Quentin Tarantino Says These Are the Top 20 Movies of the 21st Century, and the Selection Is… Odd

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Ignacio Weil

Entertainment - December 5th 2025, 12:00 GMT+1

West side story 2021 cropped processed by imagy — 20. West Side Story (2021)

Tarantino putting this glossy musical in his top twenty feels like he enjoys watching Spielberg play with old tools until they sparkle again, even if the film vibes more like a beautifully restored artifact than a reinvention. There’s something earnest in how it tries to honor the original while demanding to be judged as its own thing, which might be the exact kind of balancing act he respects. You can sense Spielberg refusing to coast, pouring energy into staging, color, shadow, and movement as if the genre still had something new left to say. Tarantino’s endorsement almost sounds like admiration for craftsmanship more than melodrama, a vote for the “how” rather than the “what.” And whether or not you rank it this high, the film does work as a showcase of artistic stubbornness. For Tarantino, that stubbornness might be the deciding factor. | © 20th Century Studios

19. Cabin Fever (2002)

Seeing *Cabin Fever* show up in a list of the century’s best movies is the kind of plot twist that makes you check whether someone’s playing a joke. Tarantino, however, has a soft spot for movies that take wild tonal swings, and this one lurches from frat-trip comedy to body-horror meltdown in a way that is either bold or reckless depending on your tolerance for cinematic chaos. He seems to admire how unashamedly gross and handmade it feels, like horror made by someone who dared themselves not to blink. Still, calling it one of the “best” anything is provocatively Tarantino: he likes films that leave dents, not polite impressions. You can feel him rooting for movies that refuse good manners, even when they’re messy as hell. And sure, this one’s memorable, but top twenty of the entire century? That’s where the eyebrow lifts. | © Tonic Films

Cropped Moneyball — 18. Moneyball (2011)

It’s almost funny seeing *Moneyball* sitting in the same list as splatter horror, but Tarantino has said he loves the quiet precision of its writing and the way Brad Pitt carries the whole story without theatrics. The film treats strategy like a slow-burn character drama, and that restraint seems to scratch some itch for him that loud, flashy movies can’t. You can sense a respect for films that trust the audience to stay with tension built through conversation rather than spectacle. It’s a weirdly modest movie to put on a list of the century’s greats, but maybe that’s why he values it: no gimmicks, no glow, just a story tuned like an engine. He’s always praised Pitt’s performance for being controlled, weary, and anchored. And maybe in Tarantino-land, emotional discipline makes the cut as much as audacity. | © Columbia Pictures

Chocolate 2008 cropped processed by imagy — 17. Chocolate (2008)

This is the kind of left-field pick that makes you picture Tarantino grinning as he writes it down, fully aware people will go “wait, what?” The movie is raw, unfiltered, and fueled by that scrappy energy he often champions – the kind where the filmmaking shows its seams, but the passion makes those seams part of the charm. The premise alone is daring: a young autistic girl absorbing martial-arts techniques from films and unleashing them in the real world with startling force. Tarantino has praised its commitment to physicality, the sort of choreography where you feel the bruises because the actors likely went home with them. There’s an unpolished honesty in its chaos that bigger productions would iron out. To him, that rough spark matters more than elegance. If the pick feels strange, that’s half the point. | © Sahamongkol Film International

The devils rejects msn — 16. The Devil’s Rejects (2005)

This one at least makes sense if you know Tarantino’s taste for films that don’t care about audience comfort as Rob Zombie’s grimy road-nightmare practically dares you to look away. The film abandons the last shred of morality and invites you to sit inside the heads of people you’d never willingly stand near, and Tarantino seems to admire the uncompromising confidence it takes to make something so abrasive. He’s talked about valuing boldness over likability, and this movie treats likability like an insult. The texture of it – sweaty, dusty, violent – feels like cinema that refuses to wash up. It’s not elegant, not uplifting, and not pretending to be anything other than feral. Tarantino putting it this high says he respects movies that commit completely to their tone. Even when that tone is pure grime. | © Lions Gate Films

