Quentin Tarantino Talks About a Performance He Believes Is One of the Greatest

Quentin Tarantino has often described his brain as a literal sponge, soaking up every joke, story, and strange behavior he encounters in the real world. Long before he was a household name, he spent his youth working at a video store, building a massive mental database of cinema history.

This deep passion for film means he doesn’t just watch movies; he absorbs them, and he is never afraid to show love for the classics that shaped his vision. One film that sits high on his list of favorites is the 1959 western Rio Bravo, directed by the legendary Howard Hawks.

During a tour of his old workplace, Video Archives, Tarantino called it another one of the greatest movies ever made. He was particularly impressed by the cast, noting that Ricky Nelson looked incredibly cool and Dean Martin gave one of the best performances he had ever seen.

Because Tarantino values acting so highly, he often looks to these older films to understand how to pull the best work out of his own stars. Dean Martin is usually remembered as a singing icon with hits like That’s Amore, but Tarantino views him as a titan of the screen who could hold his own against giants like John Wayne.

The director also has high praise for the 1981 film Blow Out, which he believes is the masterpiece of Brian De Palma’s career. Tarantino once claimed that Brian De Palma is the greatest director of his generation, and he felt that John Travolta gave one of the greatest performances of all time in that movie.

These days, the 62-year-old filmmaker is still navigating the path toward his tenth and final directorial project. After famously deciding not to move forward with The Movie Critic last year, he has spent the beginning of this year focusing on other creative outlets.

He recently finished the screenplay for The Adventures of Cliff Booth, a sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood that is being directed by David Fincher for Netflix. Although he wrote the script, Tarantino chose not to direct it himself, explaining that he wanted his official final film to explore uncharted territory instead of revisiting familiar ground.

In a surprising twist for his fans, Tarantino has also returned to acting for the first time in three decades. He recently wrapped a major role in the indie drama Only What We Carry, which was filmed quickly on the coast of Normandy, France.

In the movie, he plays a character named John Percy, starring alongside Simon Pegg, Sofia Boutella, and Charlotte Gainsbourg. The film is currently in post-production and is described as a thoughtful meditation on grief and moving forward.

Meanwhile, Brian De Palma is also making a comeback to the director’s chair this year. After a seven-year break, the 85-year-old filmmaker has been shooting a true-crime thriller titled Sweet Vengeance.

The project is reportedly inspired by two real-life murder cases and will feature De Palma’s classic stylistic flourishes. Tarantino remains one of his most vocal supporters, recently reiterating his belief that De Palma is a more important filmmaker than many of his higher-profile peers.

While the world waits for news on what Tarantino’s actual tenth movie will be, the director seems content to keep himself busy with books, plays, and even digital projects. He recently released an original cinematic short for the game Fortnite, featuring characters from Kill Bill, showing that he is still finding new ways to surprise his audience.

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