Quentin Tarantino has never been afraid to share his opinion – the Pulp Fiction director has spent decades talking, and sometimes arguing, about cinema.

A devoted film historian and unapologetic movie geek, he’s built a reputation on his encyclopedic knowledge of cult classics, genre films, and actors.

But just as famous as the films Tarantino loves are the ones he loathes – and when he doesn’t like something, he tends to make it known.

Over the years, in interviews, podcasts, books, and even his own fiction, the Oscar-winning director has taken aim at several revered films and directors. While he generally avoids unnecessary cruelty, some comments have been surprisingly sharp, even by his own standards.

Here are 10 classic films Quentin Tarantino has openly criticised or declared his dislike for – in his own unmistakable words.

The 400 Blows (1959, dir. François Truffaut)

Though often listed among the all-time greats of world cinema, François Truffaut’s debut feature doesn’t make Tarantino’s list of favourites. In fact, he’s been consistently critical of the French New Wave director. In the novelisation of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, he speaks through the voice of Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt’s character), who says: “He tried Truffaut twice, but he didn’t respond to him… not because the films were boring (they were), but that wasn’t the only reason… The 400 Blows left him cold.”

Tarantino has also described Truffaut as a “very passionate, bumbling amateur” in the Video Archives Podcast, questioning both his technique and storytelling instincts.

Brewster McCloud (1970, dir. Robert Altman)

In Cinema Speculation (2022), Tarantino singles out Altman’s 1970 cult fantasy as one of the worst studio films ever made. He writes: “Brewster McCloud is the cinematic equivalent of a bird sh****ng on your head.” He goes further, calling it “one of the worst movies to ever carry a studio logo.”

While Tarantino has elsewhere praised Altman’s work (including The Long Goodbye), his disdain for this surreal tale of a reclusive boy who dreams of flying is blunt. According to him, the film fails not just in tone, but in basic execution.

A Clockwork Orange (1971, dir. Stanley Kubrick)

Kubrick is another director Tarantino has both admired and attacked. One of his strongest rebukes came when discussing A Clockwork Orange, the controversial dystopian drama starring Malcolm McDowell.

“I always thought Kubrick was a hypocrite,” Tarantino said in a 2003 interview with The New Yorker. “Because his party line was, ‘I’m not making a movie about violence, I’m making a movie against violence.’”

He didn’t stop there. “And it’s just, like, get the f**k off. I know, and you know you couldn’t keep it in your pants the entire time you were editing it and scoring it.”

Groundhog Day (1993, dir. Harold Ramis)

A modern classic in most circles, Groundhog Day doesn’t impress Tarantino – mostly due to his aversion to Bill Murray’s screen persona. In Cinema Speculation, he writes: “I’ve always rejected the idea that Bill Murray’s characters needed redemption.”

He continues: “Yeah, maybe he charmed Andie MacDowell [in Groundhog Day], but does anybody think a less sarcastic Bill Murray is a better Bill Murray?”

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989, dir. Steven Spielberg)

While many fans consider The Last Crusade a high point of the Indiana Jones series, Tarantino doesn’t agree. Speaking in the ReelBlend podcast, he admitted: “I like Crystal Skull more than the Sean Connery one. I don’t like the Sean Connery one… it’s such a boring one… he’s not an interesting character.”

Jules and Jim (1962, dir. François Truffaut)

Tarantino’s issue with Truffaut extends beyond The 400 Blows. In Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Cliff Booth also reflects on Truffaut’s famed romantic tragedy Jules and Jim, saying: “The mopey dopes in Jules and Jim were a f****ng drag.”

Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life (1983, dir. Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam)

Tarantino doesn’t exactly hate this British comedy, but one particular scene pushed him to his limit. In an interview with The Irish Examiner, he said the ‘Mr Creosote’ sketch made him physically ill.

“The only time I’ve ever had to look away because I couldn’t bear to watch was The Meaning Of Life, when that fat bastard keeps being sick,” he recalled. “I felt really nauseous… I just about held onto my lunch in the end.”

Natural Born Killers (1994, dir. Oliver Stone)

Perhaps the most personal entry on the list, Natural Born Killers was originally written by Tarantino, but he later disowned it after Oliver Stone significantly rewrote and restructured the script.

“I hated that f***ing movie,” Tarantino said bluntly. “If you like my stuff, don’t watch that movie.”

Quintet (1979, dir. Robert Altman)

Another Altman film to come under fire, Quintet stars Paul Newman in a futuristic ice-age society where survival depends on a deadly board game. Tarantino, however, saw no value in the high-concept sci-fi.

In Cinema Speculation, he declared: “Quintet is just terrible, boring and pointless.”

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992, dir. David Lynch)

Tarantino’s disappointment with David Lynch’s Twin Peaks prequel is striking, given how often he has praised Lynch’s earlier work. But after seeing Fire Walk with Me at Cannes, he drew a line.

“After I saw Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me at Cannes, David Lynch has disappeared so far up his own a** that I have no desire to see another David Lynch movie until I hear something different,” he said. “And you know, I loved him. I loved him.”