Quentin Tarantino Names a Fellow Filmmaker Who Doesn’t Deserve the Praise

Quentin Tarantino is known for his encyclopedic knowledge of movies, from classic Hollywood hits to obscure B-movies, and he brings all of that into his films. You can see it in the way he blends genres, from gritty crime stories to westerns and martial arts action.

In the early 2010s, Tarantino showed his love for westerns by making Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight one after the other. “I even named the first one after a 1966 movie by Sergio Corbucci and brought in the original star, Franco Nero, for a cameo,” he once explained.

He’s also shared his favorite westerns, naming Rio Bravo, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and One-Eyed Jacks as his top picks. But while he clearly admires directors like Sergio Leone, there’s one legendary filmmaker he absolutely cannot stand.

Many might guess John Ford, the man behind classics like The Searchers and Stagecoach, is someone he respects—but they’d be wrong. In an interview with Henry Louis Gates, Tarantino admitted, “To say the least, I hate him.”

Tarantino’s criticism isn’t just personal taste. He takes issue with how Ford portrayed Native Americans and the messages his films sent about humanity. “His movies treated certain groups like faceless Indians, whom he killed like zombies,” Tarantino said.

He also called Ford’s famous visual style overrated, arguing that the photography doesn’t outweigh the outdated perspectives in his films. Even as he critiques the past, Tarantino is keeping busy with new projects.

He recently scrapped his planned tenth movie, The Movie Critic, but has moved on to a massive new production called The Adventures of Cliff Booth. Written by Tarantino and directed by David Fincher for Netflix, it’s a period drama sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Brad Pitt is returning as the title character, and filming wrapped in January for a release later this year.

Tarantino is also trying something completely new. He’s preparing to make his debut in London’s West End with a stage play he wrote and will personally oversee. The move to the UK is a big change for the director, but it shows he’s not afraid to step outside his usual film projects.

Whether he’s praising some directors or calling others overrated, Tarantino’s passion for cinema and his blunt honesty remain a big part of why fans can’t stop talking about him.

Have something to add? Share your thoughts in the comments.