Feast (2005)
Albino Alligator (1996)
The Film: Kevin Spacey's directorial debut in which Matt Dillon, Gary Sinise and William Fichtner take refuge in a basement bar after mucking up a robbery, only to find themselves embroiled in an unrelated siege.
Tarantino-Esque Elements: An unfortunate sequence of events sets a group of sharp-witted criminals into a series of events that go spiralling out of their control… it's quite a lot like Reservoir Dogs in both tone and set-up. This time its a basement rather than a warehouse in which the drama plays out.
Mr Purple Or Mr Pink: The cast are great, with Fichtner a standout performer. The script is derivative, but the high concept is an engaging one.
Two Days In The Valley (1996)
The Film: Teri Hatcher and Jeff Daniels head up this gritty tale of LA's various criminal goings on, all played out across one 48-hour period.
Tarantino-Esque Elements: Ten characters intertwine, falling in love with each other almost as frequently as they break the law. An ambitious mixture of Short Cuts and Reservoir Dogs , without the panache of either.
Mr Purple Or Mr Pink: Director John Herzfeld aims high, but while QT always manages to keep his various plates spinning, by the conclusion of this one we're left with a huge pile of broken crockery.
Catch .44 (2011)
The Film: Aaron Harvey's starry thriller in which Malin Akerman and Nikki Reed find themselves up to their necks in a drug-deal gone bad.
Tarantino-Esque Elements: Improbably gorgeous female criminals, a diner-set stand-off and the presence of an off-the-wall hitman in the shape of Forrest Whittaker. Plus the narrative jumps all over the place to boot.
Mr Purple Or Mr Pink: Despite the impressive cast (Bruce Willis also makes an appearance) this is mildly diverting but highly derivative nonsense.
In Bruges (2008)
The Film: Martin McDonagh's pitch-black crime comedy in which Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson hole up in the picturesque city after a job goes bad back at home.
Tarantino-Esque Elements: The pair of bickering hit-men combined with their enigmatic, foul-mouthed employer are all Tarantino-esque creations, as is the whimsical (and somewhat implausible) romance between Farrell's character and Clemence Poesy's local lovely.
Mr Purple Or Mr Pink: It's bleakly brilliant, even if some of its characters and set-ups feel quite familiar.
Swordfish (2001)
The Film: Hi-octane action idiocy, starring Hugh Jackman as a hacker who finds his way into the pocket of John Travolta's manic criminal.
Tarantino-Esque Elements: The opening scene, in which Travolta references Dog Day Afternoon and talks about why Hollywood films are rubbish. How very meta.
Mr Purple Or Mr Pink: That's about as far as the Tarantino comparisons go, as this one is knuckleheaded blockbuster fodder all the way.
Domino (2005)
The Film: Richard Kelly's pounding action flick, based around the true story of female bounty hunter Domino Harvey, played slightly improbably by Keira Knightley.
Tarantino-Esque Elements: Domino herself is the kind of fetishized, badass, take-no-shit heroine that QT goes a bomb on, while the kinetic energy and frequent ultra-violence is also up his alley. Also, Mickey Rourke seems bound to crop up in one of QT's films at some point!
Mr Purple Or Mr Pink: Entertaining enough, and Knightley is surprisingly competent in the leading role.
Suicide Kings (1997)
The Film: A quintet of former prep school pals band together to abduct Christopher Walken's mob boss in a convoluted plan to recover one of their sisters from kidnappers.
Tarantino-Esque Elements: Aside from the casting of Walken and the general black comedy tone, the mid-plot twist is the film's biggest stab at imitating Tarantino's narrative flair.
Mr Purple Or Mr Pink: It's no disaster, but as in many of the films listed here, the plot collapses under the weight of its own labyrinthine complexity. Twists for the sake of twists aren't always a good thing.
The Usual Suspects (1995)
The Film: A twisty-turny crime film of the highest order, as Bryan Singer conjures a blood-spattered mystery wrapped in the enigma of the shadowy Keyser Soze.
Tarantino-Esque Elements: Chris McQuarrie's punchy script is very Tarantino-esque, what with its focus on male relationships, and the testosterone-driven banter that forms their foundation. There's plenty of non-chronological jumping around as well.
Mr Purple Or Mr Pink: While there are tonal similarities to be observed, only a fool would ever dismiss this superlative thriller as a QT knock-off. Brilliant stuff.
Freeway (1996)
The Film: Reese Witherspoon stars in an early role as a tearaway teen who hitches a ride with Kiefer Sutherland's serial killer before turning the tables on him rather severely…
Tarantino-Esque Elements: Director Matthew Bright balances the film's extreme violence with a camp and kitsch pop soundtrack. Mr. Blonde would love it.
Mr Purple Or Mr Pink: The ending is a bit of a let down, but this is still an enjoyably nasty little fable.
