For several years now, Quentin Tarantino has been adamant that he plans to make a single 10th and final movie — which will no longer be The Movie Critic. Some of his fans were relieved when this news broke yesterday. The Movie Critic originally sounded like a nostalgic character study (“more epilogue-y,” as Tarantino once put it), while his fans particularly love the director’s more pulply, genre-driven fair. The result would have almost certainly been great. But would it have been great enough to be Tarantino’s last film?
More details about this decision are likely still to come. Still, one wonders: Would Tarantino have abandoned the movie if there wasn’t so much riding on it? His many statements about quitting film directing have suggested he’s extremely focused on protecting his legacy, which seems like a downright masochistic way of putting an enormous amount pressure on yourself. A “10th and final film” should not just be good, but career-capping fantastic.
In a way, the retirement idea has always seemed ill-fitting. Tarantino is — for all of his obvious artistic talent — a crowd-pleasing filmmaker. Yet it’s hard to find a Tarantino fan who loves the idea of him hanging up his hat. Many are skeptical he’d stick with it. If you really love to do something, and you’re insanely talented at doing it, would you really just walk away forever? Stephen King declared he was retiring in 2002 and has since published 26 novels (and seemingly billions of tweets).
Many ponder what movie Tarantino will make instead. There are a lot of choices available just from projects that he’s previously developed. There’s that Star Trek movie (but should he really end his career with a franchise film?). There’s Kill Bill: Vol. 3 (but should his final movie be the third entry of an already satisfying story rather than something new?). You’re seeing the problem, right? The “10th and final” label adds so much weight, and when you have a career as stellar as Tarantino’s, what can ever be enough? “What is my next movie?” is a challenging decision. “What is the last movie I’m ever going to make?” is a crushingly difficult decision.
Arguably, the best way to make 10 movies and end your career is not to tell anyone your plan until after the movie comes out. This way you can be sure the film is loved and you don’t have to make another to try and end your career on a high note. Announcing “10th and final” before you even have a shooting script, well, that’s a real high-wire act — though, admittedly, genius marketing; nothing excites consumers like scarcity. Who wouldn’t line up to see the last-and-final effort of a beloved filmmaker?
