Ranked: Quentin Tarantino’s 50 Best Characters

40. Ritchie Gecko – “From Dusk Till Dawn” (1996)
Quentin Tarantino is in most of his films, but this pervy creepazoid is the most complete character he’s ever played. That Ritchie connects so directly to public assumptions about Tarantinto’s personality only makes him more memorable and uncomfortably effective.

39. Lt. Archie Hicox – “Inglourious Basterds” (2009)
Film critic characters tend to be objects of ridicule, but Hicox breaks that pattern. He’s smart, cautious and capable, and even earns sympathy for the seemingly minor mistake that proves to be his undoing. Michael Fassbender, then still an emerging art-house star (he was not Tarantino’s first choice for the role), gives Hicox a perfectly proper demeanor.

38. Hattori Hanzo – “Kill Bill: Volume One” (2003) 
This swordsmith’s name looms over “Kill Bill,” and his endorsement of Beatrix and her mission, while not exactly necessary, is obviously a big deal to the “yellow-haired warrior” Bride. Tarantino has paid homage to actor Sonny Chiba in past films, so Chiba’s appearance as the master —based on a real historic figure whom Chiba had played several times in other films— represents “Kill Bill” going full circle.

37. Louis Gara – “Jackie Brown” (1997)
Robert De Niro’s near-total disconnection from recognizable emotion in this role make the recent parolee realistically terrifying as he sits around Ordell Robbie’s house like a piece of human furniture. His quiet demeanor conceals a wounded touchiness that explodes into violent anger, and this dull-witted goon is more likely to put a bullet in your chest than cop to his own shortcomings.

36. Nice Guy Eddie – “Reservoir Dogs” (1992)
Not unlike Louis Gara, Joe Cabot’s son is easygoing until friends or family are threatened, and his casual thuggishness and racism go nuclear. Eddie is a creep, and a frightening one, like so many “regular guys” whose affable exterior barely conceals a roiling fury.

35. Fabienne – “Pulp Fiction” (1994)
One of the subtle touches in “Pulp Fiction” is the lingering “is Fabienne pregnant?” question. It’s an easy-to-miss aspect of the woman who puts up with Butch’s mood swings and mansplaining. Fabienne has her own thing going on; rather than being a stock girlfriend character, she’s clearly has her own inner life, giving an extra poignancy to her few scenes.

34. Stuntman Mike – “Death Proof” (2007)
Casting Kurt Russell as a crybaby killer whose problems with women are expressed in domination and violence is a supreme act of cinematic trolling (Mickey Rourke was originally set for the part). What first seems like Tarantino’s most perverse and puzzling character comes into focus as a brutal cartoon critique of horrible dudebro entitlement.

33. Earl McGraw – “From Dusk Til Dawn” (1996) and others
Michael Parks plays this Texas sheriff in multiple films (“Kill Bill,” both “Grindhouse” halves, and “From Dusk Till Dawn,” where he seems to meet his end), with Parks’s real-life son playing the character’s own child. Earl looks like a stereotypical slow-drawl lawman, but he’s not quite a simplistic shitkicker. Calm and perceptive, he’s a surprisingly comforting presence.

32. Gogo Yubari – “Kill Bill: Volume One” (2003)
O-Ren Ishii’s teen bodyguard is more than slightly deranged, and her mental instability is compounded by a vicious skill with a unique weapon. Created as a big homage to the film “Battle Royale,” Gogo distinguishes herself in one of the most brutal fight scenes in a pair of films thick with impressive combat.

31. Dr. King Schultz – “Django Unchained” (2012)
What if Christoph Waltz brought his Hans Landa charm to the screen with none of the complications that arise from creating affinity for a Nazi? Schultz goes slightly beyond the “white savior” stereotype, but is still a heavily idealized type whose only flaws are that affinity for killing (but it’s justified!) and a tendency to impulsively act on principle.