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1[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3a55bb5b6f91b882d979f65dd1ebf7a4.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:310:Don't worry, he's not going to shoot himself. He just [[SawItInAMovieOnce saw it in a couple movies]].]]
3
4->''"When people ask me if I went to film school, I tell them, 'No, I went to films.'"''
5
6Quentin Jerome Tarantino (born March 27, 1963 in Knoxville, Tennessee) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor.
7
8His films are [[SignatureStyle characterized by]] elements including [[ProductionPosse recurring actors]], [[AnachronicOrder nonlinear storylines]], [[{{Gorn}} stylized violence]], BlackComedy, witty dialogue oft laced with pop culture references, {{Trunk Shot}}s, close-ups on feet, especially women's bare feet (don't ask), and a volume of {{homage}}s and [[ShoutOut Shout-Outs]] to other movies only attainable with an [[TheMovieBuff absurdly encyclopedic knowledge of film history]].
9
10According to legend, he learned everything he knows about filmmaking from watching old and obscure movies with his stepfather and working at a video rental store in Manhattan Beach. Creator/RogerEbert once quipped that the store owner should get a finder's fee based on Tarantino's subsequent career.
11
12Tarantino's films have earned him UsefulNotes/{{Academy|Award}}, UsefulNotes/{{Golden Globe|Award}}, UsefulNotes/{{BAFTA}} and [[UsefulNotes/PalmeDor Palme d'or]] Awards, and he has been nominated for MediaNotes/{{Emmy|Award}} and UsefulNotes/{{Grammy|Award}} Awards as well. In 2007, Total Film named him the 12th greatest director of all time. He is known for being ''very'' excited about his movies in interviews.
13
14In 2014, Tarantino announced that he planned to retire from films after making his tenth, having reportedly learned from the trajectories of other directors that it's best for him to quit while he's ahead. He has currently made nine films as of this writing (counting both parts of ''Film/KillBill'' as one film, as he intended) and hasn't backed down from the plan in interviews since. In March 2023, his tenth film was officially announced, with its script titled ''The Movie Critic'' and plans reportedly in place for shooting to occur in the fall of that year.
15
16Creator/BradPitt presented him [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR2JQ0vwCDs like this]]. Suits well for the trope page.
17
18The list of actors appearing in his films can be found [[UsefulNotes/TarantinoVerseActors here]].
19-----
20!!Works that he has been involved in:
21
22[[AC:Directed:]]
23[[index]]
24* "My Best Friend's Birthday" -- [[/index]]Tarantino's first film, shot in black and white. The plot revolves around a man attempting to do something nice for his friend on his birthday, only to have his efforts continually backfire. Many elements have been "mined" for his later works ([[Film/TrueRomance the character of Clarence and his speech about Elvis;]] [[Film/ReservoirDogs the station K-BILLY;]] [[Film/InglouriousBasterds the name "Aldo Raine";]] [[Film/PulpFiction the gag of mistaking something for coke and getting pain in one's nose as a result;]] etc.). The film was originally 70 minutes long, but was re-edited to run just over 36 minutes either due to a fire in the warehouse where the originals were kept or simply because he didn't care for the other scenes. Was never officially released, but Tarantino has hinted at possibly restoring it and giving it an official release. In the meantime, can unofficially be found on sites like Website/YouTube.[[index]]
25* ''Film/ReservoirDogs'' -- A heist film that skips the heist, jumping back and forth between the set-up and the calamitous aftermath of a jewelry store robbery. This film uses a nonlinear narrative that became a trademark of Tarantino's. The storyline is said to be based on the Ringo Lam movie ''Film/CityOnFire''. The nonlinear structure has caused a ''lot'' of comparisons to be made to Creator/StanleyKubrick's ''Film/TheKilling'', but Tarantino made it a point to downplay this.
26* ''Film/PulpFiction'' -- Various tales of sex, violence, drugs, and redemption intersect in the underworld of LA. This film put Tarantino on the map and had tremendous influence on the way films were made for the next decade.
27* The ''Series/{{ER}}'' episode "Motherhood", which features his trademark foot and {{trunk shot}}s.
28* ''Film/FourRooms'' (segment "The Man from Hollywood") -- A group of Hollywood power players hire the bellhop to serve as an impartial hatchet-man to preside over an ill-advised dare. Tarantino plays an {{expy}} of himself.
29* ''Film/JackieBrown'' -- A just-making-it flight attendant collaborates with a bail bondsman to pull a heist on an arms dealer. Low-key and more smart than bloody, it disappointed viewers who expected work as stylish as ''Pulp Fiction'', but it now has a loyal following and is critically highly acclaimed as his most "mature" work. [[TheFilmOfTheBook Adapted from the novel]] ''Rum Punch'' by Creator/ElmoreLeonard (who publically praised the film), and a subtle homage to the {{Blaxploitation}} films of the 1970s.
30* ''Film/KillBill'', Vols. 1 & 2 -- An ActionGirl, LeftForDead after being betrayed by her former lover and the other four members of the group of assassins she was once a part of, goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge.
31* A scene in the ''Film/SinCity'' movie -- specifically, Dwight driving to the tar pits.
32* The ''Series/{{CSI}}'' episode "Grave Danger" -- which is highly regarded as the best two-part episode of the entire series and features a lot of his motifs while staying within the confines of a ''CSI'' episode.
33* ''Film/DeathProof'' -- A [[SatireParodyPastiche pastiche]] of exploitation and muscle car films of the 1970s: A serial-killing stuntman targets young women, using his CoolCar as the murder weapon. This was Tarantino's half of his double-feature collaboration with Creator/RobertRodriguez, ''Film/{{Grindhouse}}''.
34* ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'' -- During UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, a group of Jewish-American Nazi-killing soldiers and a Jewish-French woman who owns a cinema hatch separate plots to kill UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler at the premiere of a high-profile German propaganda film. [[DespiteThePlan Bad luck ensues]].
35* ''Film/DjangoUnchained'' -- Tarantino's first "true" take on TheWestern, or "Southern", as he's calling it, as well as a throwback to Western-themed {{blaxploitation}} films and {{Spaghetti Western}}s. Follows a freed slave as he is mentored by a German bounty hunter to save his wife from an evil plantation owner.
