Why the world needs Quentin Tarantino to make a spy movie
The spy movie is long overdue for a revamp. Franchise frontmen like James Bond and Jack Ryan have led the genre into a pit of unoriginality. Cinematic espionage has become a melting pot of tropes including but not limited to laser-dodging, curiously concealed gadgets, and endless double agents. While some lean into the predictability of the genre, others have attempted to bring it into more comedic territory, each of them failing in their own way.
Few filmmakers have managed to escape this tried and tested method of spy storytelling. Perhaps the most interesting entry into the genre from the past few decades has been Spy Kids, simply for its sheer peculiarity. But perhaps Quentin Tarantino could be the one to break free from the genre’s constraints and clichés.
The cult director has honed one of the most distinctive filmmaking styles in modern cinema, which is comprised of non-linear narratives, killer soundtracks, and violence almost as excessive as his use of expletives. Through this visual and narrative lens, he’s tackled tales of assassins and bounty hunters, cults and celebrities, but, as yet, no suave spies.
This isn’t for a lack of interest in the genre. In fact, during a conversation with the BFI, the director stated that he’d love to delve into the realm of espionage and undercover agents, but admitted that he can’t imagine himself ever seeing that dream through. “As much as I’m attracted to it,” he explained, “it ultimately would be just pictures of people talking to each other.”
Despite Tarantino’s doubts, his filmmaking style seems perfectly matched to the genre in question. He’s right that his dialogue-heavy, character-focused style isn’t necessarily aligned with the spy movie in its current, glamorously predictable form, but this is exactly what would make his approach to the genre so interesting.
With his love for slick fight scenes and morally devoid characters, his continual focus on revenge and redemption, Tarantino has all the tools to create a stellar spy film. His take on the genre would surely deliver action scenes and dramatic plot points that would blow Bond out of the water, but he would also breathe new life into the genre, taking it beyond gizmos and gadgets.
The exact element of his filmmaking that Tarantino believes would let him down in the spy genre is actually what would enable him to thrive. He would turn one-dimensional suited-and-booted agents into compelling parts with motivations and idiosyncrasies beyond stock characters. His talented roster of actors would only further serve this purpose, bringing his witty words to life on-screen.
Take Tarantino’s work on Kill Bill as an example. He creates a formidable leading character in The Bride, played by Uma Thurman, who is as well-dressed as any iteration of Bond, although her two-piece of choice is bright yellow. She’s as smooth-talking and skilled with a weapon as any on-screen spy, but she’s also given a myriad of reasons for pursuing her revenge, ensuring that we’re right there with her on her quest to kill Bill.
With developed motivations and memorable fight scenes, the parts of Kill Bill could easily be reconstructed to create a killer spy flick, one that would reinvent the genre for an audience who are bored of hearing the words “shaken not stirred”. Unfortunately, it seems that Tarantino may never take his interest in spy films beyond shrugged comments in interviews, leaving us to imagine what his take on the genre might look like, waiting for the saviour of the spy movie.
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