With iconic movies like Pulp Fiction (1994) and Reservoir Dogs (1992) to his name, Quentin Tarantino is rightly considered one of the best and most influential directors of all time. His filmography certainly backs up that claim, with even his lesser-received movies, like The Hateful Eight (2015), still cited as a favorite among many. Thus, it should come as no surprise that when it comes to cinema, everyone wants to know what movies Quentin Tarantino deems the best.
The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast got Quentin Tarantino's most recent list of favorites. Here, the director declares the top 20 best movies of the 21st century, creating a limit of one film per director. Personally, I love that rule, which creates a larger margin of diversity rather than five movies from a big name like Steven Spielberg, for example. And diversity we get! Spanning violence-heavy horror to the slapstick humor of Jackass: The Movie (2002), more than one of Quentin Tarantino's best 21st-century movie choices is sure to surprise you.
Here's what Quentin Tarantino says about these 21st-century movies, why you should watch them, and where you can find them on Disney+, Plex, and more.
20. West Side Story (2021)
Honestly, of all the 21st-century titles named by Quentin Tarantino, this one might be the most surprising. Musicals don't exactly scream Tarantino, but neither do romantic dramas. Although Tarantino ranks West Side Story in last place, he calls it "the one where Steven [Spielberg] shows he still has it." Personally, I'm not quite sure anyone decided Spielberg didn't still have "it," but, yeah, West Side Story is good.
Funny enough, the movie actually bombed upon release, despite being considered one of the best musicals of all time… by people other than Tarantino. West Side Story, of course, is a well-loved classic that Spielberg manages to capture and improve upon with a modern aesthetic, diverse casting, and an overall infectious energy. If you like musicals, Spielberg's West Side Story is a no-brainer, but even if you don't, this is the one that might change your mind.
19. Cabin Fever (2002)
Calling Cabin Fever "charming," Tarantino places Eli Roth's directorial debut in the 19th spot. Personally, I consider Thanksgiving (2023) Roth's best movie to date, but Cabin Fever definitely has its fans. With the twenty-somethings here falling victim to a flesh-eating disease rather than a masked slasher, Roth managed to put a unique spin on the typical cabin in the woods trope.
To back up Tarantino, it's both gory and humorous, with an evident love for low-budget horror movies like The Evil Dead (1981) and The Blair Witch Project (1999), among others. Be warned. Cabin Fever's body horror elements make a strong stomach necessary. Still, if you're well acquainted with the gnarly practical effects of other B-movie horror or the work of David Cronenberg, you'll be just fine.
18. Moneyball (2011)
Tarantino's love for Moneyball might have less to do with the movie itself and more to do with Brad Pitt's performance. Here, Pitt takes the lead as Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland Athletics, who scrambles to assemble a competitive MLB team with a minuscule budget. If you're not a fan of sports dramas, Moneyball is a bit niche. However, its "based on a true story" element adds a layer of intrigue for almost anyone wondering, "Well, how in the heck will this play out?"
And Tarantino is right. Brad Pitt shines as Billy Beane to the point that he steals the focus of the movie. For the right type of viewer, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Really, Moneyball is a film you need to judge for yourself. If you enjoy other underdog sports stories like Creed (2015) or The Mighty Ducks (1992), it might just be for you.
17. Chocolate (2008)
Anyone who has seen Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) knows Quentin Tarantino takes inspiration from kung fu and martial arts movies. Thus, it's not particularly surprising that he listed Prachya Pinkaew's Chocolate as one of the best movies of the 21st century. Star Yanin "Jeeja" Vismitananda delivers one heck of a performance as a teenage girl with autism who sets out on revenge quests to collect the debts of her sick mother.
As far as martial arts movies go, Chocolate is relatively underrated. Yet, as Tarantino says, it has "some of the greatest kung-fu fights" in cinema. Vismitananda delivers an outstanding performance that will genuinely leave your jaw on the ground. If you like action-heavy martial arts movies like The Raid (2011), you'll get a similar breakneck pace but with a female lead, which is pretty rad.