36* ''Film/TheHatefulEight'' -- Tarantino's second western, narrowly rescued from a self-induced DevelopmentHell, about a group of nefarious characters trapped in a lodge in the middle of nowhere during a blizzard. Tarantino shot it in 70mm and took it on a road show with a proper 70mm projector so that audiences could see the film as ''he'' envisioned it.
37* ''Film/OnceUponATimeInHollywood'' -- In 1969, at the height of hippie Hollywood, actor Rick Dalton, former star of a western TV series, and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth are struggling to make it in a Hollywood they don’t recognize anymore. Rick happens to have a very famous next-door neighbor... Creator/SharonTate.
38[[/index]]
39
40[[index]]
41[[AC: Wrote but did not direct:]]
42* ''Film/TrueRomance'' -- A hipster with a screw loose marries a {{hooker with a heart of gold}}, steals a cache of cocaine, and flees to Hollywood with the mob and police in pursuit. Directed by Creator/TonyScott, who gave the film a happy ending. Tarantino stands behind his original vision, but approves of the ending for the film that Scott made.
43* ''Film/NaturalBornKillers'' -- Serial-murdering lovers on the lam allegedly illustrate something about violence, media, and the American psyche. Directed by Creator/OliverStone, who [[ExecutiveMeddling altered the story so much]] that Tarantino disowned the final product. (Interestingly enough, Tarantino's original script has been said to play up the story's dark satire on the media glamorization of serial killers much more clearly.)
44* ''Film/ItsPat'' -- cowriter, [[UncreditedRole uncredited]], for his friend Julia Sweeney (who had a cameo in ''Pulp Fiction'')
45* ''Film/FromDuskTillDawn'' -- A pair of hardened criminals (Tarantino and Creator/GeorgeClooney) abduct a preacher and his family, then get ambushed by vampires in Mexico. Directed by Creator/RobertRodriguez — Tarantino's close friend in the business. Tarantino also produced.
46* ''Film/CrimsonTide'' -- [[UncreditedRole Uncredited]], but rewrote or added many scenes to include his signature pop culture references. Director Creator/TonyScott went so far as to credit Quentin with saving the film, giving it what it needed to come "alive".
47* ''Film/TheRock'' -- Wrote a late draft of the screenplay. Again, pop culture references appear, particularly early on. Pay attention in particular to the scene where Creator/NicolasCage defends records as being superior to [=CDs=] — [[AuthorTract which is said to be exactly what Tarantino believes]].
48
49[[/index]]
50[[AC: His film and TV roles include:]]
51* Mr. Brown in ''Film/ReservoirDogs''.
52* Jimmie in ''Film/PulpFiction''. You'll recognize him when he asks what sign ''does not'' appear over his garage. Tarantino was going to play either Jimmie or Lance the drug dealer. He decided on Jimmie so he could be behind the camera during the adrenaline shot scene.
53* Johnny Destiny in ''Film/DestinyTurnsOnTheRadio'', his only major role.
54* A gangster in ''Film/{{Desperado}}''. He tells a classic joke and then gets shot.
55* Famous Hollywood director Chester Rush in ''Film/FourRooms''.
56* Richard Gecko in ''Film/FromDuskTillDawn'', brother of the main character and one of his largest roles.
57* He has a [[RetroactiveRecognition quick appearance]] as an ElvisImpersonator in ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'', during the episode where Sophia gets married. He's the conservatively-dressed one in the back who snaps his fingers instead of gyrating when they all get up and sing. (This is perhaps his earliest on-screen role.)
58* His smallest role is ''Film/JackieBrown'', where he just plays a voice on an answering machine.
59* He was a guest star in Creator/JJAbrams' ''Series/{{Alias}}''. He played [=McKenas=] Cole, a former SD-6 agent turned mercenary, in four episodes.
60* ''Film/LittleNicky'', where he plays a blind evangelist.
61* He appears as a corpse in ''Film/KillBill'', Episode 1.
62* An AdamWesting cameo in ''Film/TheMuppetsWizardOfOz''.
63* ''Film/PlanetTerror'' as an infected soldier who [[AttemptedRape attempts to rape]] one of the main characters.
64* Warren in ''Film/DeathProof'', the bar owner.
65* ''Film/SukiyakiWesternDjango'', a Japanese Western with a very similar modus operandi to his own works, directed by Takashi Miike.
66* Sid in ''Sleep With Me'', where he goes on a filibuster on the Ho Yay in ''Film/TopGun''.
67* ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'' as a dead Nazi being scalped. Also seen from behind in ''Nation's Pride'' as the American soldier who says, "I implore you, we must destroy that tower!" [[InsertCameo His hands]] also [[spoiler:strangle Bridget von Hammersmark]].
68* ''Film/DjangoUnchained'' as an Australian slave trader with a questionable accent [[spoiler:who gets tricked and blown up by Django]].
69* ''Film/TheHatefulEight'' as a voice-over narrator at vital points in the movie.
70* He provides comments in the documentary ''Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation''.
71* He narrates the first season of ''Series/SuperPumped''.
72
73[[AC: Executive produced:]]
74* ''Film/KillingZoe'', the directorial debut of former writing partner Creator/RogerAvary. Avary had previously written a script titled ''The Open Road'', which was the basis for ''True Romance'', and ''Pandemonium Reigns'', which became "The Gold Watch" story in ''Pulp Fiction''.
75* ''Film/TheManWithTheIronFists'': Yet another GenreThrowback, this time, to violent {{Wuxia}} movies of the 70s and 80s.
76
77[[AC: Distributed:]]
78* ''Film/ChungkingExpress'' (Tarantino founded Rolling Thunder Pictures specifically to provide Creator/WongKarWai's film with a US release)
79* ''Film/{{Sonatine}}'' by Creator/TakeshiKitano
80* ''Switchblade Sisters'' (initially released in 1975)
81* ''Hard Core Logo''
82* ''Film/TheMightyPekingMan'' (initially released in 1977)
83* ''Detroit 9000'' (initially released in 1973)
84* ''Film/TheBeyond''
85* ''Curdled''
86* ''Film/RollingThunder'' (Initially released in 1977)
87* ''Film/Hero2002'': Tarantino "presented" the film in American promotional material on the grounds that it be subtitled and un-cut.
