Quentin Tarantino has revealed his top ten films of the 21st century, with Ridley Scott's 2001 war film, "Black Hawk Down," taking the top spot. He announced his selections on "The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast," after having previously revealed films 11 through 20. Tarantino described "Black Hawk Down" as a "masterwork" and "beyond extraordinary," praising its sustained intensity and comparing its sense of purpose and visual effect to "Apocalypse Now". He noted that while he initially liked the film, it took a couple of rewatches for him to fully appreciate its depth and intensity, which he said kept his heart racing through its nearly three-hour runtime.
The full top ten list also includes a diverse range of genres and acclaimed directors. Following "Black Hawk Down" are "Toy Story 3" at number two and Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation" at number three. Other films on the list include "Dunkirk," "There Will Be Blood," "Zodiac," "Unstoppable," "Mad Max: Fury Road," "Shaun of the Dead," and "Midnight in Paris" completing the top ten. Tarantino's criteria for the list included a rule of only one film per director, and he focused on personal favorites that he found entertaining and demonstrated "aggressive filmmaking."
Tarantino provided colorful commentary on some of his choices, expressing how "Toy Story 3" "ripped his f***ing heart out" and describing "Lost in Translation" as a "girlie film" that made him fall in love. He also shared a critical view of Owen Wilson in "Midnight in Paris," initially hating his performance but eventually finding himself only watching Wilson on subsequent viewings. Additionally, he criticized Paul Dano's performance in "There Will Be Blood," stating it didn't hold up next to Daniel Day-Lewis's.