16. The Devil's Rejects (2005)
I'm the first person to admit that Rob Zombie is a director people either love or hate. As for Tarantino, he remains a Zombie fan, listing The Devil's Rejects, the second installment in the Firefly trilogy, as one of the best movies of the 21st century. Bold? Perhaps, but ask most horror fans (including me), and they'll tell you Zombie created his own unique niche in the genre, and you can't take that away from him. Honestly, Tarantino might describe Zombie's style best: a mash-up between a Sam Peckinpah western and "sick hillbillies."
The Devil's Rejects is filled with sadistic, gory horror that will turn away more casual audiences but delight genre enthusiasts. As a well-known fan of grindhouse flicks, Tarantino's adoration of Zombie's movie isn't too shocking. After all, he took his own dive into the genre with the aptly titled project Grindhouse (2007), the double feature release he did with Robert Rodriguez.
15. The Passion of the Christ (2004)
It feels a bit bizarre to position The Passion of the Christ just above The Devil's Rejects, but hey, this isn't my list. It's Quentin Tarantino's, and he can do what he wants. Interestingly, the director also views Mel Gibson's biblical drama as so comically violent that he "was laughing a lot during the movie." Honestly, I get it. When things get uncomfortably violent, sometimes we cope by laughing, and there aren't too many things more uncomfortably violent than Jesus being crucified.
Tarantino has been a longtime supporter of The Passion of the Christ, praising the cinematography and emotional power of the story. As he told IndieWire back in 2004, "It has the power of a silent movie," and that he "couldn't believe that Mel Gibson directed it." While the movie isn't without controversy, The Passion of the Christ offers one of the most gritty and realistic takes on Jesus Christ's story and sacrifice to date.
14. School of Rock (2003)
Richard Linklater's School of Rock is a bona fide classic of early 2000s comedies. Tarantino loved his theater experience, describing it as "real fun, fun, fun screening." The movie, of course, follows Jack Black's struggling guitarist who finds new life at a prestigious prep school as a substitute teacher.
Anyone familiar with Jack Black's other comedy roles, like Tropic Thunder (2008) or Nacho Libre (2006), knows he shines in the genre. However, School of Rock tops them all. Heartwarming, hysterical, and filled with some killer music, it's the perfect movie for anyone craving something lighthearted and a little nostalgic. While some of us won't ever get the "fun, fun, fun" theater experience Tarantino had, School of Rock is always floating around on streaming.
13. Jackass: The Movie (2002)
Okay, forget about West Side Story. Jackass: The Movie is now officially the most surprising Quentin Tarantino pick. Tarantino loved it so much that he even showed it to the crew of Kill Bill, which was in production at the time. And he's right. Jackass: The Movie is "f***ing funny," especially if you love profane humor and teeth-gritting stunts that also might occasionally turn your stomach and make you wince.
Jeff Tremaine brought the Jackass (2000) cast over to the big screen with bigger, bolder, and grosser stunts. Obviously, if you're a fan of the TV series, you'll love this. Even if you're not, though, you just might find it strangely cathartic. Think of the Jackass crew like a modern-day Three Stooges, just with a whole lot more vulgarity rooted in their humor.
12. Big Bad Wolves (2013)
Written and directed by Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado, Big Bad Wolves evoked a comparison to Prisoners (2013) from Tarantino, who followed it up by saying Big Bad Wolves has more "guts and balls." An apt description? Perhaps. After all, Big Bad Wolves sees an Israeli cop and a desperate father team up to torture and interrogate a teacher they believe murdered and sexually assaulted several children. Like Prisoners, it's a dark vigilante story of sorts.
The main difference, perhaps, involves Big Bad Wolves' violence and vein of black comedy. Sitting somewhere between the horror and thriller genres, it's thoroughly captivating and suspenseful. It's got a certain level of ambiguity that may be frustrating to some viewers, but for others, that's the part of it that makes it so darn compelling in the first place.
11. Battle Royale (2000)
Tarantino kicks off his Battle Royale entry by saying, "I do not understand how the Japanese writer didn't sue Susan Collins [author of The Hunger Games] for everything f***ing thing she owns." Harsh? Definitely. However, most of us who've seen Battle Royale and then watched (or read) The Hunger Games (2012) have thought the same thing. That said, I stand in defense of Collins, who clearly tackles the subject in a different way and with a YA audience in mind.