88
89Each of his films is packed chock-full of references to other films: [[ShoutOut/QuentinTarantino here]] is a far from complete list.
90
91----
92!!Quentin Tarantino and his works provide examples of:
93%% Remember, creators don't get trivia pages. Trivia items on this page should stay here.
94* ActionGirl: Tarantino's appreciation for tough chicks is one of his personal fondnesses. Beatrix Kiddo (aka The Bride) (and almost all of the female characters from ''Film/KillBill''), the second group of women from ''Death Proof'', ''Film/JackieBrown'', and ''Film/InglouriousBasterds''' Shoshanna Dreyfus are all examples. Action Girls are also referred to in other films. In ''Pulp Fiction'', Creator/UmaThurman's character once appeared in a TV pilot entitled "[[ShowWithinAShow Fox Force Five]]." In ''Film/ReservoirDogs'', the thieves talk about strong Pam Grier characters.
95* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: Many of his characters have alliterative names. [[Film/ReservoirDogs Vic]] and [[Film/PulpFiction Vincent Vega]], [[Film/DeathProof Jungle Julia]], [[Film/DjangoUnchained Calvin Candie, Curtis Carrucan]], [[Film/TheHatefulEight Daisy Domergue, Sanford Smithers, Chester Charles Smithers, Minnie Mink]]...
96* AffablyEvil: Many of his antagonists — and ''protagonists'' as well, since they tend to be gangsters or criminals — are pleasant, polite, soft-spoken people, who have {{Seinfeldian Conversation}}s about the minutiae of life in between crimes and/or murders, mainly due to Tarantino always casting extremely charismatic actors in said roles. Arguably this reaches its crescendo with [[Film/InglouriousBasterds Hans Landa]], who's a ''frigging Gestapo officer'' and also one of the most genial people in the film.
97* AlternateHistory: A more recent theme in his work has been deliberately rewriting historical events as part of the story, as shown in ''Inglourious Basterds'' and ''Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood''.
98* AnachronicOrder: Tarantino is arguably the director most responsible for popularizing this trope in American cinema; for a brief period, it was referred to as "Quentinuity".
99* AnachronisticSoundtrack: Of the "more modern than its setting" variety. He used rock music in ''Inglourious Basterds'' and hip-hop songs in ''Django Unchained''.
100* AttentionDeficitCreatorDisorder: Tarantino has a habit of publicly brainstorming out loud, and will often verbally bounce around ideas about movies but then rarely, if ever, mention them again--and then only to announce it probably won't happen. It's a common practice among Tarantino fans to take every one of his proposed ideas with a grain of salt until filming actually starts. Here's a list of examples:
101** He wrote ''Film/TrueRomance'' and planned on directing it, but reportedly lost interest in the project, and it was subsequently handed over to Tony Scott, who took out Tarantino's signature nonlinear structure and aversion of [[GoryDiscretionShot Gory Discretion Shots]], in addition to changing the DownerEnding.
102** He mentioned his desire to make a {{Biopic}} of violent abolitionist [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brown_(abolitionist) John Brown]].
103** ''Double V Vega'', a prequel starring the Vega brothers from ''Film/ReservoirDogs'' (Vic Vega aka "Mr. Blonde", played by Creator/MichaelMadsen) and ''Film/PulpFiction'' (Vincent Vega played by Creator/JohnTravolta). Eventually, he just abandoned the idea when the actors got too old.
104** Prior to the dawn of the Creator/DanielCraig era of ''Franchise/JamesBond'', QT had designs on his own version of ''Literature/CasinoRoyale'', as a PeriodPiece in TheSixties (but potentially still with Creator/PierceBrosnan).
105** ''Kill Bill Vol. 3'', which would focus on Vernita Green's daughter being trained by a now-blind Elle Driver to get revenge on the Bride for killing her mother, which has never become anything concrete.
106** He's stated that he would like to adapt the novel ''Literature/LessThanZero'' to film.
107** ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'' was eventually made, but he had been talking about it for over ten years in one form or another, including a miniseries, to the point where it became near-vaporware in Hollywood. He also mentioned a prequel in passing.
108** He considered splitting ''Film/DjangoUnchained'' into two films like ''Kill Bill'', but ultimately decided against it.
109** ''Killer Crow'', a World War II {{Blaxploitation}} film about black soldiers who make "a warpath to Switzerland" after being "fucked over by the American military," would have been the third chapter of a [[SpiritualSuccessor Spiritual]] trilogy that began with ''Django Unchained'' and ''Inglourious Basterds''.
110** He's also spoken about doing an "earthbound" science fiction story that "wouldn't involve spaceships."
111** After ''Film/TheHatefulEight'' was released, Tarantino has spoken about a number of ideas for his next project, including a 1930s gangster film set in Australia, a contemporary movie with "a cool driving montage," and "a really, really scary horror film." It remains to be seen whether he'll follow through with any of them.
112** [[PlayingAgainstType Of all things]], he recently pitched an idea for a ''Franchise/StarTrek'' movie with the assistance of Creator/JJAbrams. Given that the future of the ''Trek'' movie series is [[DevelopmentHell currently in turmoil]], only time will tell if Trek by Tarantino ever sees the light of day.
113* AuthorAppeal:
114** His infamous foot fetish.
115** Strong women are often featured prominently in his films.
116** Constant [[ReferenceOverdosed pop-culture references]] (especially to exploitation films).
117** References to UsefulNotes/TheNetherlands.
118** Whenever he uses music from his personal record collection, he uses his own LP's with all the scratches and other audio noise to give it a personal feel. (On the officially released soundtracks, he uses the official recordings.)
119** Ethnically and culturally diverse characters, often with mixed race couples and romances.
120** EnsembleCast of various characters who are important to the story, each with their own unique personality.