The Passion of the Christ Jim Caviezel — 15. The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Tarantino putting this one on his top-20 is like someone turning on a flamethrower in a library: shocking, intense, and impossible to ignore. He’s said he respects its “stylized violence,” admiring how it doesn’t flinch or soften the brutality. The film is unrelenting: scenes of suffering that make you squirm, emotions that push past comfort, and a religious fervor rendered with uncompromising visual force. For a director known for pulp and grit, that courage to depict pain so graphically has a certain appeal, even if that appeal tastes dark and divisive. It feels less like a “classic” choice and more like a defiant stand: this is what cinema can do when it doesn’t care whether you like it. Whether or not you agree with that feels like the point. | © Newmarket Films

Cropped school of rock 2003 — 14. School of Rock (2003)

This feels almost innocent next to the gore and controversy of some other picks, but maybe that’s why Tarantino likes it. He’s said it’s one of the few movies in the last decades that “made him laugh from beginning to end.” It’s not about guns or blood, but about heart, music, and an irreverent joy that doesn’t try to be edgy, just fun. The film succeeds on charm, on letting kids be loud, stubborn and alive, and on a wild energy that’s catchy rather than combative. In a list filled with extremity and tension, *School of Rock* lands like a breath of fresh air, a reminder that not all great cinema needs to shake you to your core. Maybe Tarantino values it as pure, undemanding entertainment, and sometimes that’s its own kind of bold. | © Paramount Pictures

Jackass The Movie 2002 cropped processed by imagy — 13. Jackass: The Movie (2002)

If this pick doesn’t make you raise an eyebrow, you probably don’t remember what “Jackass” even meant at the time. Tarantino himself said it was “the movie I laughed the most at these last 20 years,” comparing the shock-comedy chaos to vintage Richard Pryor energy. There’s no deep theme, no elegant crafting, just pain, absurdity, and laughter born from total disregard. That it lands in a “best of the century” list says less about its artistry and more about its impact: it shocked, amused, and stayed lodged in the cultural psyche. For a filmmaker who loves to stir discomfort, the anarchic freedom of *Jackass* might read as raw, brutal honesty. Whether that’s “great cinema” or just a fever dream depends on how much you believe in cinematic rebellion. | © Paramount Pictures

Big Bad Wolves 2013 cropped processed by imagy — 12. Big Bad Wolves (2013)

Here’s a crime-thriller that doesn’t pull punches, and apparently Tarantino admired its guts. He praised its “fantastic script” and the unflinching way it handles darkness, saying it’s the kind of story an American movie wouldn’t dare tell the same way. The film builds tension slowly, lets moral ambiguity fester, and gives no easy answers, very much in line with a sensibility that loves abrasion over comfort. It’s a rugged, unforgiving ride into vengeance and desperation, raw but purposeful. Placing it this high suggests that for Tarantino, emotional honesty (even in bleakness) counts more than gloss or convention. A risky bet, maybe, but one that rewards those willing to go into the shadows with eyes open. | © United King Films

Cropped Battle Royale — 11. Battle Royale (2000)

Ending the 11–20 stretch with this one feels like Tarantino saving a grenade for last. He’s openly bitter about how its core idea got repackaged into something softer, namely *The Hunger Games*. In his words: critics who praised that novel didn’t bother to watch *Battle Royale* and “call it original,” when the blueprint was already on screen. The film itself is brutal, nihilistic, and utterly unromantic: teenagers forced into deadly combat by a dystopian government, raw violence dressed as social commentary. Tarantino seems to love it not just for its shock value, but for how mercilessly it subverts innocence and how it refuses to sugarcoat despair. It’s a hard movie to watch, harder to defend, and definitely one that challenges the idea of a “favorite.” If you ask me, that may be exactly why it’s there. | © Toei Company

Midnight in Paris 2011 cropped processed by imagy — 10. Midnight in Paris (2011)

