Tarantino is known for his trademark close-ups, diner chats, dance floors and birds’ eye views, but placing characters in cars and setting them on the open road has created some of his most compelling scenes.
Filmmaker, editor and cinephile Jacob T Swinney has spliced together miles and miles of road scenes from Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill, Death Proof, Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained in his Tarantino: The Driving Shots supercut.
On his Vimeo account, Swinney notes that although Tarantino is famous for his “trunk shots” – when the screen is filled by the boot of a car and its (usually terrified) contents, or the view out of it – he also has a unique way with characters in transit. “Using a variety of interesting angles, Tarantino keeps us visually in tune as some of his most crucial narrative moments unfold,” Swinney adds.
The Driving Shots is the third instalment of Swinney’s Tarantino series, which also includes a cut of extreme close-ups, and an exploration of Tarantino’s evocative sound effects. The cult supercut has become a popular way of proving your ultimate film fan status, with recent top-hits focusing on Wes Anderson. First we saw Anderson’s colourful side in Rishi Kaneria’s red and yellow montage and then his darker side in a cut by Dávid Velenczei, which led us to round up his darkest scenes.