Red State (2011)
The Film: Kevin Smith takes on religious fundamentalism in his self-distributed Deep South slasher.
Tarantino-Esque Elements: The whole endeavour feels like a late-Tarantino genre-bender, as Smith delivers a moral message through the medium of the slasher movie. Think of it as a coming of age movie meets colourful crime spree picture. And QT apparently loved it.
Mr. Purple Or Mr. Pink: It's not perfect by any means, but there are enough interesting ideas on show here to justify Smith's Herculean efforts to get the film out there.
Pros And Ex-Cons (2005)
The Film: Aussie thriller starring Sam Worthington, in which a pair of ex-cons realise they've assassinated the wrong target, and must set about correcting their mistake.
Tarantino-Esque Elements: The film takes Tarantino's love for ensemble casts with interweaving storylines and really runs with it, cramming the better part of twenty lead characters into contention with one another as the twists come thick and fast.
Mr. Purple Or Mr. Pink: Our two heroes are named "Willing" and "Able". That should tell you the kind of quality we're working with here.
4.3.2.1. (2010)
The Film: Noel Clarke's London-set yoof oddysey, in which a quartet of Brit girls get involved in the capital's seamier side.
Tarantino-Esque Elements: Each girl's story is played out before the narrative rewinds and picks up with the next. All the various strands interweave via a diamond heist, date rape and all manner of would-be male oppressors. A take off-of Go , which in turn is a take-off of Tarantino.
Mr. Purple Or Mr. Pink: Not all the episodes hang together as neatly as Clarke would like, while his arse-kicking quartet of heroines are hamstrung by some very patchy performances.
Killing Zoe (1993)
The Film: Roger Avary writes and directs this romantic crime thriller in which trouble-magnet Zed sleeps with a call-girl, only to find she works at the bank he holds up the next day.
Tarantino-Esque Elements: The whole feel of this ultra-violent, ultra-cool thriller is Tarantino-esque, which is no surprise, since Avary and producer Lawrence Bender scouted the bank location while working on Reservoir Dogs .
Mr. Purple Or Mr. Pink: It's a concept that could have sprung from the mind of QT himself, but is delivered by Avary with considerable verve. One to seek out on DVD.
Be Cool (2005)
The Film: F. Gary Gray's adaptation of Elmore Leonard's sequel to Get Shorty , in which John Travolta wearily reprises his role as Chilli Palmer.
Tarantino-Esque Elements: It's the usual drill of an expansive cast playing a host of kooky characters, with Travolta and Uma Thurman even reprising their twist dance routine from Pulp Fiction . It's not quite the same, second time out…
Mr. Purple Or Mr. Pink: Universally panned by critics and fans alike, while QT refused to watch it. "I haven't seen it, I won't see it," said Tarantino. "It looks like The Cannonball Run to me."
Hard Luck (2006)
The Film: Mario Van Peebles re-teams with Wesley Snipes some fifteen years after New Jack City for this helter-skelter (and chronically uneven) crime drama.
Tarantino-Esque Elements: A former hood tries to turn over a new leaf, but before you know it, he's at the centre of a handful of interconnected stories, all of them criminal. Van Peebles borrows liberally from the likes of Saw and Carlito's Way , but he's got QT closest to heart. When he introduces a group of charmingly unhinged serial killers, all becomes clear…
Mr. Purple Or Mr. Pink: No matter how many sassy strippers and bent cops Van Peebles tries to chuck at it, this one is firmly mired in the mediocre.
Sin City (2005)
The Film: Robert Rodriguez takes on Frank Miller's pitch-black series of graphic novels with no little visual flair and lashings of Technicolor gore.
Tarantino-Esque Elements: Given that Rodriguez and Tarantino are big buds and frequent collaborators, it should come as no surprise that many of their films share certain similarities. Sin City however, is Rodriguez's most Tarantino-like film, what with its compartmentalised structure, collection of lurid characters and wonderfully realised aesthetic.
Mr. Purple Or Mr. Pink: A gloriously grown-up take on the comic-book genre, and a triumphant adaptation of some rather tricky source material.
Revolver (2005)
The Film: Guy Ritchie gets serious, with this incomprehensible crime thriller, packed with would-be symbolism and Jason Statham in a wig.
Tarantino-Esque Elements: Ritchie crams his plot to breaking point with twists and tangles, while an animated segment comes off like an attempt to recreate QT's good work in Kill Bill . That said, the director does have a keen ear for a soundtrack…
Mr. Purple Or Mr. Pink: It's a bit of a mess to be honest, and the extraordinarily convoluted plot doesn't really hang together. Plus, we prefer Statham when he's delivering roundhouse kicks. It's what he does best.
Heist (2001)
The Film: David Mamet takes on the heist movie with an all-star cast including Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito and Delroy Lindo.
Tarantino-Esque Elements: Mamet's films are always extremely wordy, but his subject matter here feels like purest Quentin. On comes a slew of double-crosses, an incredibly knotty plot and a glut of black humour. Tarantino's work clearly owes Mamet a significant debt, but in this case, it seems as though the old master has been looking over the apprentice's shoulder.
Mr. Purple Or Mr. Pink: Not one of Mamet's best, nor up to Tarantino standard either. A pity.
Truth Or Consequences, N.M. (1997)
The Film: Kiefer Sutherland's directorial debut in which Vincent Gallo stars as an ex-convict who gets out of jail and forms a plan to rob his mobster boss.
Tarantino-Esque Elements: The film borrows wholesale from From Dusk Till Dawn , released the previous year, particularly in the way that a pair of crims flee the law in a hi-jacked RV, complete with innocent victims in tow.
Mr. Purple Or Mr. Pink: A fully paid-up rip-off, and one to forget for Sutherland.