121** Morally ambiguous protagonists and antagonists
122** Tarantino LOVES shooting on celluloid film rather than digitally, and it's showing more than ever now that ''The Hateful 8'' has been shot in Ultra Panavision 70, a super-wide 70mm film format that Tarantino seems to be taking advantage of as much as possible with lots of gorgeous SceneryPorn of snowy mountains and forests.
123** Westerns. When he's not referencing them constantly, he's making them. His latest project, ''Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'', stars a Western TV star.
124** Grindhouse-type exploitation films; particularly in the horror, action, martial arts, {{Blaxploitation}}, and western genres. If he's not making an outright homage to this type of movies (''Death Proof''), he's somehow mixing elements from all of them into one movie.
125** He ''really'' doesn't like [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazis]]. The entire premise of ''Inglourious Basterds'' is about a group of downright psychotic [[AntiHero Anti-Heroes]] brutally butchering Nazis in France during the occupation, while ''Once Upon A Time In Hollywood'' features ''two'' instances of this: The first is the film-within-a-film, "The 14 Fists of [=McCluskey=]", features its star Rick Dalton playing the titular [=McCluskey=], burning Nazis alive with a flamethrower while giving the [[ChewingTheScenery hammiest]] [[EvilLaugh evil laugh]] he could, while the second is in the film's ending where [[spoiler:members of the Manson Family - who adopted Neo-Nazi ideologies - are goretastically killed one after another, including once again, with a flamethrower.]]
126** Some of his characters are fans of Music/ElvisPresley and Creator/MarvelComics.
127** He's also fond of [[FoodPorn lingering, mouth-watering focus on whatever delicious foods the characters are partaking in]].
128* AuthorTract: Some people think that Tarantino is speaking through his characters when they deliver opinions on various subjects.
129* AuteurLicense: So far, the ''only'' ExecutiveMeddling a film of his has gone through... was Harvey Weinstein having Quentin split his ''Film/KillBill'' project into ''two'' films. Quentin was all too happy to oblige.
130* BadassInANiceSuit: The bank robbers in ''Film/ReservoirDogs'' and the hitmen in ''Film/PulpFiction'' wear identical black suits and skinny black ties. These suits would later reappear in ''Film/KillBill'' (the Crazy 88, and Budd in the flashbacks).
131* BerserkButton: Asking him to explain and justify the level of violence in his films has become one for him, largely because of how often he was asked it and how little his opinion has changed on it. Famously demonstrated [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrsJDy8VjZk here]].
132* BlackComedy: Maudlin topics like death and destruction are often PlayedForLaughs in his movies.
133* BlackAndGrayMorality: The majority of his protagonists, at their worst, could easily pass as {{Villain Protagonist}}s. The only reason we'd root for them is if the people they're up against are utterly reprehensible.
134* BloodyHilarious: Whenever violence breaks out in his works ([[OnceAnEpisode and it usually does]]), expect to always at least be somewhat over-the-top and sometimes bordering on cartoonish (though he occasionally does play it for NauseaFuel).
135* BookDumb: He's a high school dropout, which is clear by the grammatical errors in his screenplays, and didn't go to film school either. However, he is very well-read, is extremely well-versed in cinema, and his interviews and commentary show that he's a very intelligent person. To say nothing of the fact that he has built a hugely successful film career and won two Oscars.
136* BountyHunter: Dr. King Schultz and Django Freeman from ''Django Unchained'' and John "The Hangman" Ruth and Major Marquis Warren from ''The Hateful Eight''. In ''Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'', the lead character, Rick Dalton, plays a bounty hunter named Jake Cahill on the show ''Bounty Law''.
137* BrandX: Big Kahuna Burger, Red Apple cigarettes, Acuna Bros. Tex-Mex. He also has a tendency to revive dead brands from his own childhood like "[[Advertising/MonsterCereals Fruit Brute]]" cereal (he held onto a box after it was discontinued, which has made several appearances). He's spoken about this arising from his dislike of product placement.
138* CanonWelding: Tarantino has created a largely common universe of his films by including subtle cross-references (for instance, characters commonly refer to others; Mr. White mentions Alabama and Mr. Blonde has Scagnetti as a parole officer, Vic Vega & Vincent Vega are brothers, Jimmie from ''Film/PulpFiction'' and Mr. White from ''Film/ReservoirDogs'' have the same last name, etc.) and cameos, but he says that his movies are divided into ''two'' universes.
139** The first is an [[spoiler:alternate reality where Hitler was shot down in a theater, causing Americans to be obsessed with pop culture and extremely violent]], which consists of ''Film/PulpFiction'', ''Film/ReservoirDogs'', ''Film/TrueRomance'', ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'', ''Film/DeathProof'', and probably ''Film/FourRooms'', ''Film/TheHatefulEight'', ''Film/DjangoUnchained'', and, assuming the latter, then ''Film/{{Shaft}}'' and its sequels (as Tarantino has claimed that Broomhilda von Shaft and Django are the ancestors of John Shaft) and Franchise/{{Zorro}} (as Tarantino and Matt Wagner collaborated on a graphic novel crossover between the two characters).
140** The second is [[ShowWithinAShow a set of films that the characters in the above universe watch]] — the stuff so crazy over-the-top that it qualifies as escapism for people who live in a world where ''Film/PulpFiction'' happened. These are ''Film/KillBill'', ''Film/FromDuskTillDawn'', ''Film/NaturalBornKillers'', and possibly ''Film/{{Machete}}'' and ''Film/PlanetTerror'' because of cameos of Earl and Edgar [=McGraw=] in both movies. Interestingly, the title character in ''Film/{{Machete}}'' appears in another of Creator/RobertRodriguez's films...''Film/SpyKids''. According to Creator/DannyTrejo, they're the same person. [[BellisariosMaxim How this works is probably better left unquestioned.]]
141** ''Film/JackieBrown'' takes place in its own universe, as it is an adaptation of an Elmore Leonard novel and is aesthetically distinct from Tarantino's other works.
142* CaptainObvious: Tarantino enjoys scattering dialogues around that make jokes about obvious things.
