Quentin Tarantino Shares the Movie He Believes Was a Total Fiasco From Start To Finish

Quentin Tarantino didn’t follow the usual path to becoming a filmmaker. He never went to film school. Instead, he spent years working in a video rental store, watching movies constantly, and learning everything he could about film. Directors like Martin Scorsese and Akira Kurosawa became his teachers, and over time, he built a deep knowledge of styles, techniques, and storytelling.

Even though he loves movies, Tarantino is famously picky. He’s not easily impressed, and his opinions can be sharp. In an interview with The Talks, he said his mind “absorbs everything from idiosyncratic behaviors to interesting life stories told to me by strangers.” That attention to detail makes him a critic who doesn’t hold back.

One movie that didn’t impress him was Michael Mann’s 1983 horror-thriller, The Keep. Tarantino said watching it was like watching a great director before he had fully mastered his craft. He noticed Mann relied heavily on slow motion, smoke, and loud music whenever the story started to drift. Tarantino’s reaction was blunt.

He called the movie a “f*****g fiasco” and even said it was almost sacrilegious to compare this early work to Mann’s later films like The Insider. “He was trying to be a stylist before he really knew how to control his style,” Tarantino added.

Despite his harsh words, Tarantino’s critique is less about tearing down a director and more about understanding growth. He points out that even the greatest filmmakers have rough patches and missteps before they find their signature style.

His love for cinema means he notices the tiniest details, whether it’s a camera movement, music choice, or pacing, and that makes his opinions particularly respected in the industry.

As of February, Tarantino is in a transitional period in his own career. He recently canceled a project called The Movie Critic because it felt too much like his last work. Instead, he is turning his focus to a new, high-profile project.

He wrote the screenplay for The Adventures of Cliff Booth, a $200 million period drama directed by David Fincher. The film is a standalone sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and stars Brad Pitt as the titular fixer, alongside Elizabeth Debicki and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Production wrapped in January, and fans are eager to see how Tarantino’s style adapts in a Fincher-directed world.

Meanwhile, Michael Mann is moving forward with Heat 2, a sequel-prequel to his 1995 crime classic. Filming is expected to start in August, and the $150 million project has shifted from Warner Bros to United Artists.

Leonardo DiCaprio is reportedly in talks to join the cast, which may also include Christian Bale and Austin Butler. Tarantino’s opinion of The Keep might make some curious to see if Mann’s return to crime stories in Heat 2 will live up to expectations.

Tarantino’s reaction to The Keep is a reminder that even the best directors have films that don’t quite work. But it also highlights his deep understanding of cinema, his love of detail, and his willingness to call things as he sees them.

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