Year 2 Round One – Favourite Quentin Tarantino Character
Quentin Tarantino is one of the biggest name in directing in the modern era of cinema and with his latest work The Hateful Eight coming to the cinemas it seems only fitting to look at some of our favorite characters he has bought to the screen, be it from his directing, writing or even his own acting. Having eight major releases not including Hateful Eight, five of these films have been voted into the top 250 on the IMDB with one making the top 10. Quentin has a reputation of being able to revive careers and his style of directing will always be one people can see from a single scene, the two Oscar wins for writing show he knows how to give us a film too. We ask did we pick your favorite Tarantino character?
If you would like to join in Opinion Battles click here for details with our next round being Favourite Oscar winning picture deadlines with be 24th January 2016, email [email protected] if you want to enter.
Without further ado here are the options,
Darren – Movie Reviews 101
Col Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) – Inglorious Basterds (2009)
Colonel Hans Landa is a high ranking member of the Nazi’s during World War II, he has the nickname of the ‘The Jew Hunter’ as he has the ability to find them in any hiding place, as we witness in the opening tension filled scene where he interrogates a man hiding Jews using his bilingual skills to make everything look normal before unleashing his men on the innocent victims. He is the villain of the film but he goes about everything with a dignified smile and charm, let’s not forget the strudel scene. Every single scene Landa is in is filled with tension because you simple just don’t know what he will do next or whether the whole thing will just come to blows. In my opinion this is Tarantino’s best film that is filled with very interesting characters but it is Landa that steals the whole film for me and his Oscar win shows just how good the performance really was.
Damien Riley – Riley Central
Dr King Schultz – Django Unchained (2012)
My favorite Tarantino character is one who embodies everything the director seems to want in a hero. In all his movies there is a calm, collected, together figure that brings sanity to the chaos. I’m reminded of Harvey Keitel’s character in “Pulp Fiction.” Another one is George Clooney’s character, Seth Gecko, in “From Dusk till Dawn.” A few of them come to mind from “Reservoir Dogs,” in some scenes Christopher Penn plays the “dark hero” well. In Tarantino movies, campy, spaghetti Western violence, and sarcastic “dark humour” are the basic landscape. He really needs this sort of heroic character to keep the movie palatable. The hero in most all movies solves problems and brings a solution to the pressing problem of the movie. Christoph Waltz’ character, Dr. King Schultz, in “Django Unchained” is my favorite Tarantino character. He starts solving problems from the minute he steps on screen and he is more than able. Not even Django understands the extent of the Dr.’s heroism until the final scenes. For this reason, he is my favorite character. Besides that, when he’s not shooting people, he’s a stone cold actor using deadpan humor and a really cool German accent like no other character. He is quite the cool dude I must say.
Summer – Serendipitous Anachronisms
“Mr. Pink” Reservoir Dogs
I am going to keep this short and sweet because I hardly think convincing is necessary.
Reservoir Dogs is the very first Tarantino film I ever saw, and I instantly became a fan. I love Tarantino’s characters, and my absolute favorite character? Four words: Mr. Pink, Reservoir Dogs. I love Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) because he is a total @$$, he has no social filter, a person you would hate in real life, but somehow Buscemi makes Mr. Pink incredibly likeable.
1. He doesn’t tip, and even Harvey Keitel can’t make him feel like a jerk for not tipping: I don’t tip, I don’t believe in it. She don’t make enough money she can quit. I don’t tip because society says I have to, I’ll tip if someone really puts forth the effort. Tipping automatically is for the birds….She only filled my coffee cup 3 times, I want it filled 6 times.
2. He goes on and on and on and on about trivial things, like his code name “Mr. Pink”: And why am I Mr. Pink? … Why can’t we pick our own colors? … And Mr. Pink sounds like Mr. Pussy! How about Mr. Purple? That sounds good to me, I’ll be Mr. Purple. … Yeah, that’s easy for you to say: you’re Mr. White. You have a cool sounding name. Look if it’s no big deal for you to be Mr. Pink you wanna trade?
3. When confronted by someone he respects, he quickly backs down, like the weasel he is: Jesus Christ Joe, forget about it. It’s beneath me, you know. I’m Mr. Pink. Let’s move on.
4. He’s smart, he’s tough, and he’s a survivor: I don’t wanna kill anybody. But if I gotta get out that door, and you’re standing in my way, one way or the other, you’re gettin’ outta my way.
5. But above all, he’s always a professional: I didn’t create the situation, I’m just dealin’ with it! You’re acting like a first year fucking thief – I’m acting like a professional!