143** In ''Film/ReservoirDogs'': Mr. Blonde: ''"Either he's alive or he's dead, or the cops got him, or they don't."''
144** In ''Film/JackieBrown'': Jackie showing the contents of her purse to the investigators: "Beauty case." "What's in it?" "Beauty ''products''."
145** In ''Film/DeathProof'': ''"Hey, who is Stuntman Mike?"'' Answer: ''"He's a stuntman."''
146** In ''Film/DjangoUnchained'': Ace Speck asks Schultz what kind of doctor he is. The top of Schultz's cart has a giant tooth bouncing on a spring. Also:
147-->'''Stephen:''' ''"Why's I'm scarin' you?"''
148-->'''Broomhilda:''' ''"Because you scary."''
149** In ''Film/TheHatefulEight'', someone asks how "Six-Horse Judy" got her nickname and is told it's because she can control six horses at once, a feat uncommon for men and unheard-of for women.
150* CareerResurrection: Tarantino has a knack for bringing forgotten or underappreciated film genres back to attention. Certain actors whose career has been in a slump for a while have had their careers resurrected by appearing in his movies. The most spectacular example is Creator/JohnTravolta, who was a has-been ever since the ''Film/SaturdayNightFever'' craze died down, but became an A-list star again after starring in ''Film/PulpFiction''. Other actors Tarantino brought back in the limelight haven't had quite the same level of career revival but still became more notable in mainstream media again include Creator/PamGrier, Robert Forster, Creator/HarveyKeitel and Creator/KurtRussell. Additionally, Creator/JenniferJasonLeigh's performance in ''Film/TheHatefulEight'' earned her her first ever Academy Award nomination, following years in which she had been acting in somewhat more low-key projects.
151* ChannelHop: From Creator/{{Miramax}} to successor company Creator/TheWeinsteinCompany. After Harvey Weinstein's sexual assault allegations had surfaced in October 2017, Tarantino jumped ship to Columbia Pictures, who distributed ''Once Upon a Time in Hollywood''.
152* ChronicallyKilledActor: In his cameos in his own films, Tarantino's character is typically killed off (the exceptions being ''Film/PulpFiction'' and ''Film/DeathProof'').
153* ClusterFBomb: Tarantino's dialogue is infamously heavy on profanity, and he's not afraid of dropping [[NWordPrivileges n-bombs]].
154* CodeName: ''Film/ReservoirDogs'', taken from ''Film/TheTakingOfPelhamOneTwoThree''. Later followed by ''Film/KillBill''.
155* CoolCar: Once claimed on ''Radio/TheHowardSternShow'' that the ''Pussy Wagon'' is sitting in his driveway. [[http://lolsnaps.com/funny/48290/ Story checks out]]. It’s not his usual ride, but he did once take it on a road trip to Vegas.
156* CreatorBacklash:
157** As the filmmaker most closely associated with Harvey Weinstein, once the flood of sexual harassment and assault accusations against him broke open in 2017, Tarantino quickly tried to distance himself from him. In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6idYrWKDarA subsequent interviews,]] he remarked that he knew that Weinstein had a reputation for being a creep towards women in the office, but had never known some of the more heinous allegations. He referred to Weinstein as a sort of "f-cked up father figure," and regretted not speaking out or doing more.
158** His pressuring of Creator/UmaThurman into performing a dangerous driving scene in ''Film/KillBill'' that caused her to crash and sustain permanent injuries also came back to haunt him during the [=#MeToo=] movement and forced him to issue an apology.
159** Though he's still proud of it to some extent, Tarantino has admitted that he thinks ''Death Proof'' is the worst movie he's done, stating that he "over-tweaked" the film.
160* CreatorCameo: Frequently plays bit parts in his movies. Some like ''Film/ReservoirDogs'' and ''Film/PulpFiction'' will be minor supporting characters while others like ''Film/KillBill'' will be [[FreezeFrameBonus blink and you'll miss it.]]
161* CreatorKiller: Hasn't suffered one himself, but he famously [[DiscussedTrope analyzed the trope]] for Charlie Rose during their 1996 interview for ''Film/PulpFiction''.
162* CreatorProvincialism: He was raised in Los Angeles and quite a few of his films are set there. He also occasionally makes reference to Tennessee, where he was born.
163* DisownedAdaptation: Tarantino rather famously stated that he wanted to slap Creator/OliverStone after seeing the final product of ''Film/NaturalBornKillers.''
164* DoubleStandardRapeMaleOnMale: Averted. Despite the violent and deliberately trashy plots of many of his films, men raping men is portrayed as no less hideous or evil than men raping women in the two cases it's happened so far, [[spoiler:Marsellus by two creepy guys in ''Film/PulpFiction'' and Sanford Smithers' son being raped by Warren, [[UnreliableNarrator if it happened]], in ''Film/TheHatefulEight'']].
165* EnemyEatsYourLunch: A frequently-recurring trope in his films, often used as a power move by a character looking to intimidate another character. It's even a DiscussedTrope in ''Film/TrueRomance'':
166-->'''Drexl Spivey''': I think you're too scared to be eating. Now see, we're sitting down here, ready to negotiate, and you've already given up your shit. I'm still a mystery to you, but I know exactly where your white ass is coming from. See, if I asked you if you wanted some dinner, and you grabbed an egg roll and started to chow down, I'd say to myself, "This motherfucker's carrying on like he ain't got a care in the world. Who knows, maybe he don't. Maybe this fool's such a bad motherfucker, he don't got to worry about nothin', he just sit down, eat my Chinese, watch my TV." You ain't even sat down yet.
167* EverybodysDeadDave: So far, has appeared in three of his films: [[spoiler:''Film/ReservoirDogs'', ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'', and especially ''Film/TheHatefulEight'']]. In general, very few {{karma houdini}}s exist in his films, but the greyer characters don't go down without a fight.
168* EvilVersusEvil: Many of the conflicts in his movies are between two groups of evil or antagonistic characters, though you can almost always expect one side to be ALighterShadeOfBlack.
169* ExtremelyShortTimespan: Quite common in his films. ''Film/ReservoirDogs'', ''Film/PulpFiction'', ''Film/TheHatefulEight'', and ''Film/OnceUponATimeInHollywood'' all take place over the span of a day or two.
