At the request of the KBZ community, we’ve been asked to review the best lesser-known films that were inspired by Quentin Tarantino. In this special edition article, we’ll look at films of the 1990’s and early 2000’s that tried (and often failed) at replicating Tarantino’s unique style of quirky characters, witty and pop culture-infused dialogue, time-shifting narratives and ultraviolence found in Reservoir Dogs (1992), True Romance (1993) and Pulp Fiction (1994).
As we outlined in our previous articles on the Top Heist Films You Haven’t Seen – 1990’s, Top Films About Fugitives You Haven’t Seen – 1990’s and Top Films About Gangsters You Haven’t Seen – 1990’s, the “Tarantino Effect” had an outsized influence on many crime films of the 1990’s. While some of these films including Kalifornia (1993), Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and The Boondock Saints (1999) were successful incorporating elements of Tarantino’s distinct style, quite a few other films failed and led to subpar knockoff efforts such as Baja (1995), The Immortals (1995) and Flypaper (1999).
However, if you’re a fan of Tarantino’s earlier crime films, we’re here to provide you with a full list of the films clearly inspired by Tarantino himself segmented into three tiers. The first tier will include the best films inspired by Tarantino and are likely familiar to many general film fans. The second tier will include some major releases and obscure films that aren’t quite on the level of a Pulp Fiction (1994) but are worth checking out. And the third tier will include the remaining films that will likely only appeal to hardcore Tarantino fans or completists of various crime subgenres.
For our Top 10 list below, we’ve selected some of the best lesser-known films that were clearly inspired by Tarantino. His global influence can be seen in a variety of films from Spanish director Agustín Díaz Yanes to German director Thomas Jahn. If you’re a fan of Tarantino and haven’t seen the films on our list, you’ll be in for a treat as these films are the most effective in emulating Tarantino’s style and shouldn’t be missed.
On our site, you can find our full lists of Films About Fugitives, Films About Capers & Heists and Films About Gangsters, The Mob and The Mafia. In these collections, you can also find our articles outlining the best films of these crime subgenre and the top lesser-known films (of that subgenre) by decade. As always, you can subscribe to our newsletter for KBZ’s latest film articles, subgenre lists, film reviews and more.
We have embedded a compilation video of the Best Films Inspired by Quentin Tarantino You Haven’t Seen and more details on these films can be found in the list below. Note: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Best Films Inspired by Quentin Tarantino (must see): Kalifornia (1993), Love and a .45 (1994), Get Shorty (1995), Gross Pointe Blank (1997), Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Suicide Kings (1998), The Boondock Saints (1999), The Settlement (1999), Lucky Number Slevin (2006), and Smokin’ Aces (2006).
Tier 2 Films Inspired by Quentin Tarantino (worth checking out): Trouble Bound (1993), 2 Days in the Valley (1996), The Real Thing (1996), Albino Alligator (1996), 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag (1997), City of Industry (1997), Face (1997), Montana (1998), Very Bad Things (1998), Monument Ave. (1998), Thursday (1998), Best Laid Plans (1999), Thick as Thieves (1999) and Intermission (2003).
Tier 3 Films Inspired by Quentin Tarantino (only for completists): Bank Robber (1993), Baja (1995), The Doom Generation (1995), Man with a Gun (1995), Palookaville (1995), The Immortals (1995), Fall Time (1995), Small Time (1996), The Winner (1996), Hit Me (1996), Feeling Minnesota (1996), American Strays (1996), I Went Down (1997), Truth or Consequences, N.M. (1997), A Gun for Jennifer (1997), Cold Around the Heart (1997), Lewis & Clark & George (1997), B. Monkey (1998), Keys to Tulsa (1997), Joyride (1997), Jerry and Tom (1998), The Big Hit (1998), Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane (1998), Body Count (1998), Boogie Boy (1998), Flypaper (1999), Parting Shots (1999), Night at the Golden Eagle (2001), Fish in a Barrel (2001), South West 9 (2001), Dead Fish (2005), Hot Tamale (2006) and The Baytown Outlaws (2012).
Here is our list of the Best Films Inspired by Quentin Tarantino You Haven’t Seen:
#10
Sushi Girl
Plot: Fish leaves prison after serving six years and receives an invitation to dinner from a fellow criminal. During a tense dinner, attempts are made to find out where Fish hid the goods from a robbery, as food appears on the naked body of a woman.
KBZ’s Take: We had a debate for ranking Dead Sushi on our list of the Top Heist Films You Haven’t Seen – 2010 – 2014 and it was between this film, The Blonde with the Bare Breasts (2010), The Hot Potato (2011) and Plastic (2014). Though Sushi Girl won out, we would recommend watching those other films as they all have great heist elements (if you love that crime subgenre).
