Quentin Tarantino's List of 8 Must-See Thrillers That Secretly Shaped His Movies

In his book, "Cinema Speculation", Quentin Tarantino expressed his love for the 70s and compiled a collection of reviews of outstanding movies from that era that influenced him and his own works – and many of them are thrillers.

Tarantino's recommendations are a must-see for every cinephile, so we've rounded up the works that have received special praise from the modern classic.

1. 'Dirty Harry', 1971

IMDb Score: 7.7/10

Police Inspector Harry Callahan has a reputation among his superiors for being ruthless when dealing with criminals.

Callahan, nicknamed Dirty Harry because he was forced to perform the dirtiest and bloodiest police work, does his best to ensure that criminals don't get away.

In addition to being the inspiration for the cop film genre, Dirty Harry also influenced the characters of later police movies. Tarantino himself describes Dirty Harry as Mike Tyson in his prime.

2. 'Rolling Thunder', 1977

IMDb Score: 6.9/19

In John Flynn's Rolling Thunder, an Air Force major returns to civilian life after the Vietnam War and seeks revenge against the robbers who broke into his home and killed his wife and son.

According to Quentin, the cold-blooded man's journey, which culminates in a bloody massacre at a brothel, is the perfect entertainment for a young viewer – which is what he was in 1977.

3. 'Taxi Driver', 1976

IMDb Score: 8.2/10

Martin Scorsese's thriller left an indelible impression on the young Quentin, who returned to the 1970s hit more than once.

Tarantino's memories of Taxi Driver are vivid and rich. He notes that the movie would not have existed without the popularity of revenge films, speculates that Travis Bickle did not fight in Vietnam, and describes how he laughed with the audience at the first screening.

4. 'Bullitt', 1968

IMDb Score: 7.4/10

Bullitt, a movie about a tough cop hunting the killers of a valuable witness, was released at a time when cops were not exactly popular – the 60s were the decade of hippies.

However, as Quentin notes, Steve McQueen, who played the lead role, made Lieutenant Frank Bullitt appealing to young people by offering a modern, stylish San Franciscan instead of a dull, prim man in a suit.

5. 'Deliverance', 1972

IMDb Score: 7.6/10

The 1970s were a time of provocative, and sometimes shocking, movies. Quentin Tarantino loves talking about his childhood as a cinephile – he could watch films intended for adults and then brag to his peers about them.

John Boorman's Deliverance became one of the most memorable movies of Quentin's childhood. It tells the story of a group of men who decide to relax in the wilderness by going canoeing.

But instead of the usual troubles you'd expect in such a movie, this one proposes a plot twist that will really make your jaw drop.

6. 'The Getaway', 1972

IMDb Score: 7.3/10

The plot of The Getaway aligns well with Quentin's tastes, especially because it involves a lot of violence. The robber, Doc, is released from prison under the condition that he robs a bank. However, he becomes the victim of a setup by his own boss.

Doc quickly figures out what's going on, though, and comes into conflict with everyone, from the police to his employer. Tarantino admits that he has watched the movie many times and even obtained a 35mm Technicolor copy.

7. 'Escape from Alcatraz', 1979

IMDb Score: 7.5/10

In Cinema Speculation, Quentin calls Don Siegel a true B-movie master. While busy with Escape from Alcatraz in 1979, he was tasked with confirming his title as the strongest genre director of the era.

Escape from Alcatraz proved that his collaboration with Clint Eastwood, with whom he had previously worked on Dirty Harry, was not a creative accident but genuine chemistry.

Tarantino says that the story about men who escaped from an isolated island prison in San Francisco Bay exemplifies a unique collaboration between a great actor and director. The director also mentions Eastwood's performance as a criminal as one of the best on the big screen.

8. 'Sisters', 1972

IMDb Score: 6.9/10

In his analysis of Sisters, Quentin notes how Brian De Palma skillfully uses the techniques of Alfred Hitchcock and the style of Dario Argento in the first movie that opened the door for him to commercial cinema.

De Palma also invited Bernard Herrmann, who composed the soundtracks for Vertigo and Psycho, to write the music for Sisters.

The movie tells the story of a model whose life is overshadowed by the presence of a Siamese twin sister from whom she was separated in childhood. After witnessing a murder, a journalist begins her own investigation to find out what role the sisters played in it.