Quentin Tarantino just revealed his ‘must-watch’ films of the 21st century; take a look
Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino has unveiled his list of the 20 best films of the 21st century and true to form, it’s as bold and unpredictable as his movies
Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino has never shied away from sharing his unfiltered opinions about cinema — and now, he’s back with a fresh list that has film fans buzzing. The Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill director appeared on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast this week, where he unveiled his own ranking of the 20 best films of the 21st century.
Inspired by The Big Picture podcast’s “25 Best Films of the Century” episode, Tarantino said he “grabbed a pen” and began writing down titles that defined the era for him. He also imposed one rule: only one film per director. The top 10 will be revealed later, but his picks for 11 to 20 feature everything from gory horror and martial arts to musicals and comedies.
Here’s a detailed look at his selections:
11. Battle Royale (Kinji Fukasaku)
The 2000 Japanese action-thriller follows a group of 42 ninth graders who are kidnapped by a totalitarian government, dropped onto a remote island, and forced to fight to the death. Each student is given a weapon, a map, and a collar that will explode if they break the rules. Only one survivor can leave alive.
Tarantino praised the film’s bold concept and didn’t hold back his criticism of The Hunger Games for its similarities. He said, “I do not understand how the Japanese writer didn’t sue [‘Hunger Games’ author] Susan Collins for every fcking thing she owns… Stupid book critics are not going to go watch a Japanese movie called Battle Royale, so they never called her on it. As soon as the film critics saw the film, they said, ‘what the fck, this is just Battle Royale except PG!’”
12. Big Bad Wolves (Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado)
This 2013 thriller centres on a father seeking vengeance for his daughter’s murder, a detective trying to solve the case, and a teacher who becomes the prime suspect.
Tarantino was deeply impressed by its audacity. He said, “This has got a fantastic script and a similar storyline to Prisoners […] they handle it with guts and balls — you know the American movie wouldn’t do that.”
13. Jackass: The Movie (Jeff Tremaine)
Released in 2002, this chaotic and outrageous comedy documentary follows Johnny Knoxville and his crew of daredevils, pranksters, and misfits as they push physical comedy to the extreme. From wild stunts and public pranks to life-threatening antics, Jackass: The Movie became a pop-culture phenomenon.
Tarantino called it one of the funniest experiences of his life, saying: “This was the movie I laughed at the most in these last 20 years. I don’t remember laughing from beginning to end like this since Richard Pryor […] As I was making Kill Bill, I thought this movie was so f*cking funny I had to show it to the crew. So we found a print, watched the movie, and just died.”
14. The School of Rock (Richard Linklater)
Jack Black stars as Dewey Finn, a down-on-his-luck musician who poses as a substitute teacher at an elite prep school. Instead of teaching, he recruits his students to form a rock band and enter a Battle of the Bands contest. Tarantino praised the movie for its infectious fun saying, “It was a really fun time at the theaters. It was a real fun, fun, fun screening. I do think this one had the explosion of Jack Black combined with Rick Linklater and Mike White — that made it special […] this is as close to Bad News Bears as we ever got.”
15. The Passion of the Christ (Mel Gibson)
Mel Gibson’s 2004 biblical epic portrays the final 12 hours of Jesus Christ’s life if he were handed over to the Roman Empire's officials. Known for its brutal realism and controversial depictions of violence, the film became one of the highest-grossing religious films of all time.
Tarantino said he couldn’t help but react to its extremity saying, “I was laughing a lot during the movie. Not because we were trying to be perverse, laughing at Jesus getting fcked up — extreme violence is just funny to me — and when you go so far beyond extremity, it just gets funnier and funnier. We were just groaning and laughing at how fcked up this was […] Mel did a tremendous directorial job. He put me in that time period. I talked to Mel Gibson about this and he looked at me like I was a f*cking nut.”
16. The Devil’s Rejects (Rob Zombie)
A sequel to House of 1000 Corpses, Rob Zombie’s gritty 2005 horror follows the murderous Firefly family on the run after a police raid. As the fugitives continue their violent spree across rural America, the line between villain and victim becomes disturbingly blurred.
Tarantino saw it as a genre-defining moment and said, “This rough Peckinpah–cowboy–Manson thing [from Zombie] — that voice didn’t really exist before [in House of 1000 Corpses], and he refined that voice with this movie […] Peckinpah wasn’t part of horror before this. He melded it with sick hillbillies, and it’s become a thing now.”
17. Chocolate (Prachya Pinkaew)
This 2008 Thai martial arts drama follows Zen, an autistic girl who learns incredible fighting skills by mimicking moves she sees in movies and TV. When her mother falls ill, Zen sets out to collect old debts owed to her — leading to some of the most inventive action sequences ever filmed.
Tarantino championed the film’s underdog energy and physical artistry. He said: “Here’s a movie you probably never heard of […] People getting f*cked up in the most spectacular of ways […] they trained this 12-year-old girl for four years to star in this movie […] this is some of the greatest kung-fu fights I’ve ever seen in a movie.”
18. Moneyball (Bennett Miller)
Based on the true story of baseball manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), Moneyball chronicles how he revolutionised the sport by using data analytics to build a competitive team on a tight budget. Alongside Jonah Hill’s character Peter Brand, Beane challenges decades of baseball tradition — with mixed results but undeniable impact.
Tarantino singled out Pitt’s performance saying, “Brad Pitt’s performance was one of my favourite star performances of the last 20 years — where a movie star came in and reminded you why he was a movie star and just carried the movie on his shoulders.”
19. Cabin Fever (Eli Roth)
In this 2002 horror-comedy, a group of college friends head to a remote cabin for a vacation — only to be terrorised by a flesh-eating virus spreading through the water supply. Balancing intense gore with dark humor, Cabin Fever became a cult favourite and launched Eli Roth’s career.
Tarantino said, “There’s something so charming. Eli’s sense of humor, sense of gore — it just really, really works. People kind of forget how tense it is in the first half because it gets so genuinely funny in the last 20 minutes […] Hostel might be his best movie, but this is my favorite.”
20. West Side Story (Steven Spielberg)
Steven Spielberg’s 2021 reimagining of the classic musical follows the doomed romance between Tony and Maria in 1950s New York, caught between the rival gangs — the Jets and the Sharks. With dazzling choreography and a re-energised cast, it brought the old classic back to life for a new generation.
Tarantino praised Spielberg’s return to form, saying: “This is the one where Steven shows he still has it. I don’t think Scorsese has made a film this exciting [this century]. It revitalized him […] I couldn’t believe I liked the lead [Ansel Elgort] as I didn’t like him in anything else.”
What’s next?
Tarantino’s full list of the 20 best films of the century will be revealed soon — but even this partial lineup shows his trademark range, jumping from arthouse horror to musicals and comedy classics. True to form, his they stay unpredictable.
