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Quentin Tarantino Has Just One Chance to Rewrite His Own Racial Tropes
A review of his filmography shows how black actors use profanity more than white actors
It seems remarkable that an eccentric filmmaker would voluntarily walk away from the entertainment industry at the height of their career, but if Quentin Tarantino stays true to his word, he’s already approaching the last act of his filmmaking days. The 56-year-old actor, director, and screenwriter has long said he will make no more than 10 feature films before calling it quits. Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood — which is currently up for 10 Academy Awards, including for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay — is his ninth film. That means he has one more shot to make a movie that doesn’t peddle in racist nonsense.
Despite the numerous accolades and critical acclaim for his films, Tarantino’s legacy is somewhat tarnished. He is often criticized for his depictions of black people, racially charged plots, and constant use of racial slurs in his filmography. (Tarantino has routinely defended his work, like when he told the New York Times Magazine in 2015 that he’s often unfairly singled out by “black critics” who write “savage think pieces” about his films.)
Following the release of Tarantino’s 2015 film The Hateful Eight, FiveThirtyEight writer Oliver Roeder set out to quantify the excessive violence and swearing that defined the filmmaker’s career. After watching every film in Tarantino’s repertoire, Roeder recorded more than 50 profanities in each. The worst offenders were Pulp Fiction (469 curse words), Reservoir Dogs (421), Jackie Brown (368), and Django Unchained (262).
Several themes emerged: Black actors used excessive profanity far more than their white counterparts.
Roeder’s findings captured what critics identified as gratuitous obscenities. What was missing from the dataset, however, was any indication of who was cursing so much on screen, and how these characters were being represented. So last fall, I too sat down and watched all of Tarantino’s films, making note of which actors were racking up the R-rated language. Focusing on three of the worst offenders — Pulp…
