While the director has occasionally praised individual titles in recent years, his latest comments suggest a deeper frustration, culminating in an enthusiastic endorsement of Joe Carnahan’s crime thriller “The Rip.”
Tarantino Says Modern Movies No Longer Hold His Attention
For years, Tarantino has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with the state of modern cinema, but his latest remarks go beyond complaints about trends or studio practices. Writing in Sight and Sound, the Oscar-winning filmmaker admits that the medium itself no longer inspires the same passion it once did.
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“I loved going to the movies,” Tarantino writes before contrasting that feeling with his current outlook. “These days, however, the concept of what is a movie is more inclined to inspire contempt in me than generosity.”
The director also doubled down on a criticism he has made before, describing the present era as the weakest stretch of filmmaking he has experienced. In one of the essay’s most striking passages, he argues that “the movies of the last six years make the ‘80s seem like the ‘30s.“
Even among the pictures he has enjoyed, Tarantino suggests very few have delivered the kind of cinematic escape he once sought. He cites Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” and Kevin Costner’s “Horizon” films among the exceptions, but says none truly transported him back to the feeling that made him fall in love with movies in the first place. “These days I’d rather read a book,” he admits.
That makes his reaction to “The Rip” all the more notable. The Netflix thriller, directed by Joe Carnahan and starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, is the one recent release Tarantino says truly connected with him. Calling it a rare exception among modern titles, he said it “did grab me and held me for its entire duration,” the kind of immersive experience he believes has become increasingly uncommon.
Released earlier this year, “The Rip” follows a Miami narcotics unit whose discovery of millions in cartel cash triggers suspicion, betrayal, and a violent struggle over loyalty. The film earned generally favorable reviews and became one of Netflix’s higher-profile original releases of 2026. Judging by Tarantino’s latest comments, it also achieved something many recent pictures have failed to do: win over one of cinema’s most outspoken traditionalists.
