Director Quentin Tarantino has 10 feature-length films to his name, and here’s the best order to watch them in. Tarantino’s films, each released in the years between 1992 and 2019, are truly worth viewing multiple times, but if you’re stepping into the auteur’s world for the first time, it’s not difficult to figure out the best Tarantino movie viewing order.
Of course, Tarantino is not solely a director, and has other writing and directing credits to his name, which he has produced over a long career of over 30 years. Thinking of Tarantino’s core body of work however, means considering 10 feature films (or nine, considering if you count Kill Bill as two movies or one with two parts as the director does), from Reservoir Dogs, released in 1992, up to Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood, a 2019 release. These 10/nine films can walk audiences through Tarantino’s evolving directorial style whether they be newcomers or intimately familiar with his movies. The immediacy of the violence escalates, the tension gets turned up as every scene progresses, the homages to a range of cult cinema become more involved, and Tarantino’s trademark dialogue becomes ever more whip-sharp.
In truth, the best and definitive Quentin Tarantino viewing order is going by release date:
As the journey through Tarantino’s feature films continues, the director’s style and themes evolve. Watching him progress as a storyteller, drilling even further into his already developed artistic sensibilities, can help viewers to see more intimately how Tarantino’s mind works when creating art and telling a story.
There are, of course, plenty of other orders in which to watch Tarantino’s movies. Chronologically by setting is one way, given his nine films span a portion of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries – putting the movies in order and diving in is pretty simple. Grouping films by themes is also an appropriate method. Tarantino loves a solid female protagonist, which means you could start with Jackie Brown, move on to the Kill Bill films, then take in Inglourious Basterds before moving on to more male-dominated fare. Maybe epic kills are more your thing? They’re a dime a dozen in a Tarantino film but starting with Django Unchained, moving to Kill Bill: Vol. 1, and then circling back to The Hateful Eight before watching the rest is also a solid strategy. But we’d advocate release order above all others.
Related: Reservoir Dogs Ending Explained: What Happened To Mr. Pink?
If you watch these films in order of their release date, it brings you to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Set in 1969 and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, and a very solid supporting cast, Tarantino’s most recent film should be enough to tide you over — at least, until his next film, possibly an R-rated Star Trek film, starts production.
Key Release Dates
- Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)Release date: Jul 26, 2019
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