20 Best Quentin Tarantino Characters

With "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" still in theaters, I decided it would be fun to take a look at all those great character director Quentin Tarantino created over the years.

20. Hugo Stiglitz (Til Schweiger) in “Inglourious Basterds”
Til Schweiger truly puts the ‘glorious’ in his Baserd as a defected German sergeant with a penchant for murdering Nazis in the sickest ways possible.

19. Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) in “Pulp Fiction”
Boxer Butch Coolidge ain’t nobody’s bitch. Fleeing from the scene after accidentally killing his opponent in the ring, Coolidge is still the closest thing “Pulp Fiction” has to a good guy. Butch later embraces his bloodlust by slicing and dicing his would-be rapist, who couldn’t have picked a worse guy to screw with.

18. Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) in “Inglourious Basterds”
Aldo Raine is the leader of the Basterds and and Apache descendant, who loved killing and scalping Nazis. Not the brightest star in the universe, but he does everything to get to his goal.

17. Vincent Vega (John Travolta) in “Pulp Fiction”
John Travolta pulled a dramatic career U-turn as Vincent Vega, the icy calm at the center of “Pulp Fiction” manic universe. He always remains the picture of coolness. Even when he has to show his moves on the dancefloor with Mia Wallace or when he accidentally shoots a guy in the head.

16. O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu) in “Kill Bill”
One of the Deadly Vipers on The bride’s to-do list. O-Ren gets the most fleshed out backstories of all the Kill Bill villains: orphaned by the Yakuza, eventually getting her much needed and deserved revenge. She becomes a master assassin and heads a Tokyo crime syndicate complete with her own Crazy 88 army.

15. Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) in “Death Proof”
“Death Proof” is the only Tarantino film that I didn’t like, but Stuntman Mike is its only redeeming feature. A psychopath hard-wired on murdering innocent female passengers by crashing his ‘death proof’ stunt car.

14. Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) in “Django Unchained”
Schultz is a bounty hunter, but also a righteous campaigner for racial equality. He teams up with ex-slave Django to free his wife from Calvin Candie. A man of tall tales, Schultz is a sharp-shooter but a sharper dresser. King is a man of principle, even when it costs him the ultimate price.

13. Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) in “Pulp Fiction”
With a wit only as sharp as her bob, Mia Wallace is a very modern gangster’s moll: a thrillseeker whose actions are even more irresponsible than her husband’s. if you ignore the overdose, she’s a delightful dinner companion, able to fill any awkward silence and capable of tearing up the dance floor.

12. Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson) in “Django Unchained”
Calvin Candy is the obvious villain in “Django Unchained”, but there’s something even more insidious about his house slave Stephen: a man who seemingly turned his back on his entire race. Stephen is either a desperate victim forced into the unthinkable by circumstance, or the most insidiously evil character in the movie. I think the latter.

11. Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) in “Reservoir Dogs”
He can’t make a clean getaway. He shows some mercy to his fatally wounded companion Mr. Orange after their diamond heist went wrong. Stoic and composed, Mr. White displays chinks of humanity that the rest of the Reservoir Dogs fill with greed.

10. Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Rick Dalton is a TV actor who’s on his way back and is only playing villains in TV pilots. Dalton would rather self-destruct than acknowledge he doesn’t truly matter anymore. He is so magnetic because he’s also wildly funny. Played by an actor that is not known for his funny roles, Leonardo DiCaprio is completely loveable, ludicrously demanding and he has a child-like sense of wonder.

9. Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) in “Jackie Brown”
The heroine of “Jackie Brown” is a blaxploitation legend of her own right. The stewardess/ smuggler checks in that baggage to her advantage, expertly playing off the cops and criminals, Jacki is one of the baddest asses in the Tarantino universe.

8. Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) in “Pulp Fiction”
It’s tough to define cool, particularly in a Tarantino movie that’s super cool. But then there is Jules Winnfield, the coolest of them all. A burger eating and verbally strong hitman, who has some of the most quotable lines in movie history.

7. Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah) in “Kill Bill”
Elle Driver is definitely the coolest of Bill’s hit squad, with a rad accessory: a patch covering the gaping socket from where Pai Mei pulled her eye. Elle is a direct rival of The Bride, mainly for the affections of their master Bill. And the trailer cat-fight is without a doubt a highlight of the film.

6. Shosanna Dreyfuss (Mélanie Laurent) in “Inglourious Basterds”
Revenge is a dish best served cold, or if you’re war survivor Shoshanna, a dish best served roasted and dripping in Nazi blood. Narrowly avoiding being killed, she sets her sight high with the help of the Basterds, brings down Hitler and his Third Reich with a fiery massacre in her own movie theater.

5. Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) in “Reservoir Dogs”
Mr. Pink is a nitpicker. He’s not happy with his codename Mr. Pink, he doesn’t tip. He is, however, an utmost professional, and is the only man smart enough to escape with his life. It’s easy to see why Tarantino loved this character so much, he initially wanted to play the role himself.

4. Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) in “Reservoir Dogs”
Mr. Blonde is the darkest soul of all of the Reservoir Dogs gang. A man for whom torture is an activity to be set to music. Michael Madsen nails the quesy tone, adding style and swagger to his sadistic deeds. He is Tarantino’s most vicious villain.

3. Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Could stuntman Cliff Booth be Brad Pitt’s greatest achievement. He’s certainly on the list. The kind of character that only Pitt could have played in this stage of his life and definitely the best part of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”.

2. Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) in “Inglourious Basterds”
This is the role that introduced Hollywood to Christoph Waltz (and the Oscars). Hans Landa is a once-in-a-lifetime part: a comic book bad guy with a silver tongue. Is he Tarantino’s most detestable character? Certainly up on the list, but he is definitely one of the smartest. Landa is both charming and terrifying at the same part.

