Quentin Tarantino Movie Recommendations: 3 Hidden Gems

It’s the weekend and you have no clue what to stream at home. What if Quentin Tarantino himself told you what to watch?

When it comes to film obsessives, Tarantino sits in a category of his own. Long before he became an Oscar-winning director, he was a full-time movie sponge. That encyclopedic knowledge still shows up every time he talks about the films that shaped him.

Below are three DVD picks Tarantino has publicly recommended, each paired with clips that explain why they matter.

Tarantino on digging through cinema history

This clip sets the tone. Tarantino explains how watching older, overlooked films sharpened his taste and instincts.

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Five Graves to Cairo (1943)

Before Tarantino made war films feel operatic, Billy Wilder was already doing it with tension and restraint.

Directed by: Billy Wilder
Genre: Thriller, War
Starring: Franchot Tone, Anne Baxter, Akim Tamiroff

Plot: During World War II, an undercover British soldier tries to warn the Allies that German forces have hidden massive supplies across five desert excavations in Egypt.

Noteworthy: Nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Cinematography (Black-and-White).

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Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)

The R-rated Blu-ray version

This is the darkest entry in the original series and the one Tarantino singles out for its anger and politics.

Directed by: J. Lee Thompson
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Starring: Roddy McDowall, Don Murray, Ricardo Montalbán

Plot: In a future where apes are enslaved by humans, Caesar emerges from hiding and ignites a revolt.

Noteworthy: The Blu-ray restoration brought back scenes cut for violence. It remains the only film in the original series not rated G.

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Navajo Joe (1966)

A rough-edged spaghetti western that Tarantino openly loves, even when others don’t.

Directed by: Sergio Corbucci
Genre: Western
Starring: Burt Reynolds, Aldo Sambrell, Nicoletta Machiavelli

Plot: The sole survivor of a massacre hunts down the men who murdered his wife.

Noteworthy: Shot in Spain with a score by Ennio Morricone. Tarantino later reused the music in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Kill Bill: Vol. 2.

Have you seen any of these Tarantino favorites? Let me know which one you’re watching tonight in the comments below!