Quentin Tarantino reveals his top 20 films since 2000 – a baseball drama particularly stands out and is completely underestimated.
When Quentin Tarantino talks about movies, movie buffs listen. The director of “Pulp Fiction” and “Kill Bill” is known for his exceptional taste and passion for cinema. Now he has revealed his personal top 20 list of the best films of the 21st century – and the selection couldn’t be more diverse.
In a podcast with author Bret Easton Ellis, Tarantino ranked his favorites from the last 25 years. The list ranges from Ridley Scott’s war epic “Black Hawk Down” at No. 1 to surprising entries like “Jackass: The Movie.” What makes the list so fascinating: It shows Tarantino’s eclectic taste, combining high culture with exploitation horror and animated films. Here are all 20 films:
- Black Hawk Down (2001)
- Toy Story 3 (2010)
- Lost in Translation (2003)
- Dunkirk (2017)
- There Will Be Blood (2007)
- Zodiac (2007)
- Unstoppable (2010)
- Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
- Shaun of the Dead (2004)
- Midnight in Paris (2011)
- Battle Royale (2000)
- Big Bad Wolves (2013)
- Jackass: The Movie (2002)
- The School of Rock (2003)
- The Passion of the Christ (2004)
- The Devil‘s Rejects (2005)
- Chocolate (2008)
- Moneyball (2011)
- Cabin Fever (2002)
- West Side Story (2021)
Why “Moneyball” is a must-watch
In 17th place there is a film that might seem intimidating at first glance: “Moneyball” with Brad Pitt. A film about baseball and statistics? That sounds like dry material for sports fans and number freaks. But exactly the opposite is the case. “Moneyball” tells the true story of Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland Athletics, who must compete on a shoestring budget against the richest teams in Major League Baseball.
What makes the film so extraordinary is not the subject matter itself, but how director Bennett Miller and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin tell the story. It’s not really about baseball or numbers – it’s about innovation, having the courage to go against an established system, and figuring out how to define success. The film shows how Beane and economist Peter Brand revolutionized the game by relying on data analysis instead of traditional talent scouting. By the way, you can look forward to these cinema highlights in 2026.
The brilliance of “Moneyball” lies in its storytelling: fast, intelligent dialogue, a gripping dramaturgy and Brad Pitt in one of his best roles. You don’t have to be a baseball fan to be captivated by this film. It’s a film about passion, strategy and the fight of the underdog – universal themes that resonate with everyone. Tarantino is right to put this film on his list. “Moneyball” is a masterpiece of modern cinema that everyone must see. And most of you probably won’t have seen the best and most successful movie of 2025.
