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Seven films deep into his career, Quentin Tarantino's blood-splattered, pop-culture-cluttered, sometimes perverse, and always hilarious movies have become their own genre, beholden to his own tropes. Among the many things you're bound to find in a Tarantino flick—next to foot fetish shots, excessive use of "nigga/nigger," and Samuel L. Jackson—are several truly cool, unforgettable characters.
From the color-appointed jewel thieves of Reservoir Dogs to the eponymous former slave turned bounty hunter in Tarantino's latest, the bloody and wonderfully crazy Django Unchained (in theaters Christmas Day), the esteemed writer-director has bestowed upon us some of cinema's most memorable ass-kickers, assassins, and scary goons. As a companion piece to our highly entertaining Quentin Tarantino Soundboard, we've ranked the 25 most badass characters from all of his movies.
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Written by Frazier Tharpe (@The_SummerMan)
25. Christopher Walken as Captain Koons, Pulp Fiction (1994)
Captain Koons only appears in one scene of Pulp Fiction, but it's a damn memorable one. It's all thanks to his hilariously disturbing monologue to a young Butch Coolidge about the history of the little man's father's gold watch, his de facto birthright. For the two minutes we're with Koons, all he does is talk, but his casually harrowing tale of harboring a whole timepiece up his ass while imprisoned in a Vietnamese POW camp gives him all the credit he needs to contend with the rest of the characters on this list.
24. Alexis Arquette as "Man #4," Pulp Fiction (1994)
Sure, the fake Jerry Seinfeld fourth member of the brainless Brett crew only lasts seconds before getting blown away by Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) and Vincent (John Travolta). If it weren't for that damned (or holy?) divine intervention, though, he'd have caught the two professional hitmen fatally off guard. It takes major stones to burst out of your hiding place and try and take out the two guys who just murdered your friends in cold blood. "A" for effort, Man "4."
23. Lawrence Tierney as Joe Cabot, Reservoir Dogs (1992)
It's unfortunate that the elderly mastermind behind the ill-fated jewel robbery spends most of Reservoir Dogs off-screen. Still, he shows his stones in the suspense-filled finale when he outs Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) as the undercover cop and unflinchingly blows him away despite Mr. White's (Harvey Keitel) not-so-idle threat to return the favor.
22. Samuel L. Jackson as Ordell Robbie, Jackie Brown (1997)
Ordell would be higher on this list if it were ranked on coolness alone, but as it stands he's not very good at being a bad guy. The gun runner is as bungling as he is threatening. He's a homicidal criminal with delusions of grandeur and even more inept cohorts (played effectively by Bridget Fonda and Robert De Niro).
Regardless of his criminal flaws, Ordell has some of the best moments out of all of Jackson's Tarantino-verse appearances. Chief among them all: when Ordell murders Beaumont (Chris Tucker) to the smooth tune of "Strawberry Letter 23."
21. Vivica A. Fox as Vernita Green, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Vernita is The Bride's (Uma Thurman) second target, although—thanks to the film's out-of-chronological-order structure—the first person we see her go after. Their marvelous, knock-down, drag-out brawl serves as a great preview for the blood-drenched journey the movie heads straight into.
As The Bride's quickest source of disposal, Vernita didn't stand a chance. It's worth nothing, though, that she does put up one hell of a fight, all while fucking up her idyllic suburban home in the process.
20. The Crazy 88, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
The elite squad in O-Ren Ishii's (Lucy Liu) Yakuza syndicate is actually a fun-loving bunch. They're drinking, hurling insults at waiters, and otherwise being merry before The Bride crashes their party. And then chaos rightfully ensues.
Once she and her Samurai sword enter the building, the Crazy 88 spring into action, and the fact that she cuts them down one by one doesn't make them inept—she's just that good. It's too bad that we ultimately have to root against them. It it were any other movie, we'd surely be riding with the sword-wielding, Kato-mask wearing posse that's blessed with the dope name.
