Tarantino on Christopher Nolan: Why He Loves Dunkirk

Quentin Tarantino has praised Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk, placing it second on his best-films-of-the-2010s list after a third viewing. His discussion on The Rewatchables explains the change: once he became familiar with the spectacle, he connected more strongly with the people inside it.

That is a useful starting point if you are wondering what Tarantino thinks of Nolan. His response to one film is specific and enthusiastic; it does not mean he reacts to every Nolan film in the same way.

Does Quentin Tarantino like Christopher Nolan's movies?

His admiration for Dunkirk is on record. In late December 2019, Tarantino joined Sean Fennessey and Chris Ryan for an episode of The Rewatchables devoted to the film. Listen via The Ringer's episode page, published on 6 January 2020.

The Playlist's contemporary recap reports that Dunkirk rose from seventh to second in his decade ranking. It also reports that he singled out Batman Begins and The Prestige, while being less enthusiastic about Inception. Those are reported preferences from that conversation, rather than a complete ranking of Nolan's career.

Why did Dunkirk improve on a third viewing?

As the recap explains, his first response was dominated by the scale of the filmmaking. By the third viewing, the characters came forward and his estimation of the film rose. The rewatch changed what he noticed.

Our reading of the film helps explain why that shift is possible. Dunkirk gives you three different durations to follow: a week on the beach, a day at sea, and an hour in the air. On a first watch, keeping track of how those strands meet can occupy much of your attention. Once the structure is familiar, small decisions become easier to notice: who stays, who returns, and who takes a risk for someone else.

The editing lets help arrive from another strand at a moment when a character has almost run out of options. On a rewatch, you know the connection is coming, but the wait can still feel tense. That is our analysis of Nolan's technique, rather than an additional quotation from Tarantino.

What should you watch for in Dunkirk?

Try following one of these elements on a second viewing:

• The handoffs between land, sea, and air. Notice when a cut changes your understanding of an event you have already seen.
• Decisions made with little dialogue. Look at how a face, a pause, or a change of direction tells you what someone has chosen.
• Sound and pressure. Pay attention to when music or an engine sound makes a quiet image feel urgent.

You do not need to reach the same verdict as Tarantino. Write down what changed for you, then decide whether your rating should move. Our guide to rating films gives you a simple way to record that response.

Does this explain his opinion of Oppenheimer?

The 2019 conversation predates Oppenheimer (2023). It cannot establish his opinion of that film. Likewise, his 2013 remarks about biopics are a general argument about storytelling, rather than a review of a later Nolan release.

Keeping the dates attached to interviews makes the distinction clear. A comment about a genre can help you understand a filmmaker's taste without telling you how they responded to every film within it.

Where to go next

Read how Nolan uses non-linear storytelling, or explore the Christopher Nolan filmography.

Tarantino rearranges time differently: his chapters often change who controls a scene and what the audience knows about them. Compare that approach through the Tarantino filmography, or choose a starting point from our Tarantino movie ranking.

Sources

• The Ringer: Tarantino's Dunkirk episode of The Rewatchables. Primary interview; the publisher's page is dated 6 January 2020.
• The Playlist's episode recap, 31 December 2019. Source for the reported ranking change and other Nolan preferences.
• Dunkirk (2017), directed by Christopher Nolan. The viewing notes above are Diro's editorial analysis.