The two modern independent film masters Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino have a long history of professional collaboration — what’s more, they are close friends outside of the filming grounds. With Tarantino’s love for quirky dialogues and film-inside-the-film sequences and Rodriguez’s masterful and unapologetic tendency to unleash unrestrained violence and create distinct visual styles, the result whenever the directors come together is extraordinary.
Rodriguez and Tarantino reportedly met at the Toronto Film Festival in 1992, after the former had just released his debut $7,000-budgeted El Mariachi, which was later turned into a successful franchise, and the latter brought his now-iconic Reservoir Dogs. The two up-and-coming directors, who participated in panel discussions about violence in the movies, have bonded instantly, leading to decades-long friendship and professional partnership.
While Tarantino and Rodriguez have come together as directors only a few times — including the divisive Grindhouse and a hidden 90s gem anthology that is Four Rooms — they have bounced the ideas off each other for many years and have participated in each other’s movies in various capacities. These five distinct films have been the best and most noticeable results of their collaboration.
Planet Terror (2007)
The double-feature Grindhouse became more of a treat for hardcore fans and horror film aficionados than a widespread success — the three-hour-plus length didn’t help its cause. The first half, Planet Terror, was directed by Rodriguez and the second by Tarantino. The name, Grindhouse, refers to the old-school over-the-top movies that were often missing reels, had poor quality, and, by the end of their theatre tour, were so ‘ground’ that they were almost impossible to watch. The project was intense, exaggerated, intentionally campy, and filled to the brink with bloody violence and gore. The two movies even included deliberately missing reels, leaving the audience to fill the plot gaps.
Rodriguez’s Planet Terror is an outlandish zombie flick. It focuses on Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan), a go-go dancer with a machine-gun leg, who leads a group of survivors and encounters an infected military unit with links to the Iraq war and the war on terror — giving the movie its title. The stellar cast that includes Josh Brolin, Tom Savini, Bruce Willis, and Quentin Tarantino himself, excellent practical effects, unapologetic gore, bloody action (the scenes with Darling firing her leg at the zombies alone are precious) all make it a real treat for any B-movie and horror flick fan.
Death Proof (2007)
Grindhouse’s second feature, Tarantino’s Death Proof, is a part slasher, part car chase thriller (with the director claiming it to have his best car chase sequence ever). It follows Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russel), a serial killer who stalks young women, dispatching them through staged car accidents with the help of his ‘death-proof’ stunt car. The movie first shows a group of women that fall prey to Mike — following the classic slasher narrative — but then presents a second group that turns the tables on the killer, subverting the usual genre tropes. The legendary stuntwoman, Zoë Bell, plays herself and dazzles the audience with incredible stunt work, spending most of her time hanging outside of a moving car.
Tarantino insisted on 100%-practical effects that add undeniable thrill and a sense of real danger, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats, cheering for the main characters. Unfortunately, Death Proof didn’t receive its due recognition at the time of its release — some viewers reportedly even left theatres before its start unaware of Grindhouse’s second part. However, it is an excellent example of an action-driven horror and a must-watch for any Tarantino fan.
Desperado (1995)
Back in 1992, Rodriguez has released his low-budget, self-sponsored, Spanish-language El Mariachi that followed a musician caught in the middle of a Mexican drug war. The movie was noticed by Columbia Pictures and turned into what’s now known as Robert Rodriguez’s ‘Mexico Trilogy.’ The first American film, Desperado, starred Antonio Banderas as a vigilante El Mariachi on the path of avenging his lover, killed by a drug lord. Featuring non-stop action and a killer soundtrack, the movie became a breakout for Salma Hayek and established Rodriguez as a promising Western director with a distinct flair and stunning visual techniques.
True to their bond, Tarantino has made a brief cameo in Desperado as a ‘Pick-up Guy,’ who walks into the central bar and tells an explicit joke about a bartender and urination. The scene, unsurprisingly, ends in a blood bath. Reportedly, Tarantino also advised Rodriguez to produce the third part in the franchise and even suggested a title for it — Once Upon a Time in Mexico.
Sin City (2005)
Co-produced and co-directed by Rodriguez, Sin City is a visually-stunning neo-noir crime anthology, based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel of the same name, that championed the best of comic book adaptations long before the birth of MCU. Featuring a stellar cast that included Jessica Alba, Benicio del Toro, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, and Elijah Wood, a unique color processing technique that rendered most of the movie in black and white while splashing color on selected objects, larger-than-life characters, and diverse, intertwining stories, Sin City is a truly spectacular feature that gained rightful recognition and a loyal fan base.
Following in Rodriguez’s footsteps, who has reportedly scored Kill Bill: Vol.2 for a ‘family discount’ price of one dollar, Tarantino has directed one scene in Sin City for the same price. In it, the murdered Detective Jack (Benicio del Toro) sits shotgun with a gun in his head next to the driving Dwight McCarthy (Clive Owens), heading into the ‘pits’ to dispose of a body. All the while, Dwight is talking to his dead passenger through a cigarette and a storm, in the most Tarantino-esque style.
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
This often underappreciated ‘90s horror gem gained a cult following, spawned a massive franchise, and launched the film career of George Clooney. Directed by Rodriguez, it features Tarantino in one of the lead roles and follows two American outlaw brothers who take a family hostage to cross the Mexican border. Unfortunately for them, they make a pit stop at a saloon that reveals to be a vampire den.
Part hostage movie, part vampiric blood bath, From Dusk Till Dawn is filled with signature Tarantino-style dialogues, non-stop action, overflowing gore, an iconic soundtrack, quotable lines, memorable scenes referenced in countless films to come, and an exceptional cast that features Salma Hayek, Dan Trejo, Harvey Keitel, and John Hawkes. This stellar example of successful Rodriguez and Tarantino collaboration and an excellent piece of modern horror spawned an extensive franchise with sequel films, a video game, a comic book, and a popular TV series. While its outlandish story, unique genre, and explicit gore often deter the general audience, From Dusk Till Dawn is revered by Rodriguez and Tarantino fans alike.