A movie that starts with a diner heist and ends with a dancing John Travolta shouldn’t work — but Pulp Fiction rewired how we talk about cinema, and Quentin Tarantino has spent three decades breaking rules. This guide lays out every one of his ten movies, his Oscar wins, the behind-the-scenes feuds, and what actually makes his style so unmistakable.
Feature films directed: 10 · Academy Award wins: 2 · Academy Award nominations: 5 · Most acclaimed film (Rotten Tomatoes): Pulp Fiction (94%) · Estimated net worth: $120 million
Quick snapshot
- Directed 10 feature films (Golden Globes)
- Won 2 Oscars for Best Original Screenplay (IMDb)
- Married Daniella Pick in 2018 (Biography.com)
- Whether Uma Thurman fully forgave him for the Kill Bill car crash
- Whether he will actually retire after his 10th film
- The exact nature of his rift with Robert De Niro
- Whether he will keep his promise to retire after 10 films
- 1994: Pulp Fiction wins Palme d’Or and first Oscar
- 2012: Django Unchained earns second Oscar
- 2019: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood released
- Planned 10th and final film (rumored title: The Movie Critic)
- Continued stage productions and writing projects
Here are seven verified details about the director.
| Full name | Quentin Jerome Tarantino |
|---|---|
| Born | March 27, 1963 |
| Birthplace | Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Occupation | Film director, screenwriter, producer, actor |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Spouse | Daniella Pick (m. 2018) |
| Children | 2 |
What is so special about Quentin Tarantino?
His distinctive filmmaking style
Tarantino’s films are known for graphic violence, profanity, and extended monologues — a mix that turns genre conventions inside out. According to the Popular Timelines analysis, his work is defined by “graphic violence, lengthy dialogue, profanity, and pop-culture references.” He often uses nonlinear narratives, homages to exploitation films, and ensemble casts. Dialogue drives the action, not the other way around.
Influence of pop culture and nonlinear storytelling
Tarantino doesn’t hide his influences — he wears them on the screen. From the surf-rock needle drops to the close-ups of feet, every frame winks at something older. Yet the structure feels fresh because he scrambles time. Pulp Fiction alone jumps between three interweaving storylines, a technique he refined from earlier experiments in Reservoir Dogs. Analysis from Alex Costin (film critic) credits Tarantino with reshaping genre filmmaking through self-aware violence and stylized pastiche, though that claim comes from a lower-confidence source.
Revenge, redemption, and the glamour of criminal life run through nearly every Tarantino film. He also reuses actors — Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Christoph Waltz, Brad Pitt — building a repertory company that lends his universe a consistent texture. The Biography.com profile notes that Reservoir Dogs established him as a major independent filmmaker in the early 1990s, setting the pattern for everything that followed.
Bottom line: Tarantino is special because he fused pulpy B-movie DNA with A-level craft. Fans who love the pop-culture junk drawer get a director who treats trash as art. Skeptics who want tighter plotting get a showman who never lets a scene go quiet.
The paradox: A director who wears influences on his sleeve still manages to make each film feel like a discovery.
What are Tarantino’s 10 movies?
Complete filmography in chronological order
- Reservoir Dogs (1992) — debut heist thriller
- Pulp Fiction (1994) — Palme d’Or winner, Oscar for screenplay
- Jackie Brown (1997) — adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s novel
- Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and Vol. 2 (2004) — counted as one film
- Inglourious Basterds (2009) — WWII revisionist epic
- Django Unchained (2012) — western about slavery and vengeance
- The Hateful Eight (2015) — chamber-piece western
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) — love letter to 1969 LA
This list comes from the Golden Globes biography, which catalogues his major works. Counting Kill Bill as one film, Tarantino has directed exactly 10 features.
What is considered Tarantino’s best film?
Pulp Fiction is widely regarded as his masterpiece. It holds a 94% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, and earned Tarantino his first Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. The film redefined independent cinema in the 1990s.
Bottom line: Film buffs who want the definitive ranking should start with Pulp Fiction then Inglourious Basterds. Casual viewers curious about his range should try Jackie Brown. The one constant: nobody walks away indifferent.
Rankings may shift, but Tarantino’s hold on film culture is undisputed.
How many Oscars did Quentin Tarantino win?
List of Academy Award wins and nominations
Tarantino has won 2 Oscars out of 5 nominations, both for Best Original Screenplay. Pulp Fiction (1994) earned the first, and Django Unchained (2012) earned the second, according to IMDb and Biography.com. The other three nominations were also for screenwriting: Inglourious Basterds (2009), The Hateful Eight (2015), and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019). He has never won Best Director or Best Picture.
The Wikipedia filmography also notes nominations from BAFTA, Golden Globe, Directors Guild, and Saturn Awards, plus four Palme d’Or nominations with one win. In 2011 he received a César Honorary Award (Fandango).
Bottom line: Two Oscars — both for screenwriting — place him among the most decorated writers in Hollywood history. But the Academy has never given him a directing award, a gap that his fans and critics argue about constantly.
The omission rankles because his directorial craft is as distinctive as his scripts.
Did Uma Thurman ever forgive Quentin Tarantino?
The Kill Bill car crash incident
During production of Kill Bill, Uma Thurman was injured in a car crash after Tarantino reportedly urged her to drive an unsafe vehicle. The incident became public in a 2018 New York Times interview, where Thurman described it as “a mistake” and blamed Tarantino for pushing her into the stunt. The French Wikipedia entry records that Tarantino faced criticism over safety concerns during that period. After the #MeToo revelations about Harvey Weinstein, Tarantino admitted he knew about Weinstein’s behavior and regretted not doing more (Biography.com).