That said, if you dig death game movies like these, Battle Royale is superior for those seeking more violence, grittiness, and suspense. This movie isn't for teenagers, despite its high school characters. It's for adults looking for nail-biting tension created by life-and-death stakes. Tarantino has spoken about Battle Royale before, calling it his favorite movie of the past two decades, which makes sense when you consider Tarantino's penchant for stylized violence like this.
10. Midnight in Paris (2011)
Woody Allen's fantasy comedy, Midnight in Paris, marks the middle point of Quentin Tarantino's best movies of the 21st century list. The film itself will appeal to time-travel fans, just don't expect the goofy hijinks of Back to the Future (1985). Instead, a screenwriter, played by Owen Wilson, travels back to 1920s Paris, where he interacts with creative icons, like Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein, to name a few.
For literary nerds, especially, it's a dream come true, even if the movie makes it a point to dissect the issues with deeming a specific period in time the "best." Funny enough, Tarantino directs most of his analysis at Owen Wilson, saying, "I really can't stand Owen Wilson. I spent the first time watching the movie, loving it and hating him. The second time I watched it, I was like 'ah, okay, don't be such a pr*ck, he's not so bad.' Then the third time I watched it, I found myself only watching him." I can't speak for Owen Wilson here, but if I were him, I'm not sure if I'd be insulted or overjoyed.
9. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
As someone who also ranks Shaun of the Dead as one of their favorite 21st-century movies, I get it. The movie is endlessly quotable, lots of fun, and surprisingly heartfelt. If you're a horror fan, you'll love it, and if you appreciate George A. Romero's Living Dead trilogy, you'll catch no shortage of loving homages. As director Edgar Wright has proven with movies like Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) and series like Spaced (1999), he is a big pop culture nerd, and he makes sure you know it.
What I love most about Tarantino's comments on Shaun of the Dead is this: "It's not a spoof of zombie movies, it's a real zombie movie, and I appreciate the distinction." That truly hits the nail on the head. Wright certainly shows his love for the genre, but he also manages to tell his own story without ever wandering into parody territory.
8. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
According to Tarantino, he almost didn't see Mad Max: Fury Road at all for the simple trap so many of us fall into: nostalgia. With a clear love for Mel Gibson as "Mad" Max Rockatansky, Tarantino thought what many of us did: There's no way this movie can compete with the original. Thankfully, that turned out not to be the case, with George Miller's sequel becoming the highest-grossing Mad Max movie to date.
Tom Hardy proved himself more than capable of stepping into Max's antihero shoes. Although if you've seen him as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises (2012) or as John Fitzgerald in The Revenant (2015), are you really that surprised? If you crave entertaining action balanced by a strong story, you can't do much better than Mad Max: Fury Road. It might be the fourth entry, but it makes the post-apocalyptic franchise proud.
7. Unstoppable (2010)
Although Tarantino praised Man on Fire (2004), he ultimately put Unstoppable, the last movie Tony Scott directed before his death in 2012, in the seventh spot instead. While the movie is technically a disaster flick about a runaway freight train that Denzel Washington and Chris Pine's characters struggle to stop, Tarantino considers it a monster movie. "It's one of the best monster movies of the 21st century. The train is a monster. The train becomes a monster. And it becomes one of the greatest monsters of our time. Stronger than Godzilla, stronger than those King Kong movies," he said on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast.
Honestly, it's an interesting way to look at Unstoppable and definitely an interpretation I can get behind. The movie itself is perfect for action movie fans, who also appreciate strong character-driven narratives among all the chaos. Masterfully directed, fast-paced, and all-around intense, this one will keep you on the edge of your seat. (I don't recommend watching it on your train commute, though.
6. Zodiac (2007)
David Fincher is arguably the king of psychological thrillers, and perhaps no movie shows that quite as well as Zodiac. Like Tarantino, I wasn't the biggest fan of this movie on first watch. And while I haven't had quite the same awakening as him, I do agree that Zodiac manages to pull you in, even if you're not entirely sold on it. It harbors Fincher's trademark moody aesthetic, which does wonders for immersion.
