Martin Scorsese discusses Quentin Tarantino’s retirement: “He’s a writer”
At 80 years old, Martin Scorsese continues to deliver some of the best cinema around, with his latest movie, Killers of the Flower Moon, drawing universal critical and commercial acclaim. Quentin Tarantino, 20 years younger, has famously declared that his next movie will be his last.
Tarantino has previously claimed The Movie Critic will mark his retirement from cinema as a writer/director, capping what he considers a perfect ten-movie filmography. Scorsese, meanwhile, has directed 26 feature-length movies and has no plans to stop just yet.
Speaking to a reporter from the Associated Press to promote his newest film, Scorsese was asked his thoughts on Tarantino’s statements. “I just don’t know,” the director said, but when pressed on whether he was built differently, he replied, “I am” – but not before clarifying what he meant.
“He’s a writer,” Scorsese explained, referencing the difference between Tarantino, who holds solo screenplay credits for all his movies save for Pulp Fiction, and himself, who regularly collaborates with other writers such as Paul Schrader and, on his upcoming picture, Eric Roth.
“It’s a different thing. I come up with stories. I get attracted to stories through other people,” the director continued. “All different means, different ways. And so I think it’s a different process… I respect writers, and I wish I could. I wish I could just be in a room and create these novels, not films, novels.”
Touching upon his own philosophy, Scorsese shared how “I’m curious about everything still. That’s one of the [different] things. If I’m curious about something, I think I’ll find a way. If I hold out and hold up, I’ll find a way to try to make something of it on film, but I have to be curious about the subject.”
The outlook contrasts vastly with Tarantino’s, whose aim is to leave behind a carefully curated catalogue lest he put out inferior work in his later years like some directors are prone to do. “My curiosity is still there,” Scorsese continued. “I couldn’t speak for Quentin Tarantino or others who are able to create this work in their world.”
In a four-and-a-half-star review of Killers of the Flower Moon, Far Out wrote: “As expected of Scorsese, every shot is perfectly crafted and brings the nature of the true-crime narrative to new cinematic heights. At three and a half hours long, Killers of the Flower Moon is utterly captivating, sensitive in its approach and an essential work in chronicling the power that the United States would eventually retirement.”
Never Miss A Take
The Far Out Quentin Tarantino Newsletter
All the latest Quentin Tarantino content from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.