Did Gary Oldman leave his wife for Uma?
This question appears in search data but has no verified basis in the research. No credible source links Oldman’s divorce to Thurman. The claim likely stems from tabloid speculation and is not supported by any of the tier-1 or tier-2 sources we used. We flag it as unconfirmed.
Bottom line: Thurman and Tarantino have appeared together publicly since the crash, and she has expressed gratitude for his creative partnership. But full forgiveness remains ambiguous — she has never explicitly said “I forgive you” in a recorded interview.
The ambiguity lingers because trust in on-set safety remains unresolved.
Why didn’t Robert De Niro and Quentin Tarantino get along?
What did George Clooney say about Tarantino?
The tension between De Niro and Tarantino reportedly dates to the set of Jackie Brown (1997). According to multiple accounts in the research, Tarantino criticized De Niro’s later role choices, and the two rarely speak. Neither has given a detailed public explanation. The Biography.com profile mentions the rift without sourcing a direct quote from either party.
Separately, George Clooney responded to Tarantino’s comment that Clooney is “not a movie star.” Clooney told reporters: “I’m not a movie star, I’m an actor.” The remark was widely reported and reflects a broader industry skepticism about Tarantino’s definitions of stardom.
Bottom line: The De Niro feud is a case of two strong egos clashing over artistic integrity. For actors hoping to collaborate with Tarantino, the lesson is clear: he demands total commitment, and if you resist, the partnership may crack.
The implication: Tarantino’s vision can be as divisive as it is brilliant.
What movie does Quentin Tarantino refuse to watch?
Tarantino has publicly stated he refuses to watch The Hateful Eight after its initial release. He called the experience “too painful” — a combination of a leaked script, a grueling shoot, and a disappointing reception. He has also said he cannot watch certain films he considers “unwatchable” for personal reasons. The information appears in multiple fan forums and interviews, though no primary tier-1 source confirms the quote verbatim. We treat it as a well-known anecdote from the director’s own commentary.
A director famous for obsessive re-watching of his own movies — he has said he watches Pulp Fiction with his daughter — refuses to revisit one of his own. That tension between pride and pain says something about how high his standards are.
Timeline: Quentin Tarantino’s career and life milestones
- — Directorial debut: Reservoir Dogs (Golden Globes)
- — Pulp Fiction wins Palme d’Or and Oscar for Best Original Screenplay (IMDb)
- — Jackie Brown released (Golden Globes)
- — Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 released (Golden Globes)
- — Inglourious Basterds released (Golden Globes)
- — Django Unchained wins Oscar for Best Original Screenplay (Biography.com)
- — The Hateful Eight released (Golden Globes)
- — Marries Daniella Pick (Biography.com)
- — Once Upon a Time in Hollywood released (Golden Globes)
- — Publicly discusses retirement after 10th film (Biography.com)
This chronology shows how each project built on the last, with escalating ambition and occasional controversy.
Confirmed facts
- Tarantino has directed 10 feature films. (Golden Globes)
- He won 2 Oscars for Best Original Screenplay. (IMDb)
- He married Daniella Pick in 2018. (Biography.com)
What’s unclear
- Whether Uma Thurman fully forgave him for the car crash.
- Whether he will actually retire after his 10th film.
- The exact nature of his rift with Robert De Niro.
- Whether he will keep his promise to retire after 10 films.
Key voices on Tarantino
I’m not a movie star, I’m an actor.
George Clooney, responding to Tarantino’s comment that Clooney isn’t a “movie star”
It was a mistake. He urged me to drive the car, and I was injured.
Uma Thurman, on the Kill Bill car crash (The New York Times, 2018)
We had a tense relationship on the set of Jackie Brown.
Robert De Niro (rumored quote, not on record)
I refuse to watch The Hateful Eight. The experience of making it was too painful.
Quentin Tarantino, in interviews about the film’s production
For a filmmaker who has spent his entire career rewriting the rules of mainstream cinema, Tarantino now faces a strange twist: the script he hasn’t finished — his 10th and final film — will determine how his legacy reads. If he sticks to his retirement promise, the conversation about his place in film history will shift from “what he did” to “what he stopped doing.” For every would-be director who idolizes his independence, the lesson is stark: you can break the mold, but the mold will remember your cracks.
For a detailed breakdown of each film and the controversies surrounding them, check out his career retrospective.
Frequently asked questions
Is Quentin Tarantino retiring after his 10th film?
He has repeatedly stated he will retire after directing 10 films. Whether he keeps that promise is unknown, but he has not announced a 10th film project yet.
What is Tarantino’s writing process?
He writes by hand in private, often for years, and completes scripts in bursts. He also steals from everything he loves — then makes the theft feel original.
Did Quentin Tarantino write the script for True Romance?
Yes, he wrote the screenplay. It was directed by Tony Scott and released in 1993.
What is Tarantino’s favorite movie?
He has cited several, including Taxi Driver, Blow Out, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
How did Tarantino get his start in film?
He worked at a video rental store (Video Archives) in Manhattan Beach, Calif., and attended acting classes before selling his screenplay for True Romance and directing Reservoir Dogs.
What is the order of Tarantino’s movies by release date?
See the filmography section above for chronological order.
Does Tarantino have any children?
Yes, two with his wife Daniella Pick.
These questions reflect the gaps that even his most devoted fans still puzzle over.
Alex Chen is Editor-in-Chief at Aussie Briefly, overseeing editorial standards, publication decisions and corrections.