If you're at all interested in the infamous Zodiac killer, it's one of the most faithful dramatizations of the manhunt and investigation, which spans from 1969 to the early '80s here. The movie places specific emphasis on the killer's interactions with the San Francisco Chronicle and its political cartoonist, Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), who becomes involved in the investigation.
5. There Will Be Blood (2007)
With One Battle After Another (2025) recently becoming the highest-grossing movie of Paul Thomas Anderson's career, it only feels appropriate for the director to make Tarantino's list of 21st-century favorites. Here, he selects There Will Be Blood, which might be Anderson's most acclaimed movie to date, after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor and Best Cinematography.
As a western thriller with one of Daniel Day-Lewis' finest performances of all time, Tarantino says it best: "[There Will Be Blood] had an old Hollywood craftsmanship without trying to be like that." It's quality filmmaking, plain and simple. If you're looking to get sucked into a movie and get transported to another time period, There Will Be Blood will keep you engrossed for its 158-minute runtime. So, lock in.
4. Dunkirk (2017)
"Gobsmacking." That's how Quentin Tarantino described his first watch of Dunkirk—and, honestly, that feels fitting. Christopher Nolan's war movie might be one of the most visceral and immersive World War II movies out there. The dread, the tension, it all just feels so real, which makes it one of the best and most challenging watches on this list.
At this point, Christopher Nolan movies come with expectations. Films like Interstellar (2014) and The Dark Knight (2008) set the bar incredibly high, but Dunkirk more than rises to the occasion. It's yet another masterclass in cinematography, with Nolan proving once again that his movies are just as technically impressive as they are narratively engaging. War movie fans, if you haven't watched this one yet, you're missing out.
3. Lost in Translation (2003)
I'm not sure if I particularly like Tarantino using "girlie movie" to describe Lost in Translation because… eye roll. Sofia Coppola's movie might be a romantic dramedy, but its themes of loneliness and belonging are universal. It's not a "guy" or "girl" story; it's about the importance of human connection, especially when you're feeling isolated.
So, while I also don't appreciate Tarantino saying that he hasn't "seen such a girlie movie like that be so well done," I agree that Lost in Translation deserves its high spot on his list. Relatable, atmospheric, and moody in just the right ways, Sofia Coppola continues her mission of exploring the complexity of female identity with a unique softness. If you liked her other movies, like Priscilla (2023) or The Virgin Suicides (1999), you can easily get behind this one.
2. Toy Story 3 (2010)
Truthfully, I'm a bit surprised to see an animated kids' movie take second place on Tarantino's list. Then again, the Toy Story franchise has this unmatchable universal appeal that can make you laugh just as quickly as it can tear your heart in half. Lee Unkrich's Toy Story 3 put Tarantino through this very experience. As he said, "That last five minutes ripped my f*cking heart out, and if I even try to describe the end, I'll start crying and get choked up…"
Tarantino is also right. There are very few film trilogies (or franchises) that manage to nail those latter entries. However, Toy Story 3 remains a rare exception. If you like Pixar's other lighthearted yet emotionally damaging movies like Up (2009), then don't sleep on this one. Just because it's the third installment doesn't mean it isn't an "almost perfect movie."
1. Black Hawk Down (2001)
Black Hawk Down left Tarantino in a similar state as Dunkirk. Describing it as "so intense that it stopped working for [him]," it took Tarantino a couple more watches to truly label it a "masterwork." He compares the movie's "sense of purpose," "visual effect," and "feeling" to 1979's Apocalypse Now (which makes me realize now that Tarantino didn't include a single Francis Ford Coppola movie on this list).
Director Ridley Scott delivers one of the most visceral and realistic looks into combat, this time during the Battle of Mogadishu. While World War II movies so frequently dominate the genre, the Somali Civil War backdrop offers a more unique setting and time period. If you like war films, especially those with a "based on a true story" element, then you might end up ranking Black Hawk Down as high as Quentin Tarantino did here.