19. Pam Grier as Jackie Brown, Jackie Brown (1997)
The titular femme fatale in Quentin Tarantino’s most underrated film is also one of the most fearless characters that he’s ever created, staring down the likes of goonish arms dealer Ordell (Samuel L. Jackson) or Michael Keaton’s controlling ATF agent just the same.
Despite her intimidating presence, for some reason both of those dudes mistakenly assume they can force her to play a dutiful part in their intertwining schemes, grossly underestimating her own self-preserving scheming capabilities. Which is why they both end up assed out (or worse) while she rides off into the sunset.
18. David Carradine as Bill, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
Bill, the head of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad loves hard, as seen when he rolls deep and uninvited to his ex's (Uma Thurman) wedding and sprays the whole church with choppers, saving a bullet to the head for the expecting Bride.
Carradine's enigmatic Bill casts a long shadow over both halves of the two-part movie titled after one woman's unrelenting thirst to kill him. When he finally does show up in the present, he's all charm, Superman philosophies, and samurai swords. Which is to say, he does not disappoint.
17. Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike McKay, Grindhouse: Death Proof (2007)
The professional driver known as Stuntman Mike likes to get his rocks off by killing women instead of bagging them, but unlike most serial killers, Mike sticks to his craft and kills with his special '71 Chevy Nova SS 396. Prior to Grindhouse, Tarantino said he cast Kurt Russell with the intention of returning him to the badass leading man status he once held before being detrimentally cast in films like Miracle.
Two vehicular homicides (one taking our four girls at once) and one showstopping chase sequence later, the mission was accomplished. Except for those final minutes, when Mike gets stomped out by three very pissed-off ladies. Speaking of which...
16. Rosario Dawson, Tracie Thoms, and Zoë Bell as the very angry drivers, Death Proof girls, Death Proof (2007)
Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) has his way with the first quartet of women he terrorizes in the first half of Death Proof but the film crew members he stalks and tries to take out for his next go-round aren't having any of his bullshit.
Zoe (Bell) and Kim (Thoms) are stunt-women themselves, and with make-up artist Abernathy (Dawson) riding shotgun they quickly reduce Mike from homicidal maniac to crying little bitch when they give him a taste of his own medicine with their '70 Dodge Challenger R/T. And then, they literally stomp him out.
15. Christoph Waltz as Dr. King Schultz, Django Unchained (2012)
As the gracious bounty hunter who frees Django (Jamie Foxx) and trains him to be a fellow bounty hunter, King Schultz (awesome name, by the way) was already good in our book. His trusty horse named Fritz and the giant bobbing tooth that's stuck atop his carriage don't hurt, either. So the fact that he was formerly a mild-mannered dentist before, for unexplained reasons, switching professions to become a charismatic bounty hunter who kills slave owners just makes him that much cooler.
14. John Travolta as Vincent Vega, Pulp Fiction (1994)
Vincent, a fairly lackadaisical hitman, usually lets partner Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) do all of the talking. And while Mr. Vega is cold and foreboding in the workplace, he's the opposite in his true badass element: the dance floor. His masterful execution of the twist alongside Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) is enough to make up for his tragically ill-timed bathroom visits.
13. Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Raine, Inglourious Basterds (2009)
By now, Aldo Raine's declaration that he and his Jewish team of Nazi hunting Basterds are in the "killin' Nazi business" ("and, cousin, business is a-boomin") is infamous. Besides, a movie character can't get much more official than demanding one hundred Nazi scalps, each, from his soldiers.
The lieutenant's single-mindedness and devotion to his mission is endearing, so much so that we can't help but crack a smile in the movie's final gag when the straightforward Aldo finds a way to get around his frustration of having to let Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz)—the worst Nazi of all—go free with immunity. How so? By carving a swastika on Landa's forehead.
