From movies like 1994’s Pulp Fiction to 2003’s Kill Bill: Vol.1 and 2012’s Django Unchained, time and time again Quentin Tarantino has made it known that he is one of the best American film directors and screenwriters there is. One look at any of his films and anyone can see that he has a unique style that gives each of his movies extra charm that offers a far different viewing experience from anything else.
Another feature that Tarantino’s films sport that makes them different is the fact that they each share two different cinematic universes, a “real” universe and a “cinematic” universe that was inside that “real” universe. Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this was a big deal in films. It still differs from things like the MCU due to them not being flat out shown together, but mostly hinted at through easter eggs to other Tarantino films.
10 Die Hard Is Referenced In His Most Recent Film
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is basically a love letter to cinema in general with a special Tarantino touch. Throughout the film there are tons of references to other movies, be they small references or bigger ones that no one could miss at all.
One of those references is a big shout-out to 1988’s classic, Die Hard. In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Before the home invasion starts going bad while Tex has Cliff at gunpoint they start to have a small conversation. This conversation turns from talking to laughing in a very similar way as the scene at the climax of Die Hard featuring Hans Gruber and John McClane.
9 Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Has An Unexpected The Thing Reference
One of the greatest horror films of all time, 1982’s The Thing, is referenced in a very unexpected and hilarious way in Tarantino’s most recent film as well featuring Rick Dalton and a very familiar weapon to those that have seen The Thing.
In this scene, Rick is armed with a flamethrower and kills a member of the Mansion family, much in the same vein that R.J. MacReady did to one of the infected humans in The Thing. Funnily enough, Kurt Russell shows up in both films as well.
8 Django Has Many References To Kill Bill In Numerous Places
Django Unchained feels a lot like Quentin Tarantino’s love letter to his own classic film, Kill Bill. The entirety of the film shares a similar basis and theme of revenge for a taken loved one against an evil counterpart of the protagonist. Besides characters like the Bride and Django sharing similar goals and journies, there are also straight-up references to the classic film.
In Django Unchained, Stephen utters the classic quote, “That will be the story of you,” as he speaks on Django’s mining slave ending. This is a scene basically taken from Kill Bill where Bill warns the Bride about Pai Mei.
7 Jackie Brown Has References To Its Spiritual Predecessor
Foxy Brown is one of the most well-known and successful Blaxploitation films of the 70s. It was also one of the first films to feature a strong leading lady, making its star Pam Grier into the original female action-movie star.
Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown is seen as a spiritual successor to Foxy Brown and even features actress Pam Grier. In a not-so-subtle reference to Foxy Brown, Pam’s character was named “Jackie Brown”.
6 Jackie Brown Also References Taxi Driver
The 1976 classic Martin Scorsese film, Taxi Driver starring Robert De Niro as its main character, was also referenced in Tarantino’s Jackie Brown through both the actor and a scene mirroring a scene in Taxi Driver.
In Jackie Brown, Robert De Niro’s character, Louis Gara, is shown a ton of weapons by a gun dealer. This scene basically happens in the same way with the same actor in Taxi Driver.
5 Kill Bill Is Full Of Lady Snowblood Callbacks
Kill Bill is a film that acts as a giant shout-out to films like Foxy Brown, Coffy, Thriller: A Cruel Picture, and above all Lady Snowblood, a 1973 live-action film adaptation of the manga of the same name by Toshiya Fujita.
Not only does the plot greatly reference Lady Snowblood, Kill Bill even features a reference in the form of the character O-Ren Ishii. Her clothing and origins are greatly pulled straight from the manga and film along with her boss fight taking place in a snow garden much like in the Lady Snowblood live-action film.
4 Kill Bill Also Is Full Of Pulp Fiction References
It’s no surprise that one of Tarantino’s most popular films features references to his arguably most popular movie, Pulp Fiction. One of those references is the Bride drawing out a square when talking to Vernita, much like how Mia Wallace, who is played by the same actor, did in Pulp Fiction.
Another reference to the film is featured in chapter 5 when the Bride is walking through an airport and passes an advertisement for Red Apple Cigarettes. This is the same brand of cigarettes that Uma Thurman’s character, Mia Wallace, smokes in Pulp Fiction.
3 Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Nods To Classic Batman
Before superheroes were taken much more seriously there were television shows like the superhero comedy of the 1960s, Batman, starring Adam West as Bruce “Batman” Wayne and Burt Ward as Dick “Robin” Grayson.
This historic television series received a nod that only true Bat-fans would catch in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood during the credits where a radio contest announcement by Adam West and Burt Ward plays.
2 Reservoir Dogs Gives Love To A Clockwork Orange
Upon analyzing all of the references in many of Tarantino’s films it’s easy to find that one of his favorite and most referenced films is Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange.
The torture scene of Reservoir Dogs where “Stuck in the Middle With You” plays is a big reference to the scene of 1971 classic where Alex wrongs the writer and his wife to “Singin in the Rain”.
1 Reservoir Dogs “Unknowingly” References City on Fire
While most of the references featured in Quentin Tarantino’s films are done on purpose, there is one that is actually very controversial due to Tarantino denying knowledge of the film even existing.
The 1987 film, City on Fire has a nearly identical plot to Reservoir Dogs and even has the exact same ending as well.
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