Quentin Tarantinois no stranger to making great movies that have helped define eras in Hollywood. His directorial debutReservoir Dogsestablished him as an exciting name to watch, whilePulp Fictionbecame an instant classic and a major success outside the traditional studio system. Whether its been doingKill Bill,Inglourious Basterds,Django Unchained, orOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood, Tarantino has remained an influential storyteller for decades and an incredibly vocal supporter of the cinematic experience, as well as a wealth of knowledge for the history of movies.
There’s not much debate that many ofQuentin Tarantino’s moviesare among the best of their respective years. But, some could even be considered among the best of the decade or century, depending on the title. How they stack up against over 100 years of independent, American, and international cinema is a different conversation altogether. Some may personally consider one of Tarantino’s nine movies to be among the greatest ever made, but even he won’t argue for himself there. He believes a Clint Eastwood western trilogy is the best ever brought to the screen.
Quentin Tarantino Loves Clint Eastwood’s Dollars Trilogy
He’s On The Record About It’s Excellence
Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood teamed up for a western franchise in the 1960s that became known astheDollars Trilogy. The trilogy includesA Fistful of Dollars,For A Few Dollars More, andThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Tarantino has made it no secret how much he adores these films. In fact,the writer/director believes it is"the greatest achievement in the history of cinema.“He declared as much over a decade ago as part of an anniversary screening ofA Fistful of Dollarsat the Cannes Film Festival (viaThe Telegraph).
Tarantino’s thoughts on the excellence of the trilogy has not changed over the years either. In 2024, the director appeared on Bill Maher’sClub Random Podcastand once again shared why he thinks so highly of the trilogy. He says its the only trilogy that"completely and utterly works to the nth degree.“Tarantino cites how the three films are"one director vision"and how it does"what never happens"in terms ofhaving a trilogy where each movie is better than the last. That’s what makes theDollars Trilogya favorite of Tarantino’s.
How The Dollars Trilogy Has Influenced Quentin Tarantino’s Movies
The affinity that Quentin Tarantino has for theDollars Trilogyis evident while watching his movies if you’re familiar with Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood’s classic westerns. This especially comes withThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly, whichTarantino has said is his favorite movieand includes his all-time favorite shot. The influences of theDollars Trilogycan be heard with"Il Tramonto,” a track fromThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly, playing duringKill Bill: Volume 2. They can also be seen withThe Hateful Eight’s trailer copyingThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly’s opening credits.
The influence can also be felt in a broader sense. Tarantino made two westerns,The Hateful EightandDjango Unchained, which is naturally a result of how much he adores theDollars Trilogy. Those movies emulate similar moments and characters from Leone and Eastwood’s films. And, while not part of theDollars Trilogy, Leone madeOnce Upon A Time In The Westimmediately after.Quentin Tarantinoused that as inspiration then forOnce Upon A Time In Hollywood.
The Dollars Trilogy Wasn’t Initially Seen As A Cinematic Achievement
Quentin Tarantino’s Love Doesn’t Match The Original Reception
TheDollars Trilogyis well-regarded as one of the best movie trilogies of all time. Quentin Tarantino’s praise for the movies falls in line with the consensus about them.Sergio Leone’s three films helped popularize the spaghetti western genre. While spaghetti westerns existed beforeA Fistful of Dollarsand the rest of theDollars Trilogy, Leone’s movie led to a mass increase in the number of productions. Many have attempted to replicate the success, with their influence still being evident in filmmakers like Tarantino and how he draws from the different installments.
Yet, theDollars Trilogydidn’t really achieve the recognition it deserved until afterThe Good, the Bad and the Uglycame out.A Fistful of DollarsandFor A Few Dollars Morewere not met with universal acclaim. Italian critics largely refused to see the first movie, with American critics not universally loving it once all three movies came to America in 1967. One critic,Philip French, said “A Fistful of Dollarslooks awful, has a flat dead soundtrack, and is totally devoid of human feeling.“That’s far from Tarantino’s opinion.
Roger Ebert called [For A Few Dollars More] “one great old Western cliché after another”
For A Few Dollars Morecontinued the uneven reception for Leone’s movies.Roger Ebertcalled it"one great old Western cliché after another,“even though he ultimately gave it a favorable score. He even admitted to not having seenA Fistful of Dollarsbefore reviewing the sequel. The tide turned in theDollars Trilogy’s favor upon the release ofThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Through a complete look at Leone’s trilogy and Clint Eastwood’s the Man with No Name character, the movies started to earn their current reputation as all-time cinematic classics.
Which Of The Dollars Trilogy Is The Best?
Now that the critical reception of theDollars Trilogyturned around, it’s unusual to find someone who has seen all three movies and disagrees with Tarantino that they are a remarkable achievement. He’s proudly proclaimed thatThe Good, the Bad and the Uglyis the best of the trilogy in his mind. That’s not a hot take or bold stance for him to make, asthe common thinking is thatThe Good, the Bad and the Uglyis the best, typically followed byA Fistful of Dollars, andFor a Few Dollars Morebeing deemed the “worst” of the trilogy.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
97% Critics / 97% Audiences
Rotten Tomatoes isn’t the end-all be-all when it comes to determining a movie’s quality, but it does help quantify the consensus mindset from critics and general audiences about these movies. It may surprise thatA Fistful of Dollarshas the trilogy’s highest score with critics, but it’s only one percent ahead ofThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Interestingly,audiences like the films more with each installment, culminating in the trilogy’s highest audience score at 97%.
The critic score on Rotten Tomatoes might not align with claiming thatThe Good, the Bad and the Uglyis the best of theDollars Trilogy, but that is the truth. It’s not only the best of the trilogy, but its one of the best movies ever made with Leone’s direction, the entire cast delivering, and Ennio Morricone’s masterful score. Ultimately, it’s difficult to argue withQuentin Tarantinoabout the significance and importance of these three films.
