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Quentin Tarantino directed his first movie, the groundbreaking “Reservoir Dogs,” way back in 1992. Ever since, he’s honored the Hollywood cinematic scene with a new release every few years, with almost every one going on to become a hit at the box office.
While Tarantino’s direction makes his motion pictures somewhat offbeat and decidedly memorable, the fact that he has written the screenplays for every one of his classics provides the true memories.
First a writer and then a director, Tarantino creates riveting dialogue that captivates his audiences with a distinctive flair that, although somewhat raw and often uncouth, sets the scene for great cinema. With the assistance of a string of A-grade actors delivering the unforgettable lines, it’s no wonder Quentin Tarantino commands a place among the elite in the upper echelons of Hollywood.
Love him or hate his writing and directing style, you must admit that Tarantino is responsible for some unforgettable moments in cinema history. What follows are the best Quentin Tarantino movie quotes from each of his 10 directorial releases in chronological order.
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
When what should be a straightforward jewelry heist goes horribly awry, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one among their crew is a police informant.
1. Steve Buscemi (Mr. Pink)
“I don’t tip because society says I have to. All right, if someone deserves a tip, if they really put forth an effort, I’ll give them something a little something extra. But this tipping automatically, it’s for the birds. As far as I’m concerned, they’re just doing their job.” (about not tipping waitresses)
2. Harvey Keitel (Mr. White)
“Shit… You shoot me in a dream, you’d better wake up and apologize.” (reacting to a comment from Michael Madsen’s Mr. Blonde)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
The lives of two hitmen, a veteran boxer, a mob gangster and his wife and a pair of diner robbers come together in separate but related tales of violent redemption.
3. Samuel L. Jackson (Jules)
“Say ‘what’ again. Say ‘what’ again, I dare you, I double dare you motherfucker, say what one more goddamn time!” (while interrogating an unfortunate thief)
4. Bruce Willis (Butch)
“Zed’s dead, baby. Zed’s dead.” (explaining to his girlfriend why he’s fetching her on Zed’s motorcycle)
5. Samuel L. Jackson (Jules)
“There’s a passage I got memorized. Ezekiel 25:17. ‘The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and goodwill, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children.
And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy My brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon you.’
Now… I been sayin’ that shit for years. And if you ever heard it, that meant your ass. You’d be dead right now. I never gave much thought to what it meant. I just thought it was a cold-blooded thing to say to a motherfucker before I popped a cap in his ass. But I saw some shit this mornin’ made me think twice.
See, now I’m thinking: maybe it means you’re the evil man. And I’m the righteous man. And Mr. 9mm here… he’s the shepherd protecting my righteous ass in the valley of darkness. Or it could mean you’re the righteous man and I’m the shepherd and it’s the world that’s evil and selfish. And I’d like that. But that shit ain’t the truth.
The truth is, you’re the weak. And I’m the tyranny of evil men. But I’m tryin’, Ringo. I’m tryin’ real hard to be the shepherd.” (while considering forgiveness for a robber in a diner)
6. Christopher Walken (Captain Koons)
“The way your dad looked at it, this watch was your birthright. He’d be damned if any slope’s gonna put their greasy yellow hands on his boy’s birthright, so he hid it, in the one place he knew he could hide something — his ass. Five long years, he wore this watch up his ass. Then, when he died of dysentery, he gave me the watch.
I hid this uncomfortable piece of metal up my ass for two years. Then, after seven years, I was sent home to my family. And now, little man, I give the watch to you.” (on presenting his birthright to a young Butch)
Jackie Brown (1997)
The ATF arrests a criminal flight attendant for smuggling. Pressurized to inform against an illegal arms dealer she works for, she must attempt to secure her future and stay alive.
7. Samuel L. Jackson (Ordell Robbie)
“Here we go. AK-47. The very best there is. When you absolutely, positively got to kill every motherfucker in the room, accept no substitutes.” (on attempting to conclude an arms deal)
8. Pam Grier (Jackie Brown)
“Well, I’ve flown seven million miles. And I’ve been waiting on people almost 20 years. The best job I could get after my bust was at Cabo Air, which is the worst job you can get in this industry. I make about sixteen thousand, with retirement benefits that ain’t worth a damn. And now with this arrest hanging over my head, I’m scared.
If I lose my job, I gotta start all over again, but I got nothing to start over with. I’ll be stuck with whatever I can get. And that shit is scarier than Ordell.” (explaining her options in life)
Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
After waking from four years in a coma, a former assassin, The Bride, wreaks vengeance on her ex-team of killers and their leader, who betrayed her.
9. David Carradine (Bill)
“Do you find me sadistic? You know, I bet I could fry an egg on your head right now, if I wanted to. You know, Kiddo, I’d like to believe that you’re aware enough even now to know that there’s nothing sadistic in my actions. Well, maybe toward those other… jokers, but not you. No Kiddo, at this moment, this is me at my most… masochistic.” (explaining his motivations for his violent actions)
10. Uma Thurman (Beatrix Kiddo, The Bride)
“It was not my intention to do this in front of you. For that, I’m sorry. But you can take my word for it, your mother had it comin’. When you grow up, if you still feel raw about it, I’ll be waiting.” (justifying the killing of her mother to Copperhead’s daughter)
Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)
The Bride continues her vengeful quest against her former boss and lover, Bill, the hermit-like bouncer Budd and the villainous, one-eyed Elle.