As for the Sushi Girl, it’s obviously inspired by the Quentin Tarantino Heist Films of prior decades and is elevated above typical subgenre fare by some great performances and an out of nowhere plot twist. Casual filmgoers might be turned off by some of the violence in the film, but fans of Tarantino Films should enjoy the film overall.
Additional Lists: Top Heist Films You Haven’t Seen – 2010 – 2014 #10
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#9
Judas Kiss
Plot: The shooting of a U.S. senator’s wife raises the stakes for kidnappers seeking a hefty ransom for a computer magnate.
KBZ’s Take: You’ll recognize the Tarantino influence on this film from its explosive opening throughout its first act. And though the film is a hybrid heist/kidnapping crime film, it does have enough twists and turns within its narrative to place it in the tier of Tarantino knockoff films you should check out.
The film sports a stellar cast with Carla Gugino, Emma Thompson, Simon Baker, Gil Bellows, Philip Baker Hall, Hal Holbrook, Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson. Another member of the heist crew is actor Til Schweiger who you might recognize as the psychopath Stiglitz from Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds (2009).
The only gripe we had with the film was the insufferable southern American accents attempted by British actors Rickman and Thompson. They’re both two of the greatest actors of their generation and great in this film, but their accents distracted from some twists in the story.
Where to Stream / Buy: Roku
Plot: Dreaming of ascending the underworld ladder and gaining revenge on his sadistic boss, Sal, a Mafia flunky, Frankie, tries to take a step in the right direction by saving an exploited, drug-addicted porn actress, Margaret.
KBZ’s Take: This is one of the obscure “Tarantino-lite” Gangster films that appeared during the 1990’s. Despite an amazing cast of Dennis Hopper, Kiefer Sutherland, Daryl Hannah and Michael Madsen, it’s all but been forgotten over time.
The film features sordid elements involving junkies, porn shoots and mob enforcers that had it compared to Tarantino’s earlier crime films, but it carves out its own unique niche in the subgenre mainly driven by Hopper’s great performance. He’s a man navigating this seedy world with higher career aspirations.
If you’re a fan of Tarantino or the Gangster Film subgenre in general, it’s a film you definitely should not miss.
Additional Lists: Top Films About Gangsters You Haven’t Seen – 1990’s #9
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#7
Dobermann
Plot: The charismatic criminal Dobermann, who got his first gun when he was christened, leads a gang of brutal robbers. After a complex and brutal bank robbery, they are being hunted by the Paris police. The hunt is led by the sadistic cop Christini, who only has one goal: to catch Dobermann at any cost.
KBZ’s Take: If you combined Quentin Tarantino with Luc Besson you might get something like Dobermann. This French Heist film is filled with crazy characters, thrilling heist sequences and violence – lots of violence.
You’ll notice the Tarantino influence on the film from the opening scene involving a newborn that ends up with a gun. That is followed by an even crazier sequence of an armored truck robbery by Dobermann (Vincent Cassel) and his deaf girlfriend Nathalie (Monica Bellucci). You should know within the first 15 minutes of this film if it’s your type of film or not. And a mini-spoiler – it gets even crazier after the opening 15 minutes.
Dobermann is action-packed with a ton of cartoonish violence and one of the crazier, must-see films inspired by Tarantino.
Additional Lists: Top Heist Films You Haven’t Seen – 1990’s #4
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Wheelman in a robbery saves a hostage and is pursued by the cops, the hostage’s husband and fellow robbers.
KBZ’s Take: If you ever wondered what an Australian version of True Romance (1993) with Russell Crowe instead of Christian Slater might look like, then this is your film. This was Crowe’s last Australian film before becoming an international superstar in L.A. Confidential (1997). It’s not a perfect film, but it’s high on violence and black comedy with numerous action sequences.
It also has a surprising (and emotional) bond that develops between Crowe and the hostage (played by Yûki Kudô). You won’t forget the last 20 minutes of this film that includes amazing chemistry between Crowe and Kudô during a dance sequence set to the Bee Gee’s ‘Don’t Forget To Remember’.
Additional Lists: Top Chase Films You Haven’t Seen #4
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Two terminally ill men (Til Schweiger, Jan Josef Liefers) meet, steal a car and fulfill one’s dream of going to the sea.
KBZ’s Take: Another film on our list starring Til Schweiger that was often criticized as a German knock-off of Pulp Fiction (1994). While the film (and its director Thomas Jahn) is very clearly inspired by Tarantino crime films, we just didn’t see the comparisons. If anything, the film is more closely related to Killing Zoe (1993) with its narrative about criminals with nothing left to lose.
With all that said, it’s a great film even without the Tarantino-infused elements. While there are some funny crime sequences throughout the film, it’s all layered atop a dramatic thread about finding kinship in life when you find out you’re almost out of it.
Schweiger and Jan Josef Liefers are both excellent in this film as the pair that get involved in heists and eventually become fugitives. Moritz Bleibtreu also has a supporting role as a bumbling gangster and you might recognize the German actor from Run Lola Run (1998) and In July (2000).