12. Harvey Keitel as Winston Wolf, Pulp Fiction (1994)
As a premier fixer for the criminal underworld, The Wolf exudes a preternatural air of calm and control that even makes Jules (Samuel L. Jackson), cool in his own right, go kind of fanboy over him. Keitel's performance is so wonderfully understated but still larger-than-life that we tend to forget he's only in Pulp Fiction for about 15 minutes.
If Tarantino ever decides to return to a contemporary setting for future films, a Winston Wolf cameo would be more than welcome.
11. Ving Rhames as Marsellus Wallace, Pulp Fiction (1994)
For roughly the first half of Pulp Fiction, crime boss Marsellus Wallace's actions and reputation are that of myth. The few times he's actually glimpsed, his back is to the camera, which only builds on his towering rep. Then, in true Tarantino fashion, the imposing boss is proved shockingly human when he unfortunately stumbles into the wrong store while chasing down the errant Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis).
Marsellus still lives up to legend, though—he's never scarier than when he promises S&M sodomy scumbag Zed (Peter Greene) will die a slow, medieval death. At the same time, he thanks Butch for saving him by only revoking his foe's "L.A. privileges." Despite losing some of his honor in that basement, Marsellus certainly doesn't look like a bitch the last time we see him in the film.
10. Chiaki Kuriyama as Gogo Yubari, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
In addition to rolling deep with a team of 88 Yakuza goons, O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu) has a personal bodyguard: the cute 17-year-old Gogo Yubari, who dresses in a Japanese school-girl outfit and also happens to be a sadistic sociopath.
As if she wasn't already gangster enough, Gogo's weapon of choice is a serrated wrecking ball, making her one of the Bride's most formidable obstacles. In her case, age ain't nothing but a number.
9. Eli Roth as Staff Sgt. Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz, Inglourious Basterds (2009)
If Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) is in the Killin' Nazis business, then the "Bear Jew" is his chief employee. He's one of the most feared members of Lt. Raine's Basterds crew, and Donny's ferocity is driven home during his grand entrance, when he literally emerges from a dark tunnel to deal with a prisoner by brandishing a baseball bat, displaying one hell of a swing, and treating the man's head like fastball right down the middle.
8. Lucy Liu as O-Ren Ishii, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Aside from Bill (David Carradine) himself, O-Ren represents The Bride's biggest kill challenge, in that, as the head of the Yakuza, she has hundreds of people to throw between the Bride and herself. After "silly Caucasian girl" cuts a bloody swath through the Crazy 88 and Gogo Yubari, though, O-Ren proves she's a force to be reckoned with on her own. And rightly so, seeing as she has one of the most violent back-stories ever (which, awesomely, Tarantino presents as gory Japanese anime).
Like a true Tarantino character, O-ren takes gleeful pleasure in her work, and she doesn't have a more badass—or sexier—moment than when she completely sons an entire boardroom full of Japanese mobsters. Running things, she gives commanding yet hot speech that shows off Liu's greatness. Oh, and there's also a sick decapitation.
7. Gordon Liu as Pai Mei, Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
Without Pai Mei, Bill (David Carradine) and the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad wouldn't have the extraordinary skill set used for killing that made them the best of the best. In addition to leading the most brutal training sessions and mentoring the world's most fearsome killers, Pai Mei also pioneered the crucial Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique, which just may be the coolest bare-handed kill method of all time.
6. Jamie Foxx as Django, Django Unchained (2012)
An emancipated slave who uses his new-found bounty hunter training to seek revenge on his old masters, ruthless plantation owners, and hapless Klansmen? We didn't even really need to see the flick to cement Django (with the silent "D") as a bad motherfucker in the Tarantino pantheon and beyond.
But having seen the wickedly entertaining Django Unchained, confirmations of the character's steely presence, quick-learned gun skills, and ability to blow away multiple slave owners all at once are definite. You also have to love a guy who celebrates the fact that he's killed a bunch of terrible people by getting his horse to a mean two-step.