170* FoodPorn: His fondness for focusing on food is not as ubiquitous as some of his other fetishes, but when it shows up, it's hard to miss. Examples include [[EnemyEatsYourLunch Jules helping himself to Brett's cheeseburger]] and Vincent and Mia sharing a milkshake in ''Film/PulpFiction''; Stuntman Mike gorging on nachos in ''Film/DeathProof''; Hans ordering strudel for himself and Shoshana ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'', complete with lingering shot of the waiter generously scooping whipped cream onto the pastry; Dr. Schultz pouring himself and Django some nice, frothy beers and Calvin indulging in vanilla cake in ''Film/DjangoUnchained''; and the titular cast of ''Film/TheHatefulEight'' sharing a pot of savory-looking stew.
171* FootFocus: His films usually feature rather blatant {{fan service}}-y shots of women's bare feet. Lampshaded by WebVideo/HonestTrailers, who managed to create a 1 minute 40 second music video made entirely of foot shots without reusing a single one. Creator/BradPitt put it best:
172--> '''Creator/BradPitt''': [[https://youtu.be/2E06W_56YFY?t=52 Seriously, Quentin has separated more women from their shoes than]] [[OverreactingAirportSecurity the TSA]].
173* FunWithForeignLanguages: Tarantino has demonstrated a fascination with foreign languages in his movies, often as part of the [[SeinfeldianConversation Seinfeldian Discussions]] his characters have, or, on a bigger scale, a key plot point. Special mention goes to Inglourious Basterds, which makes use of the latter on two occasions.
174* GallowsHumor: A lot of the comedic moments in his films follow truly awful or violent acts, so they can defuse the tension of the scene. Think Mr. Blonde's snark after [[spoiler:cutting off the cop's ear]] or when Vincent Vega [[spoiler:shot Marvin in the face]].
175* GenreThrowback: Most of his films are throwbacks to the various genres of Grindhouse[=/=]ExploitationFilms from the 70s and 80s.
176* {{Gorn}}: He's earned himself equal amounts of praise from movie buffs and scorn from MoralGuardians for the copious amounts of blood and gore in his movies, whether it's played for horror, drama, or BlackComedy. Notably, horror director Creator/WesCraven had to walk out of ''Film/ReservoirDogs'' because ''[[TooSpicyForYogSothoth it was too violent even for him]]!''
177* GoryDiscretionShot: [[ZigZaggedTrope Zigzagged]] quite a bit. Some particularly violent moments are shot from a distance (the bat scene from ''Inglourious Basterds''), are obscured (the dog-mauling scene from ''Django Unchained''), or simply done off-screen (the ear-scene from ''Reservoir Dogs''). This nevertheless contrasts with his more explicit depiction of violence on other occasions, as explained above, and he will sometimes [[SubvertedTrope subvert]] this trope by showing the gory aftermath of an off-screen action, like the aforementioned ear scene.
178* HalfwayPlotSwitch: ''Film/FromDuskTillDawn'' and ''Death Proof'' both change gears jarringly. ''Film/DeathProof''[='=]s switch was a deliberate homage to [=grindhouse=] films, where directors would often cut together two completely unrelated films, often unfinished, to make one whole product.
179* IWasQuiteAFashionVictim: He admitted in an interview that he dressed a lot like Music/ElvisPresley during TheEighties. He doesn’t seem too embarrassed by it, however, and even credits it for landing him the above-mentioned ''Golden Girls'' cameo.
180* {{Keet}}: Oh, so very much. He's ''very'' energetic and enthusiastic and never seems to slow down.
181* LanternJawOfJustice: He's quite well known for his epic jawline.
182* LargeHam: And damn proud of it!
183* MametSpeak: He's noted that Creator/DavidMamet was one of his three key inspirations, dialogue-wise. (The other two are Creator/ElmoreLeonard and Creator/RichardPryor.)
184* MexicanStandoff: Featured in a number of his works, including ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'', in which the participants stop to argue about whether their position constitutes a Mexican Standoff.
185* MinorCrimeRevealsMajorPlot: A personal example for him. Incidents between Harvey Weinstein and at least a couple of women associating with Tarantino in a span of several years → a pattern of serial sex abuse involving Weinstein. [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil Needless to say, Tarantino was both super embarrassed and super PISSED.]]
186* {{Motifs}}:
187** Revenge features as a theme in several of his creations:
188*** For ''Film/KillBill'': the hero's motivation is revenge through both films.
189*** In ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'', Shoshanna's whole motivation is revenge for what was done to her family.
190*** Revenge plays a big part in ''Film/DjangoUnchained'' for Django. First against the Brittle brothers, then later against the people of Candieland. Django also often expresses the desire to kill white people as revenge for the suffering of black slaves.
191*** The main motivation of the villain of the CSI episode he directed is revenge for the death of his daughter, which he blames the cops for.
192** Tarantino's films run the opening credits in the fairly average order as other films that display their credits at the beginning. However, he often saves the "Written and/or Directed by" part to kick-off the end credits.
193* MotorMouth: He's known for talking extremely quickly and with a ''lot'' of energy.
194* TheMovieBuff: His knowledge of cinema is absolutely ''staggering'', even compared to other filmmakers. Let's put it this way: If a film exists, chances are excellent that Tarantino has seen it and has possibly even referenced it.
195* MsFanservice: The classic Tarantino woman: ethnically diverse, [[ActionGirl often deadly]], invariably beautiful, [[AuthorAppeal frequently shoeless.]]
196* NestedStory: How his SharedUniverse CanonWelding functions.
197* NiceGuy: He's often been described as very good to work with by actors.
198* NobleDemon: Since in most of Tarantino's movies almost every single character is a ruthless murderous criminal, there's usually at least one of these to give the audience someone to vaguely support and many will display some code of honor or loyalty to their associates. It's the ones that don't that are truly reprehensible.
199* NothingButHits: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. Even though a lot of the music in his films is popular, he also uses several obscure tunes and niche movie themes. He has actually lifted several songs from obscurity due to his use of them.