11. Daryl Hannah (Elle Driver)
“That’s right. I killed your master. And now I’m gonna kill you too, with your own sword, no less, which in the very immediate future, will become… my sword.” (while prematurely predicting The Bride’s future)
12. Uma Thurman (The Bride)
“Actually, Bill’s last bullet put me in a coma. A coma I was to lie in for four years. When I woke up, I went on what the movie advertisements refer to as a ‘roaring rampage of revenge.’ I roared. And I rampaged. And I got bloody satisfaction.
I’ve killed a hell of a lot of people to get to this point, but I have only one more. The last one. The one I’m driving to right now. The only one left. And when I arrive at my destination, I am gonna kill Bill.” (narrated)
Death Proof (2007)
A scarred stuntman stalks two separate sets of attractive women at different times, using his “deathproof,” highly modified 1960s and 1970s cars to carry out his vicious plans.
13. Kurt Russell (Stuntman Mike)
Hey, Pam, remember when I said this car was deathproof? Well, that wasn’t a lie. This car is 100% deathproof. Only to get the benefit of it, honey, you really need to be sitting in my seat.” (after taking a passenger on a ‘joyride’)
Inglorious Basterds (2009)
In this war movie set in World War II Nazi-occupied France, a group of Jewish-American soldiers’ plan to assassinate Nazi leaders coincides with a similar plan from a vengeful theater owner.
14. Brad Pitt (Lt. Aldo Raine)
“We’re gonna be dropped into France, dressed as civilians. And once we’re in enemy territory, as a bushwhackin’ guerrilla army, we’re gonna be doin’ one thing and one thing only… killin’ Nazis. Now, I don’t know about y’all, but I sure as hell didn’t come down from the goddamn Smoky Mountains, cross five thousand miles of water, fight my way through half of Sicily and jump out of a fuckin’ air-o-plane to teach the Nazis lessons in humanity.” (explaining the upcoming mission to his platoon)
15. Christoph Waltz (Col. Hans Landa)
“Now, if one were to determine what attribute the German people share with a beast, it would be the cunning and the predatory instinct of a hawk. But if one were to determine what attributes the Jews share with a beast, it would be that of the rat. The Führer and Goebbels’s propaganda have said pretty much the same thing, but where our conclusions differ is I don’t consider the comparison an insult.
Consider, for a moment, the world a rat lives in. It’s a hostile world, indeed. If a rat were to scamper through your front door right now, would you greet it with hostility?” (detailing the reasons for his hunting abilities)
Django Unchained (2012)
With the help of a German bounty-hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner in Mississippi.
16. Leonardo DiCaprio (Calvin Candie)
“Now, bright boy, I will admit you are pretty clever. But if I took this hammer here and I bashed it in your skull, you would have the same three dimples in the same place as old Ben.” (showing his prejudices against Django)
17. Christoph Waltz (Dr. King Schultz)
“Mister Candie, normally I would say ‘Auf wiedersehen,’ but since what ‘auf wiedersehen’ actually means is ’till I see you again,’ and since I never wish to see you again, to you, sir, I say goodbye!” (before taking physical action against the plantation owner)
The Hateful Eight (2015)
In the middle of a prolonged heavy winter storm in Wyoming, a bounty hunter, accompanied by his prisoner, finds shelter in a cabin occupied by a collection of diverse and nefarious characters.
18. Tim Roth (Oswald Mowbray)
“The man who pulls the lever that breaks your neck will be a dispassionate man. And that dispassion is the very essence of justice. For justice delivered without dispassion is always in danger of not being justice.” (representing the law as a hangman)
19. Samuel L. Jackson (Major Marquis Warren)
“Ohhh, you believe in Jesus now, huh, bitch? Good, ‘cause you ’bout to meet him!” (to Daisy Domergue after shooting her in the foot and drawing the retort “Jesus Christ!”)
20. Kurt Russell (John ‘The Hangman’ Ruth)
“Now, Daisy, I want us to work out a signal system of communication. When I elbow you real hard in the face, that means ‘shut up’!” (to the same foul-mouthed fugitive)
21. Jennifer Jason Leigh (Daisy Domergue)
“What do I gotta say? About John Ruth’s ravings? He’s absolutely right. Me and one of them fellas is in cahoots. We’re just waitin’ for everybody to go to sleep. That’s when we’re gonna kill y’all.” (directed at the cabin occupants)
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019)
Set in Hollywood’s Golden Age in the summer of 1969, with fictional references to the notorious Manson murders, a fading television actor and his stunt double attempt to find lasting success in Hollywood while crossing paths with several colorful characters.
22. Brad Pitt (Cliff Booth)
“What I’m too old to do is go to jail for poon tang. Prison tried to get me all my life, ain’t got me yet. Day it does, it won’t be because of you. No offense.” (to Pussycat, a Charles Manson acolyte trying to seduce him)
23. Leonardo DiCaprio (Rick Dalton)
“I could be one pool party away from starring in a Polanski movie!” (after hearing that Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate had moved in next door)
24. Margot Robbie (Sharon Tate)
“Aww, what’s the matter? You afraid I’ll tell Jim Morrison you were dancing to Paul Revere and the Raiders? Are they not cool enough for you?” (teasing her good friend, Jay Sebring)
How Will Quentin Tarantino Follow Up His Movie Masterpieces?
Presently, there’s no indication about when a new Tarantino-directed movie will see release, with the director reportedly stating he’ll cease directing after his 10th feature. If you count the Kill Bill titles separately, this time could already have passed.
The cinematic world will be far worse off if this is indeed the case, but as long as he continues writing screenplays, there’ll be more quotes to draw upon in the future. Tarantino fans will hold their thumbs.
