Director's Spotlight - The Films of: Quentin Tarantino (1992-2007)

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."Reservoir Dogs" .(1992)
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In my mind, the ultimate Tarantino film is "Reservoir Dogs". This was the one that made him famous, and it's his most simplistic, yet most realistic and effective film to date. I don't think you could have asked for a better script. Not only is "Reservoir Dogs" my favorite Quentin Tarantino film, but out of all of the films that I've seen from the 90's (I still have a lot of catching up to do) it's my favorite. There are so many quotable lines of dialogue, and while most of them at least feature the F word three or four times, that doesn't take away from the great value. Not only was the directing and the script pitch perfect, but the acting, specifically by Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Harvey Keitel, Chris Penn, and the menacing presence of Michael Madsen, are all put to focus perfectly. Each of those actors put on outstanding performances. "Reservoir Dogs" is one of my all-time favorites.
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."Pulp Fiction" .(1994)
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A step forward for Tarantino in storytelling and character progression, "Pulp Fiction" proves that not every director goes through a sophomore slump. Although I don't like it quite as much as "Reservoir Dogs" due to a lack of explosive energy as to the above mentioned film, "Pulp Fiction" nevertheless highly entertains even through it's lengthy 154 running time. The way Tarantino presents each of the intersecting stories in "Pulp Fiction" is terrific, as he doesn't even use linear storytelling, the same technique that made Chritopher Nolan's masterpiece "Memento" such a sensation. Tarantino doesn't tell his story backwards like Nolan did in his film, but rather makes the audience have to be on their tows throughout the experience with the unlinear storyline. The acting in "Pulp Fiction", just like in "Reservoir Dogs", is marvelous. John Travolta, Bruce Willis, and Uma Thurman are terrific, and Samuel L. Jackson really stands out, especially in the last scene of the film, which is one of the greatest ever on film.
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."Jackie Brown" .(1997)
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A lot of people love "Jackie Brown". For me, it's director Quentin Tarantino's weakest film by far. It's not that I think it's a bad film. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that it was so disappointing, I might have at least given it three stars. It's not entirely Tarantino's fault. He based the film on the Elmore Leonard novel "Rum Punch". Maybe it was the uneven pacing that set me off. The film runs at 155 minutes, which is one minute longer than Tarantino's previous effort "Pulp Fiction". And the bigger problem is that "Pulp Fiction" had a much more compelling story, as well as more interesting characters. I felt "Jackie Brown" lagged on way too much in spots. I enjoyed the acting. Samuel L. Jackson was just as good in "Jackie Brown" as he was in "Pulp Fiction". Pam Grier was terrific as the title character, and Robert DeNiro was a breath of fresh air as a sort of comedic presence in the film. If it were out of any other director's resume, "Jackie Brown" would stand out as a very good entry. But beings it's in Quentin Tarantino's resume, along with such great films as "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction", "Jackie Brown" just stands out as being solid.
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."Kill Bill Vol. 1" .(2003)
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I remeber the first time I saw "Kill Bill Vol. 1". It was just over three years ago, and I was completely blown away. It was my first encounter with a Tarantino film, and I thought the film was just mezmerizing. Watching the film for the second time recently, I can see why I was so blown away. The action. Tarantino hasn't always been known for his action scenes. He's mainly known for his brilliant dialogue and interesting characters, but "Kill Bill Vol. 1" represents a step in the action mastery for Tarantino. I can't say I loved the film upon the second viewing as much as I did with the first; the film's strangeness factor was sort of unappealing to me, and was mainly the reason I couldn't quite give it four stars. But the story, for the most part, is perfect and easy to follow, and the dialogue, while certainly cheesy, is still pure-Tarantino. The performances are also strong, particularly Uma Thurman as the lead character, The Bride. "Kill Bill Vol. 1" is the most action packed film Quentin Tarantino has ever done, but it may also be one of his most entertaining. It may not old all of the great, prolonged scenes of fantastic, witty dialogue, but "Kill Bill Vol. 1" will leave you longing for "Kill Bill Vol. 2", and I think that's the best compliment I could possibly pay the film.