200* NWordPrivileges: Some of Tarantino's white characters have them. Some don't, but use the word anyway, as racists. His tendency to feature this trope in his scripts has gotten him in hot water in the past, though he generally had the support of his black cast members in regards to the practice (leading to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOlNHXQCT_4 a somewhat notable moment]] during a Creator/SamuelLJackson interview where Jackson dared his white interviewer to say the word out loud without resorting to the TWordEuphemism, and when the reporter was embarrassed and couldn't bring himself to say it even at Jackson's express invitation, Jackson laughed and refused to let him ask about its use in ''Film/DjangoUnchained'').
201* OneLiner: Several lines of dialogue tend to be these.
202* OneLinerEcho: From ''Film/DeathProof'':
203-->''"Now, look, you can't look like you're trying to get her out of here before Christian Simonson shows up, but you've got to get her out of here before Christian Simonson shows up."''
204* OrbitalShot: Notably used in the opening scene to ''Reservoir Dogs''.
205* PlayingAgainstType: Arguably ''Film/JackieBrown''. Honestly, anyone used to viewing Quentin as a "gore-freak" making uber-"wild-and-crazy" flicks are in for a ''shock'' upon seeing this (relatively) slow-paced and ''mellow'' character-oriented piece. Additionally, it's the one straight adaptation of his filmography, basing itself off of the Elmore Leonard novel ''Rum Punch''.
206* PopCulturedBadass: Many of Tarantino's are this thanks to his pop-culture obsessiveness. Examples include [[Film/PulpFiction Jules and Vincent]] and [[Film/KillBill Bill]]. The biggest example is probably [[Film/InglouriousBasterds Shoshanna Dreyfus]], a theater owner in Nazi-occupied France who freaking ''kills'' with pop culture.
207* PopCulturalOsmosis: Tarantino's use of certain bubblegum pop hits or movie soundtracks has given certain melodies different associations in the ears of younger movie audiences. For example:
208** When Dick Dale's surf rock song "Misirlou" plays, people tend to think of [[Film/PulpFiction sharply dressed hitmen]] rather than the beach.
209** For instance, when one hears the whistling theme "Twisted Nerve" by Music/BernardHerrmann, most people won't think of the 1968 film thriller of the same name, but rather [[Film/KillBill a certain eyepatch-wearing nurse]]...
210** The ''Series/Ironside1967'' sirens have gained far more notoriety (up to the point of MemeticMutation) being used in homages to ''Kill Bill'' than in reference to the original show.
211* ProductionPosse:
212** From a producer-standpoint, Harvey Weinstein, until the 2017 sexual violence exposé on him totaled the Weinstein Company.
213** From an acting standpoint -- Creator/SamuelLJackson, Creator/TimRoth, Creator/UmaThurman, Creator/MichaelMadsen, Christoph Waltz, James Parks and Creator/HarveyKeitel, amongst others.
214** Sally Menke edited all of his movies up through ''Inglourious Basterds'' until her tragic death in 2010. His subsequent films have been edited by Fred Raskin.
215** The cinematography for all of his films since ''Kill Bill'' have been done by Robert Richardson, with the exception of ''Death Proof'' (which Quentin Tarantino did himself). Before this, Andrzej Sekula shot both ''Reservoir Dogs'' and ''Pulp Fiction'' in addition to Tarantino's segment of ''Four Rooms''.
216* PromotedFanboy:
217** Quentin Tarantino was an oldschool fanboy of Blaxpoitation, Western, and Revenge Flicks. [[AuthorAppeal Guess what types of movies he makes now?]]
218** He went from a fan of old Creator/ShawBrothers kung fu movies to working with the studios directly, notably when the old Shaw Brothers studio lot was re-opened for filming of ''Kill Bill'' (for filming the House of Blue Leaves fight).
219* RapeAsDrama:
220** In ''Film/PulpFiction'', [[spoiler:Marsellus Wallace is being raped by two creepy guys in a basement. Yet Butch comes back to save him and kills one of them with a sword, while Marsellus shoots the other one in his crotch and informs him that he's gonna call up some of his gang members to torture him for hours, basically getting "medieval on your ass."]]
221** In ''Film/KillBill'', The Bride was raped multiple times while she was in a coma. She gets her revenge, though, in the most badass way possible!
222** In ''Film/TheHatefulEight'', [[spoiler:Warren claims to have forced Smithers' son to perform fellatio on him. While it's implied that [[ButForMeItWasTuesday he doesn't even remember Smithers' son]] and is just [[UnreliableNarrator trying (successfully) to provoke Smithers into drawing his weapon on him]], it's still treated as a MoralEventHorizon and Warren eventually suffers DeathByIrony when he is shot in the groin.]]
223* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: While most of Tarantino's characters are either morally grey or just bankrupt, rapists always get a gruesome comeuppance. Unsurprisingly, in real life, Tarantino was upset when he learned a that couple of sexual incidents his boss Harvey Weinstein had been involved in, including one with then-girlfriend Mira Sorvino, were part of a larger, more disturbing pattern of sexual abuse than he had realized (read: they turned out to not be mere isolated incidents), and his response was predictable to those who had seen enough of his movies.
224* RecycledSoundtrack: Up until ''The Hateful Eight'', Tarantino never used original scores in his movies, opting instead to reuse various pop songs or other movie themes for his films.
225* ReferenceOverdosed: Tarantino fills his films with references, especially to other movies, to the point that some critics have accused him of being derivative. Even his production company is named A Band Apart, after ''Bande à Part,'' the famous film by Creator/JeanLucGodard.
226* RuleOfCool: He more or less bases ''entire movies'' around something that just sounds damn cool (to him).
227* SeinfeldianConversation: Characters will often engage in discussions about various trivia that do not seem to have any bearing on the plot. Sometimes they actually do, and other times they're more for character or effect.
228* SelfDeprecation: Many of the roles that he casts himself in are particularly stupid and unpleasant characters who rapidly meet unpleasant fates.
229* ShoutOut: [[ShoutOut/QuentinTarantino Has his own page.]]
