5 Tarantino Films Michael Madsen Starred In—Only 2 That Actually Used Him

The actor, who passed away from cardiac arrest at his Malibu home on July 3, 2025, was one of Tarantino's most loyal collaborators. He showed up for five of the director's films. The problem? Only two of them actually gave him something to do.

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Let's start with the obvious: Reservoir Dogs (1992). Madsen's Vic Vega—Mr. Blonde—is the reason half of Gen X thought they were cool enough to wear a suit to a diner. It was Tarantino's debut, made on a shoestring budget of $1.5 million (after Harvey Keitel jumped onboard), and Madsen's performance helped define the movie's now-iconic tone. The ear scene, the swagger, the quiet menace—it's still the role everyone associates with him, and for good reason.

Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)

Madsen plays Budd, the washed-up strip club bouncer and ex-assassin who actually manages to outsmart The Bride—briefly. Unlike the first volume, where he barely appears, Vol. 2 finally lets him act. He gets a full subplot, real scenes, even character development. You can tell Tarantino remembered why he cast Madsen in the first place.

But after that? The collaborations kept happening, but the impact fell off a cliff.

In Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Madsen is technically present—but if you blink, you'll miss him. The movie belongs to Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, and Vivica A. Fox. Madsen's Budd is little more than a footnote, tossed in among flashbacks and exposition. He brings the required "tough guy" energy, but nobody talks about Kill Bill: Vol. 1 when they talk about Madsen.

It got worse with The Hateful Eight (2015).

Tarantino had conceived it as a Django Unchained sequel, then rewrote it as an ensemble Western thriller. Madsen was cast as Joe Gage—one of eight strangers snowed in together at Minnie's Haberdashery—but the part is paper-thin. The movie is 188 minutes long, yet somehow gives him nothing to do. It made $156 million worldwide and looked gorgeous in 70mm, but Madsen was barely a moving part in the gears.

Then there's Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019), which feels like the final insult.

Madsen appears in a TV show within the movie—Bounty Law—as a background sheriff. That's it. A cameo for nostalgia's sake.

Tarantino filled the frame with everyone from Pacino to Damian Lewis, and Madsen, a longtime collaborator, got stuck playing scenery.

So here's the summary, since numbers speak louder than cameos:

• Total Tarantino films Madsen appeared in: 5
• Films that actually used him: 2
• Most memorable performance: Reservoir Dogs, no contest
• Last meaningful role for Tarantino: Kill Bill: Vol. 2—over 20 years ago

Tarantino loved working with Madsen. He just stopped writing him real parts. And now that Madsen's gone, that dynamic looks even more lopsided. Loyal to the end—but mostly wasted.