Quentin Tarantino is widely regarded as one of the most influential and visionary directors in history. Known for his immersive movies, sharp dialogues, and gritty actions sequences, Tarantino has redefined filmmaking in a variety of ways. Given the stark difference between his often nonlinear, edgy movies and Bill Murray‘s more conventional ones, it was probably unsurprising when the former voiced his strong dislike for the latter’s work.
If you’ve ever watched a Tarantino movie, it’s easy to imagine that a mind which conjures up such grisly films is not likely to belong to someone who’s meek or docile. As a Hollywood personality, Tarantino is certainly well known for being outspoken and has been embroiled in his fair share of controversy too. Again, given how profane and dark his movies often are, this is unsurprising.
Some of Tarantino’s Biggest Controversies
Quentin Tarantino’s genius as a filmmaker has never been in doubt since the release of his first film, Reservoir Dogs, back in 1992. He famously went on to cement himself as a visionary director with the cult classic Pulp Fiction two years later. The film is consistently rated as one of the greatest ever made and the iconic dance scene it featured between cast members John Travolta and Uma Thurman will forever go down in the annals of movie history as a classic moment in film.
From there, Tarantino would go on to direct seven more highly successful and acclaimed films using his signature style and eye for stylized violence coupled with mesmeric scriptwriting. However, beyond the director’s chair, Tarantino has often rubbed journalists, other industry players, and even cops the wrong way.
Some of Tarantino’s most noteworthy controversies include being blamed for a serious accident that Uma Thurman was involved in during the filming of Kill Bill: Volume 1. According to the actress, she was pressured into doing her own driving stunts by Tarantino leading up to the accident. He later stated that she was never forced into doing her own stuntwork.
He’s also been called out by fellow director Spike Lee for the repeated use of racial slurs in his movies. On another front, he was roundly criticized for defending Roman Polanski after he was charged for the rape of Samantha Geimer when she was 13-year-old. Tarantino later issued an apology for the comments he made during an interview with Howard Stern back in 2003.
Tarantino was later also criticized for failing to speak out more against Harvey Weinstein despite knowing about some of the behavior that eventually led to Weinstein’s arrest in the wake of the “Me Too” movement. In another incident, after attending a rally against police brutality in 2015, police unions across the United States boycotted his movies and labeled him a “hypocrite” for his comments despite the glorification of violence in his movies.
Bill Murray Is Different, but Similarly Controversial
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In stark contrast to Quentin Tarantino’s gruesome movies and outlandish reputation, Bill Murray cuts a somewhat innocuous figure. Known for his quirky and eccentric comedy on and off the screen, Murray’s reputation and filmography are far tamer. Known mostly by movies and shows such as the Ghostbusters franchise and his turns on Saturday Night Live, Murray generally has a more relatable and universally likable persona than Tarantino.
That isn’t to say that Murray himself has been without controversy. Most recently, production was halted on his latest film, Being Mortal, after he was accused of sexual misconduct involving a female production assistant. Following this incident, Geena Davis accused Murray of harassment and inappropriate behavior while the pair were filming Quick Change together. This is only one instance, of numerous people, including Murray’s ex-wife, alleging abusive behavior and misconduct.
In fact, he has often also been accused of causing feuds on set with other cast mates, and was accused of dangling actor Seth Green by his ankles over a trashcan and dropping him inside it when Green was nine-years-old. Despite all this, when compared to Tarantino, Murray is still seen as a less abrasive figure. So, why exactly was Tarantino so critical of his movies if the pair were so different?
Quentin Tarantino Dislikes Murray’s Redemption Tales
It turns out the distinct differences between the two are exactly why Quentin Taratino hates Bill Murray movies. Speaking on Joe Rogan’s podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, Tarantino lamented the fact that Murray’s movies always ended with a character redemption. Tarantino took issue with the fact that Murray’s lead character always end up becoming “this nice guy,”, no matter how unlikable the character starts off.
According to Tarantino, this kind of storyline was unrealistic and made no sense. His scathing criticism of Murray’s movies isn’t unlike Tarantino since the iconic director has been known to make disparaging comments about many other people, movie genres, and things he’s not a fan of.
Tarantino’s sometimes sardonic nature aside, when you can boast filmmaking credentials like his and are known for the kind of tendentious films he makes, it’s likely his opinions will always be valued, no matter how vitriolic they can be. Anything less and his army of fans around the world would probably think he’d gone soft.
The full podcast can be watched below.
