Quentin Tarantino Admits This Is His “Worst Movie”
Quentin Tarantino once revealed which of his films he considers his weakest. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter as part of their annual round table, which also featured directors like Ang Lee, Tom Hooper, and Gus Van Sant, Tarantino opened up about his career and retirement plans.
He said, “To me, it’s all about my filmography, and I want to go out with a terrific filmography,” before adding, “Death Proof has got to be the worst movie I ever made.”
Death Proof, released in 2007, is a slasher film written and directed by Tarantino. The story follows a deranged stuntman, played by Kurt Russell, who stalks and murders young women using cars he calls “death-proof.”
The cast also includes Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, Jordan Ladd, Rose McGowan, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Tracie Thoms, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Zoë Bell.
The film was originally part of Grindhouse, a double feature with Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror. After Grindhouse underperformed in U.S. theaters, Death Proof was released on its own in other countries and for home media. Critics generally praised its stunts and homage to exploitation cinema but criticized its pacing.
Tarantino apparently drew inspiration for the film from his fascination with stunt cars that could survive high-speed crashes. He explained, “I realized I couldn’t do a straight slasher film…so I realized—let me take the structure of a slasher film and just do what I do. My version is going to be f**** up and disjointed, but it seemingly uses the structure of a slasher film, hopefully against you.”
Robert Rodriguez added, “[Tarantino] had an idea and a complete vision for it right away…He started to tell me the story and said, ‘It’s got this death-proof car in it.’ I said, ‘You have to call it Death Proof.’ I helped title the movie, but that’s it.”
Tarantino also shared his thoughts on stunts, saying, “CGI for car stunts doesn’t make any sense to me…Every time a stunt happens, there’s twelve cameras and they use every angle for Avid editing, but I don’t feel it in my stomach. It’s just action.” Death Proof also marked the first time Tarantino received a cinematographer credit.
Reviews for Death Proof were mixed.
On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 67% approval rating based on 45 reviews. Critics described it as “somewhat minor in the context of Tarantino’s larger filmography, but on its own merits, it packs just enough of a wallop to deliver sufficiently high-octane grindhouse goods.” Despite this, French magazine Les Cahiers du cinéma ranked it the second-best film of 2007.
In my view, while Death Proof might not rank among Tarantino’s masterpieces, it remains a bold experiment with practical stunts and grindhouse style. It’s fascinating to see a director of his stature openly critique his own work.
What do you think about Tarantino calling Death Proof his worst film? Do you agree or disagree? Share your thoughts in the comments.
