The famous director behind Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill is not happy with today’s movie industry. Quentin Tarantino, 63, wrote a piece for Sight & Sound magazine where he shared his honest thoughts about current films. He says most new movies are full of problems and do not give him the joy he once felt. But he did find one exception that he really liked.
Tarantino Says Most New Movies Make Him Feel Disappointed
The Oscar-winning filmmaker did not hold back in his essay. He wrote that he sees too many mistakes in today’s releases.
“Flaws, implausibilities, audience pandering, miscast performers or just plain stupid s— usually torpedoes every new movie coming out of the flavorless sausage factory that used to call itself Hollywood,” Tarantino wrote.
He added that the very idea of what a movie is today makes him feel more contempt than generosity. The director then compared the last six years of movies to the 1980s, a decade he has previously called one of the worst for cinema. He said the movies from 2020 to now make the 80s look like the 1930s by comparison.
Tarantino admitted that he has seen a few movies he liked since 2020. He named Steven Spielberg‘s West Side Story from 2021 and Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 and 2 from 2024. But even those did not fully win him over.
“I’ve seen movies I liked since then, but nothing that really held me in its grip and swept me away to the magical land of enjoyment that I used to visit regularly and was the reason I loved movies above all other artforms,” he wrote. “These days I’d rather read a book.”
The One Movie That Won Tarantino Over
After all that criticism, Tarantino made an exception for one film. He praised Joe Carnahan’s Netflix thriller The Rip, which came out in January 2026.
“A suspenseful new movie has come out that did grab me and held me for its entire duration,” Tarantino wrote. He called it an “exciting cop thriller with a novel premise that manages to deliver the goods in really clever ways.”
The director broke down exactly what worked for him.
“The whole package worked for me: Carnahan’s direction, the splendid cast, the look of the film (courtesy of cinematographer Juan Miguel Azpiroz) — but the real powerhouse component of this splendid collection is the sensational screenplay by Carnahan and Michael McGrale.”
The Rip stars Matt Damon as Lieutenant Dane Dumars and Ben Affleck as Sergeant J.D. Byrne. They play Miami-Dade cops whose loyalties get tested when a routine case reveals corruption within their own unit. The movie also features Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle, and Kyle Chandler.
The film arrived on Netflix on January 16, 2026, and quickly became the platform’s top-rated thriller. It is inspired by real events, which adds weight to the story about power, betrayal, and the fine line between justice and personal gain.
Tarantino’s Own Movie Future and Current Projects
Tarantino has not directed a movie since 2019’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. He has said he plans to make only one more film before retiring as a director. But he is not in a rush to make that last movie. Part of the reason is his disappointment with how movies are treated today. He said at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival that movies only play in theaters for a short time before they are available to watch at home.
“What is a movie now?” he asked. “What, something that plays in theaters for a token release for four weeks, and by the second week you can watch it on television? I didn’t get into all this for diminishing returns.”
Instead of a new movie, Tarantino is working on a play. The project is called The Popinjay Cavalier, which he describes as a “swashbuckling comedy.” The play is set in 1830s Europe and is about deception and disguise. It is scheduled to open in London’s West End in early 2027.
But Tarantino is still writing for the screen. He wrote the script for a follow-up to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. David Fincher is directing the project for Netflix. Brad Pitt will return as stuntman Cliff Booth, the role that won him an Oscar. Elizabeth Debicki and Scott Caan have also joined the cast. The project remains mostly secret, but casting news suggests it is moving forward toward production.
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What This Means for Movie Fans
Tarantino has built his career on loving and celebrating cinema. His books and interviews show deep knowledge of film history. So when he speaks badly about today’s movies, people pay attention. His comments add to a larger conversation about whether Hollywood is making movies with less care and originality than before.
But his strong praise for The Rip also shows that he still believes good films are being made. He just thinks they are very rare now. For viewers looking for a thriller that Tarantino approves of, The Rip is streaming now on Netflix worldwide.
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