230* SitcomArchNemesis: Sort-of, with Creator/SpikeLee. Lee repeatedly slams Quentin for claiming NWordPrivileges for his movies. Tarantino does not take kindly to the DoubleStandard.
231* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Despite the extraordinary violence and brutality, a lot of his works could be considered quite idealistic. Villains often show human sides, characters often act in noble ways [[HonorBeforeReason even when it would be best to be pragmatic]], and people who show kindness or honor are rewarded in some way, [[RedemptionEqualsLife usually by surviving the film]]. This is arguably most apparent in ''Film/PulpFiction''.
232* SmallNameBigEgo: Many have accused his performances in his own works as seeming like this trope. Whether this is [[SelfDeprecation intentional]] or not is up for debate.
233* SoulBrotha: One or more cool (but not superficial) black/Afro-American characters are present in most of his films.
234* SoundtrackDissonance: Music tends to be classic pop, rock, and soul hits from the '60s and '70s. Or even really obscure stuff from the '60s and '70s. ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'', in particular, features a scene with an awesomely anachronistic pop soundtrack.
235** ''Film/ReservoirDogs'' has [[spoiler:a torture scene set to the tones of the bubblegum hit "Stuck In The Middle With You"]].
236** ''Film/PulpFiction'' uses a lot of surf instrumentals in a story that doesn't even take place near a beach.
237** The fight between the Bride and O-Ren Ishii in Film/KillBill is set to [[spoiler:a funky disco cover of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" by Santa Esmeralda]].
238* SpeechCentricWork: His films typically feature large amounts of dialogue, often of the [[SeinfeldianConversation Seinfeldian]] variety. This was particularly notable in ''Film/DeathProof'', which features very long periods of dialogue before the action finale. Tarantino explained that this was part of his grindhouse pastiche, because grindhouse films often padded their running time with dialogue to save money.
239* TaughtByExperience: He didn't go to film school and learned everything he knows about film from watching and making them.
240* TheOner: Used in all of his films.
241* TheVerse: Various films Tarantino has worked on feature callbacks to other works, showing they are in the same universe. For instance:
242** Various product and company names are referenced, such as Big Kahuna Burger and Red Apple cigarettes. (These respective products are also referenced in ''Film/RomyAndMichelesHighSchoolReunion'', of all movies, as Mira Sorvino was dating Quentin at the time and the movie's production designer wanted to reference this; whether or not the movie actually takes place in either of his film universes in unclear.)
243** ''Reservoir Dogs'' was supposed to imply that Alabama from ''Film/TrueRomance'' went on to become Mr. White's old accomplice, but the ending of ''Film/TrueRomance'' was changed, making this unlikely.
244** Victor Vega (Mr. Blonde) from ''Film/ReservoirDogs'' and Vincent Vega from ''Film/PulpFiction'' are supposed to be brothers, and a spin-off film about them was planned but never made. Because [[spoiler:both brothers die]], the movie would have had to be a prequel, but by the time that both Creator/MichaelMadsen and Creator/JohnTravolta had an open schedule at the same time, they had both visibly aged enough that having them play younger men would break the WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief.
245** The sheriff killed at the beginning of ''Film/FromDuskTillDawn'' appears in ''Film/KillBill'' and both halves of ''Film/{{Grindhouse}}'' (the first of which has him surviving TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt, thus making continuity difficult to establish).
246** Lee Donowitz of ''Film/TrueRomance'' is reportedly the son of Donny Donowitz of ''Film/InglouriousBasterds''. As ''Website/{{Cracked}}'' points out, this implies Hitler was successfully [[spoiler:assassinated at the La Gamaar cinema]] in this universe.
247** One of the bandits mentioned in ''Film/DjangoUnchained'' is Crazy Craig Koons, a member of Smitty Bacall's gang — and a possible ancestor of Captain Koons from ''Film/PulpFiction''.
248** Oswaldo Mobray from ''Film/TheHatefulEight'' is eventually revealed to be [[spoiler:outlaw English Pete Hicox, who shares a surname with Archie Hicox from ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'', a character whom Tim Roth was originally asked to portray.]]
249* TranquilFury: In his first interview since the Weinstein scandal broke, Tarantino acknowledged he had known at least some details regarding Harvey Weinstein's sex drive in part thanks to an incident he had learned of years before involving then-girlfriend Mira Sorvino, and also because Uma Thurman had told him about unpleasant experiences with the producer during the production of ''Film/KillBill'', and is angry not just with Weinstein regarding the true extent of it, but also with himself for not doing anything about it sooner, before encouraging men who had worked with Weinstein to come out earnestly with their stories.
250* TrunkShot: One of his most famous trademarks, appearing in all his films.
251* UnabashedBMovieFan: Tarantino ''loves'' low-budget genre films, citing them as one of his major influences and has an encyclopedic knowledge of them.
252* UncreditedRole: He was an uncredited script doctor for ''Film/CrimsonTide''.
253* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
254** Along with aforementioned projects he's announced and never followed through with, Tarantino was also the first choice to direct both ''Film/{{Speed}}'' and ''Film/MenInBlack'', but he turned both films down in order to create ''Film/PulpFiction''.
255** He famously lobbied to direct ''[[Film/CasinoRoyale2006 Casino Royale]]''... since the 1990s. No less a person than Creator/SeanConnery said it would be an inspired idea.
256** Early in his career, Quentin tossed around the idea of making a superhero film about ComicBook/LukeCage.
257* [[WhipPan Whip Zoom]]: Used frequently from ''Kill Bill'' onwards.
258* WorldOfSnark: Everyone in his movies seems to have some clever remark or retort.
259* WouldHitAGirl: Because he despises rape doesn't mean he won't get rough with a woman when the situation calls for it. A notable example is a scene where Budd spits on the Bride in ''Film/KillBill''. Tarantino doubled for Michael Madsen in that scene partly because he didn't think Madsen would be able to get it right, and partly because Uma Thurman insisted on it. And then there's also Thurman's infamous [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quentin_Tarantino#Controversies car accident]] that occurred during the filming of the same movie, due to Tarantino's reckless engrossment in its production.

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