The Bride – Kill Bill
Quentin Tarantino has created so many memorable & iconic characters that it was hard choosing just one favorite. But being a girl who LOVES IT when a movie has a strong, kick-ass, female lead, I’ve decided that The Bride is my favorite Tarantino character.
I also chose The Bride for a “Top Ten Iconic Female Characters” blogging relay last year (and am partly borrowing what I wrote about her for that). I feel that The Bride is easily worthy of being in a list of the all-time most iconic female movie characters as I think she’ll still be thought of in 20 years time. I know Tarantino is always heavily influenced by older films and that The Bride will be an amalgamation of various characters but, hell, it works! The movie may be a little shallow but it’s good fun and, dammit, I LOVE seeing a female being the lead role in a violent action movie and seriously kicking some ass. She’s at first a victim but then she gets her head together and does exactly what she sets out to do. Her look may also be borrowed from Bruce Lee but, again – it IS a great look. Who doesn’t instantly think of Uma in the yellow outfit when they hear the words “Kill Bill”? So… There you go. The Bride is my favorite Tarantino character.
Daniel – A Tale of Two Dans
Mr White – Reservoir Dogs
Tarantino is the father of so many fantastic characters. But Mr. White is elevated above all of those. Portrayed by Harvey Keitel, Mr. White was the pinnacle of cool and he also had some of the best dialog throughout the film. He’s the exact opposite of Mr. Orange in Reservoir Dogs and White shows himself to be loyal to a fault. Stoic and composed, Keitel’s criminal displays chinks of humanity that the rest of the Reservoir Dogs fill with greed. He’s the best character in Tarantino’s best movie.
Richard – The Humpo Show
The Bride: Uma Thurman (Kill Bill Vol I and II)
Hard choice. My favorite Tarantino character goes to ‘The Bride’ from the Kill Bill films. Part of my reason is purely down to screen time, as she has two films to showcase herself while many of Tarantino’s characters get just the one. But she also has many other factors contributing to her status as not only one of the best Tarantino characters but also female characters in general. Her legacy is enshrined in her iconic outfit, sword, quotes and personality.
Favourite scene: The Bride vs Gogo and The Crazy 88’s is a bloody brilliant scene *’scuse the pun* and the way that whole scene is acted, directed and choreographed is reason enough to pick The Bride.
A former assassin, known simply as The Bride, wakes from a coma four years after her jealous ex-lover Bill attempts to murder her on her wedding day. Fueled by an insatiable desire for revenge, she vows to get even with every person who contributed to the loss of her unborn child, her entire wedding party, and four years of her life. After devising a hit list, The Bride sets off on her quest, enduring unspeakable injury and unscrupulous enemies.
Benny – What About Movies
Jules Winnfield – Pulp Fiction
The first thing that popped into my head when I read the phrase “Favorite Quentin Tarantino Character” was the whole sequence that ends in the now-famous and oft-quoted Ezekiel 25:17 speech that Samuel L. Jackson did as Jules Winnfield for what I consider to be Tarantino’s masterpiece, Pulp Fiction. I always had the opinion that Samuel L. Jackson is Tarantino’s best actor-collaborator and Pulp Fiction is their masterpiece, creating what would become the template for the quintessential Tarantino character: cool in demeanor, calm in a crisis, and collected in the act of delivering those outstanding monologues that Tarantino is known for.
Kim – Tranquil Dreams
The Bride (in Kill Bill 1 & 2)
While it took me a second viewing to fully appreciate the amazing Kill Bill series, I personally love The Bride a lot. She’s had her emotional trauma and she is bad-ass and full of vengeance. And yet, you can’t even blame her for it because everyone in her way that she has to go through to get to Bill fully proves to us that they deserve to die in the most brutal way.
Tim – Filmfunkel
Santanico Pandemonium (From Dusk Till Dawn)
Picking a favorite Tarantino character is like picking a favorite 20 dollar bill from several mint ones.
Normally I’d go with Gogo Yubari (Kill Bill Vol. 1) but, in fairness, I’m picking Santanico Pandemonium (From Dusk Till Dawn) for sheer impact.
She actually made me stop breathing. A sudden, shocking, & overwhelming blast of sultry. Caught off guard, I sat stupefied like a common curb-squirrel.
We all know there’s no shortage of tawdry cute girls with perfect bodies in skimpy bikinis in film. Yet everyone remembers Salma: a magical moment in movie history.
Respect.
S.G. Liput – Rhyme and Reason
Hans Landa – Inglorious Basterds
I’ve never seen a Tarantino;
I don’t plan to begin one.
But I can tell you anyhow
I’d rather see than be in one.