It’s kind of surreal to imagine Tarantino – the guy who loves pulp, blood, and grit – slotting *Midnight in Paris* into his top ten. And yet, he did. He admitted that the first time he watched it, he simultaneously loved the movie and loathed Owen Wilson’s performance, then softened, then found himself rewatching just to see Wilson. That slow shift of heart says something: for him, the film works not because of high stakes or violence, but because of mood, subtle charm, and time-travel whimsy. *Midnight in Paris* isn’t about destruction or shock, it’s about wistfulness and the idea that nostalgia can sting. Maybe for Tarantino, that sting hits deeper than a punch or a gunshot. It’s odd for a director like him but maybe that’s exactly the reason it works. | © Sony Pictures Classics

Shaun of the dead msn — 9. Shaun of the Dead (2004)

A zombie-comedy on a “best of century” list might strike most people as a cheeky shrug, but Tarantino seems to see it differently. He pointed out how nicely it blends humor with horror – how it can make you laugh and cringe at the same time, which, in his world, could count as real cinematic courage. This film doesn’t ask you to suspend disbelief so much as surrender to absurdity: everyday slacker dudes trying to survive a zombie apocalypse with sarcasm and pints. And Tarantino has a soft spot for genre mash-ups and tonal shifts, especially when they’re handled with wit. It’s not polished prestige cinema but it’s messy, loud, irreverent, and precisely what makes a “top ten” feel unpredictable rather than safe. | © Universal Pictures

Mad Max Fury Road — 8. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Here’s a pick that actually makes sense in a Tarantino top-ten: *Fury Road* is violence and grandeur wrapped in desert dust and throttle-full chaos. Tarantino admitted he almost skipped it because he thought “Mad Max” without Mel Gibson sounded wrong but once he saw it, he was sold: this is what happens when a filmmaker gets all the money and time and uses them to build something spectacular. The film is a visceral sprint, where every frame throbs with energy, fury, and kinetic artistry. Tarantino seems to respect that kind of absolute commitment: no shortcuts, no soft landings, just pure cinematic force. For him, *Fury Road* might represent what cinema can do at its most unrestrained and alive. | © Warner Bros. Pictures

Unstoppable 2010 cropped processed by imagy — 7. Unstoppable (2010)

Yes, a train thriller starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine made it into Tarantino’s top ten. And he didn’t mince words: he called the runaway train “one of the greatest monsters of our time,” likening its power to Godzilla or King Kong. For a director so often associated with pulp and carnage, that’s a big compliment to restraint and tension. *Unstoppable* doesn’t rely on gore or over-the-top violence; it’s almost old-school: two men versus a machine, a creeping sense of dread, and mounting stakes that feel real. Tarantino seems drawn to the kind of suspense that builds slowly, without flourishes, letting the monster be the threat itself. It’s a simpler thrill than most of his picks, but sometimes simpler is all you need. | © 20th Century Fox

Cropped Zodiac — 6. Zodiac (2007)

This one feels less controversial. *Zodiac* is meticulous, moody, relentless: the kind of film that sneaks under your skin and stays there. Tarantino said that on his first viewing he wasn’t fully sold, but over time he rewatched it, again and again, each time feeling more drawn into its dread and its obsession. He described it as a “mesmerizing masterwork.” That slow-burn fascination suits his mind: not everything needs bullets and blood, sometimes it’s enough to watch paranoia, fear, and detail unravel at their own pace. The film doesn’t offer catharsis or closure but leaves you with unease. And maybe that’s what Tarantino calls greatness: the power to haunt. | © Paramount Pictures

Cropped there will be blood — 5. There Will Be Blood (2007)

Putting *There Will Be Blood* this high doesn’t surprise anyone as it is a beast of a film: ruthless, sprawling, emotionally raw and directed with full commitment. Tarantino has described it as near-perfect, though with a caveat: he thinks Paul Dano’s performance was “the giant flaw” in an otherwise towering work. Still, he seems to value the film for its ambition, for how it doesn’t compromise: for its slow burn, for the way it draws blood not with gore, but with existential ferocity. Watching it feels like witnessing obsession, greed and madness slowly corrupt everything. That kind of uncompromising tone likely appeals to him and even if he gripes about one role, the film’s force and weight clearly win him over. | © Paramount Vantage