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Frantic to be free of Felix, her wealthy but drunken and violent drug-lord husband, Ana tricks her fresh-from-prison sister, Aurora, and two other ex-partners in crime into coming to her aid. Now that their crew is reassembled, the women begin planning a heist that will rid Ana of Felix and net them enough cash to be set for life.
KBZ’s Take: When watching Walking Vengeance, it becomes apparent that Writer and Director Agustín Díaz Yanes went to the Quentin Tarantino School of Crime Films. The film is very reminiscent of Tarantino’s crime films and very, very violent.
The film is led by an amazing cast including Diego Luna and José María Yazpik as the Mexican Narcos and Victoria Abril, Arianda Gil, Pilar López de Ayala and Elena Anaya as the female thieves who plan on robbing them. The four women have an intricate plan to rob the Narcos’ money, but everything doesn’t go according to plan leading to many suspenseful twists and turns.
Though the film is a sequel of sorts to Yanes’ Nobody Will Speak of Us When We’re Dead (1995), it’s not required to see the first film to understand the second. The only common denominator between the films is Abril and loads of violence.
Additional Lists: Top Heist Films You Haven’t Seen – 2005 – 2009 #3
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: A visit to a natural history museum proves catastrophic for two high school rivals, an overachiever and a jock, when an ancient Aztec statue casts a spell that causes them to switch bodies and see exactly what it’s like to walk in the other’s shoes.
KBZ’s Take: “I am Godzilla, you are Japan!” is the phrase that will be etched into your mind after seeing this film. Of all the Tarantino-lite films that came out after Pulp Fiction (1994), this film is the best of the bunch.
Like Pulp Fiction, there are intertwining stories and oddball characters including Treat Williams as Critical Bill (who also utters the infamous Godzilla line) and Steve Buscemi as a feared hitman, Mr. Shhh. And, of course, there’s The Man With The Plan, a quadriplegic mob boss played by Christopher Walken in one of his best and weirdest performances of the decade.
For younger generations, we would advise watching this film to see the direct impact Tarantino had on various crime films and how so few could match his unique style of dialogue, violence and overall craziness.
Additional Lists: Top Assassins & Hitmen Films You Haven’t Seen #3, Top Films About Gangsters You Haven’t Seen – 1990’s #5
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Escaping gangsters trying to kill her because of being witness to a crime, Gloria (Victoria Abril), a young woman of lower class, comes back to Madrid, Spain and to her family. There she tries to find work and earn some money.
KBZ’s Take: We mentioned earlier in this article that Walking Vengeance (2008) #4 had a ‘prequel’. This is that film. Both films star Victoria Abril as Gloria, a troubled woman on the wrong side of the mob with some unique heist plans. Nobody Will Speak is Díaz’s directorial debut and won multiple awards for Best Film and Best Actress at Spain’s Goya Awards.
Of all the films we have seen within the crime genre, we would say Díaz’s style comes the closest to Tarantino’s unique brand. There’s the sordid characters and sequences, mob elements and extremely violent confrontations that Díaz subtly differentiates for his own unique voice in the subgenre.
Nobody Will Speak is not as violent as Walking Vengeance and the former film is much more focused on Gloria’s run from the mob (versus a heist in the latter film), but both films make an excellent double feature for fans of Tarantino films.
Additional Lists: Top Films About Gangsters You Haven’t Seen – 1990’s #4
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: An amoral couple (Rosie Perez, Javier Bardem) practice voodoo and commit a series of violent, bloody crimes on their way to Las Vegas.
KBZ’s Take: While this film has a bad rap as a “Tarantino knock-off” film, we think it does more than enough to differentiate itself in the subgenre and should be recognized as one of the top Fugitive Films of the 1990’s.
We’ll start with two of the stars of the film – Javier Bardem and James Gandolfini. Bardem absolutely kills it in this film as Romeo Dolorosa – the psychotic bank robber/santeria priest/outlaw. It was one of his first major roles and you can see right away in this film how he was destined to be a star. His role as the villain rivals his Academy Award winning performance as hitman Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men (2007). He is that good in this film.
As for Gandolfini, his role requires a different kind of craziness as the DEA agent in pursuit of Dolorosa and Perdita Durango (Rosie Perez). Gandolfini provides a more humorous element as he’s fed up with bureaucracy and his co-workers and will do whatever it takes to catch the fugitives.
Finally, we have Rosie Perez. She is fine in her role as Perdita but is quickly overshadowed by Bardem. This isn’t a knock against Perez as an actress, but rather another validation of Bardem’s great performance.
If you’re a lover of all things Tarantino, this is one film from our list you definitely should not miss.
Additional Lists: Top Films About Fugitives You Haven’t Seen – 1990’s #3
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
