Ranking Quentin Tarantino's Films Based Only on First Trailers

From 'Reservoir Dogs' to 'The Hateful Eight,' a ranking of first impressions.

Aug 12, 2015
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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Not Available Lead
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Anyone with even the mildest interest in film will know Quentin Tarantino for his distinct cinematic vision: hyper-stylization of violence, sharp and funny dialogue, and repeat use of some favorite actors (Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Christoph Waltz, to name a few). I haven't met a single Tarantino film I haven't enjoyed, but how do their first impressions stack up against each other? With today's release of the debut trailer for Tarantino's The Hateful Eight (out on Christmas Day), we ranked all nine of his directorial features only by their first trailers.

10. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)

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The first trailer for the second installment of Kill Bill leaves a bad taste in my mouth, perhaps because it's too self-aware or too reliant on the cult success of Vol. 1. This kinda just looks like Uma Thurman went terrifyingly off-script during a make-up commercial shoot.

9. Reservoir Dogs (1992)

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Thankfully, Reservoir Dogs is a much better film than it is a trailer. The trailer makes this film seem like a low-budget dude comedy with unnecessary amounts of testosterone. Maybe it's this country music in the background that's throwing me off.

8. Jackie Brown (1997)

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"What do a stewardess, a gun runner, a bail bondsman, an ex-con, a federal agent, and a beach bunny have in common?" I DON'T KNOW, BUT TELL ME. From trailer alone, this looks like campy thriller-comedy, with hilarious performances from a stellar cast. Also, Samuel L. Jackson says very on-brand Samuel L. Jackson things like, "AK-47, when you absolutely, positively gotta kill every motherfucker in the room!" Sold.

7. The Hateful Eight (2015)

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I've met a lot of period pieces I've liked, but they've always required a strong sell. A post-Civil War movie doesn't sound all too exciting, except this trailer is doing a hell of a good job selling it to me. A Tarantino cast (Jackson, Russell, Roth) plus all that tension at the barrel of a gun? Makin' me sweat in the middle of a damn blizzard. Also, I will never say no to some Samuel L. Jackson no-fuckery business. 

6. Death Proof (2007)

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Death Proof usually lands towards the bottom of a list on a ranking of Tarantino films (it doesn't hold much a flame to classics like Pulp Fiction), but we're ONLY judging based on trailers here. Boy do I love a good girls-get-revenge-on-trash-man flick. Despite how silly it looks, this trailer is irresistible. 

5. Django Unchained (2012)

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Ha ha, like I would ever pass up a movie about black people making money by killing white people that ALSO stars Leonardo DiCaprio.

4. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

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Okay remember when I said I love girl-gets-revenge-on-trash-man movies? This is a motherfuckin' girl-gets-revenge-on-a-trash-squad-led-by-a-trash-man movie. Just like in the kinda bad, self-aware Vol. 2 trailer ("what the movie advertisements refer to as a 'roaring rampage of revenge'") we see a lot more of the actual awesomeness of the film, rather than having Uma just drive around aimlessly in front of a green screen. At this point, I've come to accept the fact that all pre-2009 Tarantino trailers are corny as hell, but this one is working for me.

3. Inglourious Basterds (2009)

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As is the actual movie, this trailer successfully showcases how classic Tarantino this is: violent as hell but also hilarious. (I can't get over Brad Pitt's pronunciation of "Nazis.") Also these trailers FINALLY figured out how to not include that corny-ass trailer dude voice, which had been cramping Tarantino's style for years.

2. Pulp Fiction (1994)

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Pulp Fiction—arguably Tarantino's best film—is also Tarantino's best trailer. The Pulp Fiction trailer is so good-weird that despite the inherent corniness of pre-2009 Tarantino trailers that I've mentioned before, it lands at the No. 1 spot. Low-key got chills when John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson pointed their guns at the same time, and then again when Urge Overkill's "Girl You'll Be a Woman Soon" started playing. The trailer is pretty long (three minutes), without clarifying much of the plot of the movie—I suppose the movie is kinda confusing, too—but also literally every single scene is intriguing. Much of that has to do with the fact that Uma Thurman's screen presence is gold. This trailer makes me want to re-watch Pulp Fiction SO BAD.

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