Top Ten Non-Tarantino Movies of the 90s or Newer that Fans of Quentin Tarantino May Enjoy
Quentin Tarantino has a very distinctive style of writing and directing that can easily be recognized and is impossible to copy. Yet several movies tried to do exactly that over the years, and while none of them could ever fool you and be mistaken for a true Tarantino, some of them turned out really good. I am not saying all of them are plain copies, maybe some similarities in style are coincidential or subconscious.
"Lucky Number Slevin" reaches a level of greatness that its quality sometimes equals that of certain Tarantino movies. With a cast of a-list actors including memorable performances by Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley as two gangster bosses and rivals, the movie delivers a thrill ride of all kinds of moods. Like in Tarantino movies, dialogue is much of the fun, and some of the lines are simply straightforward hilarious. But also the story is well crafted and unfolds like a puzzle, giving you more and more pieces before you can make out the full picture. All of this is done with cool aesthetics.
But it's not all style; it also offers some very believable emotions as the movie goes on... but I won't spoil that. Just know it won't end as light hearted as it begins.
It's one of my Top 50 favorite movies.
This movie divides movie fans and critics like no other. It has a huge cult following and is among the must-see canon movies of the 90s that cinephiles must know (at least over here), but the critics despised it. Personally... I have seen it several times and think it's a great piece that would have deserved to be released by Miramax as it was originally intended to be. Obviously, Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" was an influence -
the two killers and the philosophical religious content are right out of the movie, and also the discussion if movie violence can make viewers violent is raised towards the end - but it's also a lot of fun on its own. You have an outstanding overacted yet brilliant performance by Willem Dafoe, lots of stylish scenes and an appealing structure, which centers around the recreation of how the killings have occured. Sure, this film is pure excess, but when it's so well done, I love excess.
"Go" sums up the 90s more perfectly than any hit compilation may could. Just look at that cover artwork.
An antology film, it depicts an evening from three different perspectives, two of them involving around an ecstasy deal, and one of them around a trip to Vegas. There is sex, drugs, violence, profanity and lots of style - and a rave. Raves are awesome. Really awesome.
Guy Ritchie has been called the British Tarantino, and while I don't think he copied him, the similarities are undeniable. It has a couple of smaller gangstas, a couple of bigger ones, lots of hilarious dialogues, and many storylines that at some point touch each other. It is more comic and sillier than Tarantino however, but fully embraces it. It has several inventive ideas and subplots and memorable characters. It is pretty similar to Ritchie's previous movie "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels", but even more creative and fun.
Small-timer gangsters, in-your-face violence, subplots and a bunch of crazy outrageous characters... it has all the ingredients of a Tarantino, but the tone is different.
It is more insane and deranged, and the characters are twisted in the most extreme of ways. For most of the time it is just darkly humorous, but then it also has some raw emotions and backstories that make it more than just fun.
Both this and "Pulp Fiction" were released in 1994, so I guess it is just a coincidence, but this movie lives from the same casual and hilariously profane dialogue and movie fan talk that were also essential in early Tarantino movies. Whoever enjoys this kind of dialogue, should have a great time with this.
A bunch of criminals are after a snitch and engage in a line of stylish violent action and cool characters. It is not exactly brilliant but a whole lot of fun if you like this type of film.
See "Snatch". They are very similar.
Quality-wise, this story about two killers in Bruges is one of the best Post-Pulp Fiction films, but I still only included it in tenth place, because it is much more melancholic than Tarantino ever was. In fact, parts of the film are even a bit depressing. Sure, there are still the funny dialogue about the different reactions to the city, but what I remember most about it is the deep emotion of the characters. So maybe you might expect something else.
This Japanese fun splatter is for the Kill Bill fans. Sure, it's complete trash, and nowhere near the epicness of Tarantino, but part of its style and the way it shows over-the-top bloodshed should please everyone that doesn't care too much about the rough anger and brilliant writing of the two part hommage, and simply enjoys the action.
I don't really like this movie but some parts of it reminded me of Tarantino, especially the scene of the slaughter in the church.
How, in ANY way, is this even remotely similar to a Tarantino movie?
Even though I disagree that Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List are similar to Tarantino, I can at least see that both these movies and Inglourious Basterds are about the second world war/Nazis, but if a Tarantino fan also loves Jurassic Park (like me), that's purely coincidental.
