Quentin Tarantino Just Dropped the Final 10 Films on His 21st Century Best-Of List
On a new podcast appearance, Quentin Tarantino unveiled picks 11–20 from his 21st-century best list, saving the top 10 for later — and the partial reveal is already sparking fierce fan debate.
Quentin Tarantino dropped in on Bret Easton Ellis's podcast and started unveiling his personal top 20 movies of the 21st century. He only gave us the bottom half for now (No. 20 through No. 11), with the top 10 still under wraps. As you can imagine, people are already arguing about the order.
Tarantino's 21st-century picks so far (20 to 11)
- 20. West Side Story - directed by Steven Spielberg
- 19. Cabin Fever - directed by Eli Roth
- 18. Moneyball - directed by Bennett Miller
- 17. Chocolate - directed by Prachya Pinkaew
- 16. The Devil's Rejects - directed by Rob Zombie
- 15. The Passion of the Christ - directed by Mel Gibson
- 14. School of Rock - directed by Richard Linklater
- 13. Jackass: The Movie - directed by Jeff Tremaine
- 12. Big Bad Wolves - directed by Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado
- 11. Battle Royale - directed by Kinji Fukasaku
The highlights (and the spicy takes)
At No. 20, Tarantino calls Spielberg's 2021 West Side Story the movie that revitalized Spielberg as a filmmaker. Yes, the remake of the classic musical about Maria and Tony trying to make it work while their rival gangs are at war. He really goes to bat for it, and even tosses a little shade while he is at it:
"This is the one where Steven shows he still has it. I don't think Scorsese has made a film this exciting."
For context, he was talking about 21st-century Scorsese specifically. Still, not exactly a soft lob.
The No. 13 pick is pure Tarantino: Jackass: The Movie. He says it is the movie that made him laugh the most in the last 20 years and that he has not laughed that consistently since Richard Pryor. Again, extremely on-brand to have prank-pain chaos sitting a couple slots away from Moneyball and The Passion of the Christ.
And at No. 11, Battle Royale. If you have followed Tarantino at all, this will not shock you. He has long praised Kinji Fukasaku's ultraviolent survival thriller and has said that, of all the movies made since he started directing, that is the one he wishes he had made. No surprise it is parked right outside his top 10.
What is next
This is only half the list. Tarantino says the top 10 is coming later, so expect another round of debate when he finally drops Nos. 10 through 1.