If there’s one thing Quentin Tarantino is known for, it’s fantastic character. But fortunately he’s not only known for one thing, he’s known for many. Drama, mirroring society, and action. His filmography is packed to the brim with blood, gore, violent verbage, and more, but these are the five best action scenes Tarantino has ever put to film.
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The End Standoff – The Hateful Eight
One supposes it’s only right that the tail-end of this list would mirror the beginning, as arguably the best scene in Tarantino’s most recent outing pins the remaining characters in a standoff so very similar to the one from Reservoir Dogs.
But there seems to be more character in this scene than in the aforementioned film, as Samuel L. Jackson’s Major Warren and Walton Goggins’ Chris Mannix make their final pleas for survival and wit. Wow.
The Bar – Inglorious Basterds
Again, focusing more on suspense than brisk action, the bar scene from Inglorious Basterds has Michael Fassbender’s Lt. Hicox and Diane Kruger’s Bridget Von Hammersmark pretending to be Nazi sympathizers. Things are going great until Hicox messes up on a German number with his hands and all hell breaks loose.
Talk about a nail biter.
Crazy 88’s – Kill Bill Vol. 1
Yeah, we all knew this one was coming. In probably the most well-choreographed scene Tarantino has ever put to film, The Bride’s battle with the whole of the Crazy 88’s gang is absolutely fantastic, as limbs fly and suspense builds. If you weren’t convinced of Uma Thurman’s badassery by this point, I’m not sure what else could have been done.
Candyland Shootout – Django Unchained
While its storytelling was mostly one-dimensional, the phenomenally-built Django Unchained culminated in a spectacle of bloodshed and crazy action. After refusing to shake Mr. Candy’s hand, Christoph Waltz’ Schultz kills the man, setting off a domino effect of absolutely bonkers gunplay. Explosions, gunfire and racial slurs pack this almost ten minute shootout, and for the first time in forever, a Tarantino character gets a fairytale ending.
Mexican Standoff – Reservoir Dogs
Tarantino, the king of stress and suspense, showed his form quite early here in 1992’s Reservoir Dogs. In one of the film’s penultimate scenes, after Tim Roth’s Mr. Orange has been “found out” as a cop, so Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), Eddie (Chris Penn) and his dad Joe (Lawrence Tierney) have a good old-fashioned standoff with the three men all pointing their guns at each other. While the action is not in the most general sense, the suspense builds to a fantastic few seconds.
Of course, this is moments before Steve Buscemi’s Mr. Pink makes a beeline out the door and maybe, just maybe, gets away. But probably not.
