Quentin Tarantino’s Surprising Pick for Best Debut Film

When it comes to first-time directors making a splash, few have done it quite like Quentin Tarantino did with Reservoir Dogs back in 1992. So, if anyone’s got the credentials to weigh in on the best debut feature ever, it’s probably him. But narrowing it down to just one is a tough gig. There’s a long list of contenders, from Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane and David Lynch’s Eraserhead, to Sidney Lumet’s 12 Angry Men, Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless, the Coen brothers’ Blood Simple, and Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider. And that’s just scratching the surface. More recently, punters have been treated to Jordan Peele’s Get Out, Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird, Alejandro G Iñárritu’s Amores perros, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Mysterious Object at Noon. Picking a single standout is no easy feat, even for a bloke as film-savvy as Tarantino.

Mixing Up the Facts

Despite his expertise, Tarantino made a bit of a blunder when he named his favourite debut. The film he picked wasn’t actually the director’s first go. He’s well aware of that, but some folks might not be so forgiving about him skipping over Edgar Wright’s A Fistful of Fingers in favour of Shaun of the Dead. Speaking with Bret Easton Ellis, Tarantino said,

“My favourite directorial debut, even though he did a cheapie debut movie he doesn’t like to talk about.”

He ranked it as his ninth favourite film of the century, adding,

“I loved how much he loved the Romero universe he recreated. The script is really terrific; it’s one of the most quotable films on this list. I still quote the line, ‘Dogs don’t look up’. It’s not a spoof of zombie movies, it’s a real zombie movie, and I appreciate the distinction.”

Wright’s Real First Feature

Tarantino’s fondness for Shaun of the Dead is no secret. He’s even called it the best British film of the 21st century. But he’s off the mark in a couple of ways. For starters, Shaun of the Dead was actually Wright’s second feature-length project, which means it doesn’t really fit the bill as a debut. And the idea that Wright doesn’t like to mention his earlier work isn’t quite right either. In fact, Wright has spoken at length about A Fistful of Fingers, chatting about it in detail with Far Out. So, the notion that the low-budget, spaghetti western-inspired comedy is something Wright would rather forget doesn’t really stack up. Nor does the claim that Shaun of the Dead was his first film.

Sticking to His Guns

Still, Tarantino seems happy to act as if A Fistful of Fingers never happened, even though it wouldn’t have made much difference if he’d just called Shaun of the Dead one of his top films of the 21st century, without pretending the earlier film should be left in the dust. You’d reckon someone with Tarantino’s reputation as a film buff would be a bit more on the ball, but for him, the best debut he’s ever seen isn’t actually a debut at all.