The one movie Quentin Tarantino wishes he’d directed: “That would have been awesome”

Quentin Tarantino is as much of a director as he is a partial film critic, always finding a way to share his unprompted opinions on new releases and old classics, with a differing range of thoughts on films by directors such as Oliver Stone, Christopher Nolan and Ridley Scott.

After helming projects such as Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds and Kill Bill, Tarantino has established a unique creative voice through his stylised violence, wordy dialogue and non-linear storylines, pioneering a new era of independent filmmaking in the 1990s. Because of this, his feedback on other projects is held in high regard, and the director has been very vocal about his love for one film in particular. 

When it was announced that the popular dystopian novel series The Hunger Games would be adapted for the screen, many fans responded well to the prospect of seeing their beloved arrow-wielding hero brought to life. The story follows a group of teenagers who are sent to an arena to battle to the death, with only one survivor from a group of 24 contestants. While it is certainly a gripping premise, it attracted criticism from Tarantino, who claimed it was a rip-off of Battle Royale.

Directed by Kinji Fukasaku in 2000, Battle Royale also follows a group of Japanese teenagers who are forced to kill each other on a remote island, enforced under a new law called ‘Battle Royale’. The film is revered within the horror community and praised for its campy violence and extreme comedy, with ninth-graders finding increasingly lucrative ways to murder each other.

However, while the film sparked many sequels and has a die-hard fan base, Tarantino was not impressed by the unofficial retelling of this story through The Hunger Games in 2012. While this franchise is undoubtedly less gory and light-hearted, with leanings towards political messaging about dictatorship and the death of democracy, it shares a very similar heart.

Tarantino shared his thoughts on the original film, saying, “I’m a big fan of the Japanese movie Battle Royale, which is what Hunger Games was based on. Well, Hunger Games just ripped it off. That would have been awesome to have directed Battle Royale.”

The director has reportedly been in discussions to remake many of his favourite films over the years, including Sette Note in Nero, The Man from UNCLE, Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! and Westworld. While none of these projects came to fruition, Tarantino has repeatedly highlighted his love for Battle Royale and described it as one of his favourite movies of all time, which would perhaps make him the perfect choice for a modern remake. After awarding such high praise to the film, Tarantino has also helped reintroduce the campy classic to modern audiences and draw wider attention to it.

Despite the fact that Tarantino announced his retirement after the release of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, many fans suspect that this is a ruse and he has one more film left to give, with rumours about a potential story based on the life of legendary critic Pauline Kael. However, if these plans are thwarted, perhaps we could expect a Battle Royale adaptation from him.

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