The 1974 Paul Newman movie Quentin Tarantino can’t stand: “It’s shocking how awful that movie is”
Everyone is entitled to love or hate whatever movies they like, but because Quentin Tarantino has a bigger platform than most to cast his eyes over the good, the bad, and the ugly of cinema, he tends to cause more shockwaves than either the average punter or the majority of his peers.
Some filmmakers would never openly criticise another director’s work in an open forum because they view it as a sign of disrespect that could potentially come back to haunt them if they were to handcraft a steaming cinematic turd of their own, but Tarantino has never been what anyone would call a shrinking violent.
There are some truly terrible films that he loves with a burning passion, and then there are a number of stone-cold classics that he simply can’t stand. As regularly tends to be the case when an auteur begins ranting about the past, present, and future of the industry these days, it was the superhero genre that kicked off a Tarantino tangent that culminated in the two-time Academy Award winner laying waste to one of Paul Newman’s best and most popular features.
One of the biggest stars and finest actors of his generation, the statuesque A-lister was equally comfortable fronting prestige drama as he was populist fare, but he might actually have agreed with Tarantino’s take. He called it a “junk movie,” which was intended as a compliment because it was a feast for the eyes that required the brain to remain permanently unengaged.
It was also the highest-grossing release of the year when it hit cinemas, won three Oscars for its technical and musical achievements, and landed a further five nominations, including ‘Best Picture’. For all intents and purposes it definitely doesn’t sounds like a stinker, but as it turns out, Tarantino despises The Towering Inferno.
Tarantino’s criticism was never really about The Towering Inferno alone. For him, the film represented an era in which spectacle increasingly took precedence over storytelling, with Hollywood chasing ever-bigger disaster movies in much the same way it now pursues superhero franchises. His frustration was aimed as much at the industry’s habits as at the film itself.
“You could take the entire argument about superhero movies and make it about disaster movies,” he ranted to Bret Easton Ellis when drawing comparisons between the comic book boom and the disaster craze of the 1970s. “Frankly, Iron Man is better than Airport ’75 or The Towering Inferno, which I watched again recently, and it’s shocking how awful that movie is. And it got nominated for ‘Best Picture’!”
Despite its awards success, The Towering Inferno has always divided opinion. While some critics praised its scale and technical ambition, others viewed it as an entertaining but overlong blockbuster that relied more on star power and visual spectacle than compelling drama.
He can say whatever he wants, but Tarantino is in the minority. Admittedly, the behind the scenes dick-measuring contest between Newman and Steve McQueen was every bit as entertaining – if not even more so – than the pyrotechnical shenanigans that unfolded onscreen, but as a meaty slab of old-fashioned escapsim laced with peril and no small amount of cheese, The Towering Inferno is a fun time.
It may not be everyone’s cup of scalding hot tea, but shockingly awful? Absolutely not, even if Newman was fully aware that it wasn’t going to be remembered as the highest point of his acting career.
As ever with Tarantino, the strength of his opinions is part of the appeal. Whether discussing forgotten exploitation films or Oscar-winning blockbusters, he’s rarely interested in the consensus. The Towering Inferno may remain a beloved disaster classic for millions of viewers, but Tarantino’s dismissal is a reminder that even cinema’s most celebrated hits are never immune from passionate debate.
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.