Jackie Brown (1997)
Starring Pam Grier, Samuel L Jackson, Robert Forster, Robert DeNiro
154 mins; MA15+; DVD/VCR
The forgotten Tarantino movie and based upon renowned crim
e novelist Elmore Leonard’s book Rum Punch, Jackie Brown is an ode to the blaxploitation films of the seventies and eighties and stars genre queen Pam Grier as the titular character. When Jackie, a middle-aged flight attendant, is busted by the ATF for smuggling cash for gun runner Ordell Robbie (Jackson), she is forced to cooperate with the federal agents in order to avoid jail time. The plan is simple – with the help of a bail bondsman (Forster), Jackie must smuggle one last bag of money for Ordell, in the process setting him and his partner-in-crime Louis (DeNiro) up for a long jail stretch. But who’s playing who? The direction and performances are slow-burns and devoid of the frenetic pace of Dogs, Pulp and Tarantino’s next film Kill Bill Volume 1, making it the least accomplished of his films. However, this is still a worthy crime movie that has some very heavy stylistic elements and good performances. 7/10Kill Bill Volume 1 (2003)
Starring Uma Thurman, Michael Madsen, Lucy Liu, Vivica A Fox
106 mins; R18+; DVD/VCR
Wow, what a film! From the get go, Kill Bill Volume 1 is an action film on acid, a menagerie of flying knives, limbs and samurai swords – from the thrilling wedding massacre sequence to the frantic House of Blue Leaves limb lopper. More graphic and blackly comic of any Tarantino movie, Kill Bill begins with an unnamed assassin (‘The Bride’, played to perfection by Thurman) being shot on her wedding day by her boss Bill (David Carradine), a sadistic hitman. But the Bride does not die and, after awakening from a four-year coma, vows revenge. There are many Tarantino devices here, from the nonlinear narrative to the bouts of over-the-top, unrealistic violence. Also notable is the casting of Michael Madsen as Budd, his first role for Tarantino since his career making performance as Mr Blonde in Reservoir Dogs. The homages are also evident, particularly of seventies kung-fu films (the film opens with the old Shaw Bros. logo) and bloody samurai efforts such as Lone Wolf and Cub. Truly excellent and unlike what any other filmmaker has even attempted. 9/10Kill Bill Volume 2 (2004)
Starring Uma Thurman, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah
131 mins; MA15+; DVD
The conclusion of Tarantino’s double-bill, Kill Bill Volume 2 is a Jackie Brown-esque slow burn – we’ve seen the frantic action and now we are focussing on the Bride’s life leading up to that fateful wedding ceremony. Granted, the ride isn’t quite as fun but there are still a few more figureheads to dispatch, and it is in this film the titular event occurs. Gordon Liu, star of the Shaw Bros. kung-fu films, plays the brutal Pai Mei, the Bride’s martial-arts mentor. While in Vol 1 the samurai and kung-fu subgenres were the main homages, this film is an ode to the Italian spaghetti westerns and some scenes (the ‘revenge’ music, the Bride emerging from the earth) are directly derivative of some of the genre’s most iconic films. Interesting, but don’t go expecting the frantic pace of the first film. 8/10
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The Gore Gore Girls (1974)
Dir. Herschell Gordon Lewis. Frank Kress, Henny Youngman
81 mins; Not Rated; DVD/VHS
**The review herein refers to the US Region 2 DVD of The Gore Gore Girls
Herschell Gordon Lewis is a luminary of the horror genre, and almost-single-handedly gave
birth to the slasher and gore film. His influence is so great that it is evident even today with the Saw films, Texas Chain Saw Massacre remakes and prequels and Wolf Creek evidently deriving much of their inspiration from Lewis’ work. The Gore Gore Girls was his last true exploitation film and is certainly one of his best to date.
When the dancers at a strip club begin to be murdered by a deranged psychopath, the suave detective Abraham Gentry and a nosy reporter Nancy Weston must race against time to locate the killer before they strike again. But, when the murders become increasingly brutal and daring, Abraham and Nancy realise that they must do far more than simply search for the killer – Nancy must pose as a dancer in order to lure the murderer out, risking her own life and that of the girls at the strip club.
The Gore Gore Girls is a fine slice of exploitation cinema and is Lewis’ most accomplished work – the violence is more realistic (though still retaining the same comedic tone as the director’s earlier films) and the humour laced throughout the film is more subtle and intentional. The acting is also fairly good for a film of this type but it is clear no one is taking the proceedings to seriously. Lewis shows some great stylistic flair in some of the gleefully deranged set pieces and the political incorrectness is refreshing in an era where the medium was very restrained. Delightfully over-the-top and an absolute must for fans of the horror genre.
9/10
Dir. Herschell Gordon Lewis. Frank Kress, Henny Youngman
81 mins; Not Rated; DVD/VHS
**The review herein refers to the US Region 2 DVD of The Gore Gore Girls
Herschell Gordon Lewis is a luminary of the horror genre, and almost-single-handedly gave
birth to the slasher and gore film. His influence is so great that it is evident even today with the Saw films, Texas Chain Saw Massacre remakes and prequels and Wolf Creek evidently deriving much of their inspiration from Lewis’ work. The Gore Gore Girls was his last true exploitation film and is certainly one of his best to date.When the dancers at a strip club begin to be murdered by a deranged psychopath, the suave detective Abraham Gentry and a nosy reporter Nancy Weston must race against time to locate the killer before they strike again. But, when the murders become increasingly brutal and daring, Abraham and Nancy realise that they must do far more than simply search for the killer – Nancy must pose as a dancer in order to lure the murderer out, risking her own life and that of the girls at the strip club.
The Gore Gore Girls is a fine slice of exploitation cinema and is Lewis’ most accomplished work – the violence is more realistic (though still retaining the same comedic tone as the director’s earlier films) and the humour laced throughout the film is more subtle and intentional. The acting is also fairly good for a film of this type but it is clear no one is taking the proceedings to seriously. Lewis shows some great stylistic flair in some of the gleefully deranged set pieces and the political incorrectness is refreshing in an era where the medium was very restrained. Delightfully over-the-top and an absolute must for fans of the horror genre.
9/10
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