We can debate all day what Quentin Tarantino’s best film is — I’ll personally vouch for “Pulp Fiction,” which quite literally reinvented film form, but there are plenty of other great ones in contention.
One film that seems to have aged very well is “Jackie Brown,” which was Tarantino’s follow-up to “Pulp Fiction,” and it didn’t really get great reviews when it was released in the fall of 1997. Star Samuel L. Jackson says it’s because people were expecting another “Pulp Fiction”:
The problem is, it wasn’t Pulp Fiction 2. It was a great movie. Possibly a better movie. But it wasn’t Pulp Fiction 2. That’s what people wanted, until they realized, Okay, this guy has other ideas about what he wants to do. That didn’t happen until Kill Bill.
Of course, “Jackie Brown” was eventually reappraised and is now known as one Tarantino’s best films. It featured career-best work from Pam Grier and Robert Forster, but also excellent turns from Robert De Niro and Jackson.
In a brief exchange on Threads, James Gunn replied to a still image of “Jackie Brown” from fellow director Brian Koppelman. Gunn revealed that, to him, the film is both Tarantino’s most underrated and best film.
Koppelman replied, “Let’s not get crazy, man. It’s 4th or 5th, but still great.” To which Gunn admitted that he doesn’t know any filmmaker friends who don’t have “Jackie Brown” as their #1 or #2 Tarantino.
After some more back and forth, Gunn outlined his favorite films:
“Jackie Brown,” “Pulp Fiction”, “Kill Bill”, and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”. The rest are after that.
I’d probably have that top 4, but in different order — “Reservoir Dogs” completes the top 5. Regardless, is Gunn correct? Is “Jackie Brown” Tarantino’s magnum opus? It’s most certainly in contention for the best opening credits of QT’s filmmaking career.