1. Beatrix Kiddo aka The Bride (Uma Thurman) in “Kill Bill”
We first meet Beatrix Kiddo at her most vulnerable: pregnant, beaten, shivering and at the mercy of her former lover, she’s staring down the barrel of a gun that’s about to go off. Thus begins the epic journey of The Bride, who never made it down the aisle. Left for dead, but miraculously survived. And she has a hitlist, taking down all the sons of bitches that caused a bloodbath at her wedding (which was actually a rehearsal). With no mercy whatsoever.



Honorable mentions: Louis Gara (Robert De Niro) – Jackie Brown, Ray Nicolette (Michael Keaton) – Jackie Brown, Pai Mei (Gordon Liu) – Kill Bill Vol. 2, Donny Donowitz (Eli Roth) – Inglourious Basterds, Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) – Pulp Fiction, Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) - Django Unchained, Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson) – Jackie Brown, Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) – Reservoir Dogs, Captain Koons (Christopher Walken) – Pulp Fiction

All Quentin Tarantino Movies Ranked

With "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" now in theaters, I decided to evaluate my all-time favorite director: Quentin Tarantino. Known for his powerful dialogues, structure in narrative and storyline and memorable characters. I ranked all of his movies, from least favorite to most favorite. I counted the "Kill Bill" movies as two seperated movies, because they are different from each other. What's yor favorite Quentin Tarantino movie?

10. Death Proof (2007)
“Death Proof” is erratic and oversaturated, even by Tarantino standards. An extended opening introduces us to Kurt Russell’s Stuntman Mike and a handful of coeds who spit one-liners as they inch towards inevitable death. Russell was the best part of the film and “Death Proof” is, to the day, the only Quentin Tarantino movie I didn’t like. “Death Proof” is too busy to adhering to the “Grindhouse” blueprint that the final product feels like a black sheep in the Tarantino mold.

9. Jackie Brown (1997)
Tarantino already had his career in the bag by the time he got to “Jackie Brown”. With anticipation comes pressure and “Jackie Brown” stood every chance of repeating formulas. But thankfully that didn’t happen. Based on Elmore Leonard’s novel “Rum Punch”, “Jackie Brown” follows a flight attendant whose secondary source of income is strictly under the table: smuggling money between Mexico and the US. “Jackie Brown” doesn’t only take its time with its characters, it replaces all the colorful bells and whistles that tend to show up in Tarantino movies and trims all excess. This film is tight, clever and brutal. And it’s from its grounded lack of showiness that “Jackie Brown” ends up leaving such a resounding impression.

8. The Hateful Eight (2015)
Tarantino’s take on a Western meets whodunnit. “The Hateful Eight” follows eight strangers who get stranded in a stagecoach stop during a blizzard. With its nearly three hour runtime, it can at times be a drag. But some truly tense moments, it being set in one location and a soundtrack by Ennio Morricone, make this a solid movie in general terms.

7. Django Unchained (2012)
Tarantino has no problem rewriting the past. In fact, he’s happy to create a character whose sole purpose is to directly influence some of the darkest moments in history. In “Django Unchained” his target is African-American slavery in the United States. The film revolves around the titular Django, who embarks on a life bounty hunt with the lively Dr. King Shultz, in order to find and rescue his wife Broomhilda. The revenge tale is as satisfying as it is deserved. Movies are often an arena where justice is served at the end of a bullet, and while many offer cathartic satisfaction, “Django Unchained” unites rage with heroism. Tarantino didn’t just craft a simple revenge fantasy, but a quest.

6. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
“Kill Bill: Vol.1” marked a new era for Tarantino. With the biggest budget of his career, he had the money and freedom to make the action film he’d always wanted to see. Every frame is overloaded with references and the heart of a man who just loves movies. That joy of film making and obsession with pop culture is the heart of “Kill Bil:l Vol. 1”. It remains one of the greatest action movies of all time.

5. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
What began as a bloodbath, finishes in the sequel “Kill Bill: Vol. 2” as more restrained and beautiful. This film adds emotional depth to its characters while gracefully expanding the story and universe of Tarantino, built in “Kill Bill: Vol. 1”.

4. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
It’s impossible to ignore that “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is Tarantino’s most emotionally honest, his most beautiful looking and his funniest film. Brad Pitt (especially) and Leonardo DiCaprio are an absolute delight. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” shows again the love Tarantino has for movies and even though it’s long, it never suffers from that.

3. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
It might not be as cohesive as other Tarantino films, “Inglourious Basterds” is probably the most entertaining of the bunch. With scenes of high-tension, verbal sparring and scalp-smashing mayhem. The film is also notable for introducing us to Christoph Waltz as silver-tongued sociopath Hans Landa, one of the most compelling film villains in forever. And the movie’s opening scene, which is a 15 minute long verbal chess match, is one of the best opening scenes I have ever seen.

2. Pulp Fiction (1994)
My love for this movie is big and goes way back. It rewrote the formula for movie making and redefined the structure, language and rhythm of film making. Tarantino single-handedly redirected the future of independent cinema while creating a new standard of “cool” in movies. And “Pulp Fiction” has inspired multiple generations of film makers.

1. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Tarantino’s full-length debut remains a masterclass example of a film maker who arrived in this world fully formed as both a writer and director. He immediately defined himself as a masterful writer, able to craft mind-bending scripts that play with time and traditional narrative structure. Tense writing, smart scenes filled to the brim with fast-paced dialogue covered in wit. That Steve Buscemi monologue is a great exampled of how Tarantino can make even the most mundane of conversations completely unforgettable.