5. Bruce Willis as Butch Coolidge, Pulp Fiction (1994)
Sure, throwing a boxing match is a sucker move, but Butch is probably the least reprehensible of Pulp Fiction's sprawling cast of characters. In a way, he's even the film's unsung hero. There's no other way to explain why he gets the best of two of the movie's most indomitable characters: Vincent Vega (due to Vega's damned untimely bathroom visits) and and Marsellus, the crime boss whose ruthless reputation precedes him.
That's to say nothing of his ridiculously rewarding, albeit delayed, takedown of sodomizing scumbags Maynard (Duane Whitaker) and Zed (Peter Greene) with a freaking samurai sword. All of those accomplishments more than explain Butch's shit-eating grin as he rides off with his watch, his girl, and a new motorcycle chopper—because Zed's dead, baby.
4. Christoph Waltz as Colonel Hans Landa, Inglourious Basterds (2009)
On general principle, we despise Hans Landa (the Nazi known as the "Jew Hunter") and everything he stands for. But it's hard to hate the guy when he's portrayed with such villainous charm by Christoph Waltz. However loathsome he is, Landa's penchant for self-preservation and acute attention to detail make him an antagonist to be remembered and a force to be reckoned with.
Indicative of Tarantino's screenwriting prowess, Landa's sharpest intimidation tactic is his knack for uncomfortably cordial conversation. Take the chat he has with Jew-in-hiding Shosanna (Melanie Laurent), during which Landa puts her at ease with talk of delicious pastries before ending the convo in a suddenly icy, watch-out-now stare. There's also the film's opening scene, where he calmly breaks a terrified French dairy farmer down over a glass of milk and gets the poor guy to sell out his Jewish friends.
3. Michael Madsen as Vic Vega (Mr. Blonde), Reservoir Dogs (1992)
The world got its first glimpse into Quentin Tarantino's twisted mind when Michael Madsen's previously silent Mr. Blonde sadistically swaggered all over a warehouse to the tune of "Stuck in the Middle With You" while needlessly torturing a captive cop. He dismembers an appendage and prepares to burn the dude alive (with a foreboding gasoline trail to up the agony) before being rudely interrupted by Mr. Orange.
Fun fact: Mr. Blonde and Vincent of Pulp Fiction intentionally share the same last name (Vega)—they're brothers within the Tarantino universe. At one point, the filmmaker even flirted with the idea of a Vega Bros. movie. As long as Jules joins in, we'd be much more in favor of that than, say, Kill Bill: Vol. 3.
2. Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winnfield, Pulp Fiction (1994)
Hands down the coolest, most memorable character Quentin Tarantino has created yet. You only need to see Pulp Fiction once to be able to recite Jules' slickly-worded sonning of Bret and his boys. His pop-culture referential game is ridiculous (Ringo, Flock of Seagulls). Hell, Jules even cites a bible passage before he kills a guy.
And just in case you didn't know that he was one already, he has "BAD MOTHERFUCKER" stamped on his wallet. That's to say nothing of he and partner Vincent's (John Travolta) hilarious Jerry-and-George type banter that could fill a feature film on its own.
1. Uma Thurman as Beatrix Kiddo (a.k.a. The Bride), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
She learned from the best, exceeded their skill, suffered the absolute worst, and endured to successfully slaughter all of her equally deadly former peers (and lover). There's simply no one tougher in all of Tarantino-land than The Bride formerly known as Beatrix Kiddo.
First off, she's harder to kill than Bruce Willis in any of those Die Hard flicks, even taking a bullet through the skull and still living to talk about it. Ms. Kiddo scalps, gouges eyes, explodes hearts with well-placed fingers, and even claws her way out of a six foot deep wooden coffin. Simply out, the Bride is the most badass character throughout all of Quentin's seven films—not to mention, she's one of the most badass movie characters of all time.