It’s true; while critics and bloggers have lauded Quentin Tarantino’s films, I’ve always steered clear of them. All I’ve ever heard about them is how great his dialog is and how often he indulges in extremes of violence, sex, and language. The promise of the former has never quite overcome my distaste for the latter. The one bit of Tarantino I have seen is the beginning scene of Inglourious Basterds, in which SS Colonel Hans Landa intimidates a Frenchman who’s hiding Jews under his floorboards. Just from this one scene, it’s easy to see why Christoph Waltz won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. As someone once said, Nazis make the best villains, and Landa is ruthlessly persuasive in both describing his own talents and convincing the audience of them. Sure, he’s the only Tarantino character I’ve seen, but he’s downright evil and memorably so.
Dan – Slip/Through
Mr Pink – Reservoir Dogs
Mr. Pink from RESERVOIR DOGS, as played by Steve Buscemi, might be instantly dismissed as the runt of the litter; however, his acidic tongue quickly changes perception. Quentin Tarantino introduces us to the ensemble cast with a diner roundtable, clearly establishing individual personalities. Mr. Pink is instantly despicable, spewing ignorance about the morality of tipping their waitress. This scrawny mongoose has no problem taking on a cobra either. Despite his small stature, Pink is hard to the core and tough as nails.
It’s difficult to like this thief, yet Buscemi almost dares you not to. As disgusting as some of this dialog may be, you can’t help but laugh. The comedy helps deflate any fear that accompanies a group of thieves and killers. Like most Tarantino characters, Pink doesn’t traverse a crazy arc or evolve, yet he still feels three-dimensional. We meet criminals who aren’t vilified. Instead, Tarantino makes them real, subverting the cliche, and writing gangsters like everyday people, with each one having their own unique brand of charm.
Mr. Pink is one of Tarantino’s best characters because of how unassuming and uncompromising he is. You don’t expect someone named Pink to be the toughest criminal of the bunch. He stands up to Mr. White at the end of a pistol, with a John Woo stand-off, and doesn’t waver once. He’s also the one trying solve the mystery of which Dog is actually a Rat. By the end, Pink sticks to his guns (literally). He doesn’t delight in the violence like Mr. Blonde, Pink is in it for the money. This is a job that he treats seriously. He takes the diamonds and shoots his way through cops (again). Whether he lives or dies is up to each individual viewer. Either way, he stayed true.
The role of Mr. Pink launched Buscemi’s career. It’s a shame Tarantino hasn’t cast him again, since Buscemi’s style fits the complex and flavourful dialog perfectly. Since it’s his only role in the QT universe, it almost makes Mr. Pink even more special, leaving the audience wanting more. To be certain, RESERVOIR DOGS has several compelling and memorable characters (like every QT joint). This outside-the-box selection is an easy role to forget, but once you think of Pink, unforgettable moments instantly flood your mind. Who doesn’t remember how ‘happy’ he was when the colours were getting handed out and he got stuck with “Pink?”
Most importantly, before DOGS you didn’t see characters like this, or that talked like this. Buscemi had the deck stacked against him by portraying a slimy thief who doesn’t tip, yet we couldn’t take our eyes off him. This sort of character archetype would get further explored in subsequent Tarantino films; however, the first is always the best. DOGS was a game-changer, and Mr. Pink was the posterboy.
Drew – Drew’s Movie Reviews
The Bride (Kill Bill)
Across Quentin Tarantino’s eight movies, there have been many memorable characters. The first one that pops into my head is always The Bride from the Kill Bill movies, played by the lovely Uma Thurman. Most revenge stories are the husband seeking retribution for the death of his wife and / or family. However, this story flips it and makes the wife the one seeking vengeance. But what good is looking for revenge if you can’t fight. The Bride is the queen of Whoop-Ass. Unlike many action heroes, she isn’t all powerful either. She gets beat, she gets hurt, but she still manages to come out on top. The Bride is one of the most badass warriors in cinema there is, man or woman, making her my favorite Tarantino character.
Emma – Emma Explains It All
Seth Gecko – From Dusk till Dawn
This was officially the hardest opinion battle yet. I love many QT characters, for completely different reasons. But From Dusk till Dawn is ultimately my favorite film and has been for the last fifteen years – I love it. And I had to go with my heart and choose Seth, who I’ve admired and loved for a long time. He’s great!
Rob – Movie Rob
Winston Wolf – Pulp Fiction
Who is the most articulate, succinct, calculating and intelligent qt character but still always calm as possible? Why winston wolf who was called upon to help Jules and Vincent dispose of a very bloody mishap In pulp fiction
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