Cropped dunkirk 2017 — 4. Dunkirk (2017)

It’s interesting that a film like *Dunkirk*, with its austere storytelling and minimal dialogue, earned Tarantino’s respect, especially given his hallmarks. He admitted he didn’t love it on first viewing; its scale and confusion overwhelmed him. But after several rewatches, he came around, praising the film’s craftsmanship and the way it manipulates tension and perspective. The relentless time pressure, the immersive sound design, the fragmented narrative – it all adds up to a suffocating, panicked mood that stays with you. For a guy who loves blood and bravado, *Dunkirk* offers a different kind of pressure: existential, disorienting, and deeply human. It’s a war movie with no heroics, just survival. And apparently, that counts. | © Warner Bros. Pictures

Cropped Lost in Translation — 3. Lost in Translation (2003)

This one might seem soft next to the violence and horror on the rest of the list and yet, Tarantino gave it a top-three spot. In his own words, he called it “so well done” and even joked he fell in love with Sofia Coppola after seeing it. *Lost in Translation* isn’t about explosions or dramatic confrontation. It’s about loneliness, dislocation, and two people connecting quietly in a city that doesn’t speak their language. The film whispers instead of hollering, and maybe that subtlety is what resonated. For someone used to cinematic blow-outs, this pared-down emotional precision may have felt like an honest shot in the gut. At a time when most films want to show everything, this one showed just enough and for Tarantino, that seems to have been enough. | © Focus Features

Cropped Toy Story 3 — 2. Toy Story 3 (2010)

Yes, the animated, family-oriented *Toy Story 3* claimed the runner-up position. Tarantino called it “almost perfect,” and said its final five minutes “ripped his ******* heart out.” That emotional gut-punch, its ending of letting go and growing up, clearly struck a chord. For a man whose work often embraces stylized bloodshed, rooting for talking toys sounds odd until you realize he values impact above all. *Toy Story 3* doesn’t just entertain; it ruptures. It makes you feel the passage of time, the ache of change, loss and loyalty. In his book, that’s high art. The fact that it’s animated – a medium often dismissed by “serious” cinephiles – probably only adds to its radical appeal. | © Pixar Animation Studios

1. Black Hawk Down (2001)

This one is perhaps the least surprising and yet the easiest to question. Tarantino crowned *Black Hawk Down* the greatest film of the 21st century. In his own words, he said this was “the only movie that actually goes completely for an ‘Apocalypse Now’ sense of purpose and visual effect and feeling,” praising its relentless intensity over the 2 hours 45 minutes. He said the first time he saw it, the force overwhelmed him; but after rewatching, he recognized it as “a masterwork.” The chaos of war, the panic, the cinematography and pacing – they all combine into cinema that doesn’t let you breathe. But here’s the rub: lots of people would argue it doesn’t deserve #1 over other modern masterpieces. It’s gripping and brutal, sure. But as “best of the century”? That’s a hard call. And maybe that’s exactly why Tarantino picked it – because it shook him and refused to let go. It’s not safe. It’s not pretty. It ruthlessly demands attention. | © Sony Pictures Releasing

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Tarantino has never hesitated to declare what qualifies as “great cinema,” but his new list of the top 20 movies of the 21st century reads like something he jotted down mid-flight after scrolling through the in-seat menu. This is the same guy who already shared his top 11 favorite films of all time, a list that caused enough debates to power an entire subreddit.

And now he’s back with choices that feel less like a ranking and more like a dare. Some picks seem deliberately chaotic, others suspiciously random, and all of them raise the same question: is he trolling us? Whatever the case, decoding his taste has become its own entertainment – mostly because the list makes you double-check that, yes, he really meant those movies.