Quentin Tarantino reveals his 20 favorite movies of the last 25 years

Published: Dec 03, 2025, 11:13

Josh Hartnett on a chopper in Black Hawk Down.

Sony Pictures

Quentin Tarantino has listed his top 20 films of the 21st century, and a Ridley Scott classic takes the top spot, while movies by Christopher Nolan, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Sofia Coppola all chart high.

Tarantino has been in the news this week, thanks to Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair finally hitting cinema screens, and a new animated short from the movie dropping in Fortnite.

Meaning QT has been doing the publicity rounds, and one stop on his tour was Bret Easton Ellis’s podcast, for a chat with the American Psycho author.

During their wide-ranging conversation, Tarantino listed his fave films of the 21st century in order, with an acclaimed war movie charting at number one…

Black Hawk Down is Quentin Tarantino’s favorite film of the 21st century

A soldier looking chocked in Black Hawk Down.

Here’s that Quentin Tarantino list ranked from 20-1:

20. West Side Story (2021)
19. Cabin Fever (2002)
18. Moneyball (2011)
17. Chocolate (2008)
16. The Devil’s Rejects (2005)
15. The Passion of the Christ (2004)
14. The School of Rock (2003)
13. Jackass: The Movie (2002)
12. Big Bad Wolves (2013)
11. Battle Royale (2000)
10. Midnight in Paris (2011)
9. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
8. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
7. Unstoppable (2010)
6. Zodiac (2007)
5. There Will be Blood (2007)
4. Dunkirk (2017)
3. Lost in Translation (2003)
2. Toy Story 3 (2010)
1. Black Hawk Down (2001)

Directed by Ridley Scott, from a Ken Nolan script, Black Hawk Down revolves around the titular helicopter that was shot down during the Battle of Mogadishu, and stars Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana, Tom Hardy, Orlando Bloom, Jason Isaacs, and Tom Sizemore.

Speaking of how his respect for the movie has grown, Tarantino told Ellis: “I liked it when I first saw it, but I actually think it was so intense that it stopped working for me, and I didn’t carry it with me the way that I should’ve.

“Since then, I’ve seen it a couple of times, not a bunch of times, but I think it’s a masterwork, and one of the things I love so much about it is how this is the only movie that actually goes completely for an Apocalypse Now sense of purpose and visual effect and feeling, and I think it achieves it.”