Given his lengthy film resume, James Gunn has some authority to give his opinion on the state of film. The Suicide Squad director’s penchant for superhero movies has put him and others in the crosshairs of film purists. But that hasn’t stopped Gunn from producing the content he wants. Now the Guardian of the Galaxy 3 director has decided to share his thoughts on certain filmmakers, as he delivered his movie hot takes about Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese.
The Suicide Squad director hopped on his Twitter to answer a user’s thread about popular and unpopular film opinions. James Gunn decided to give his thoughts on both Oscar-winning directors’ best films. In addition to Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese, James Gunn gave his opinions on Sergio Leone and Werner Herzog’s respective film careers. With that in mind, check out the filmmaker’s Twitter hot take below:
Like most film theory and criticism, James Gunn is entitled to his opinion on fellow filmmakers’ work. With that in mind, some of his opinions might be questionable (i.e. The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans), but Gunn did have some interesting takes. I do agree with his assessment of Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese’s work, but I would add Casino, The Departed and the Kill Bill series in there. Knowing Gunn’s tastes makes you realize filmmakers watch and absorb the same content as everyone else.
But just like James Gunn, Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino haven’t been shy about their film analysis either. The Irishman director has been open many times about his thoughts on the current state of cinema, and Scorsese has received both praise and pushback for his comments. But Tarantino isn’t too off, as he called 2019 the “war for movies” when films such as Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Knives Out competed against blockbusters like Avengers: Endgame and Solo: A Star Wars Story. Gunn might love their work, but he isn’t afraid to fight for cinema as well.
This isn’t the first time James Gunn has given his opinion on Martin Scorsese or other purist filmmakers. A few years ago, Gunn came to the defense of the superhero genre after Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola made scathing remarks. He harkened back to their filmographies, revealing previous generations said the same thing about gangster films and Westerns. Despite his defense, Gunn stated their opinions on superhero films were “okay.” As the director pointed out, opinions on what makes for great cinema shifts every generation.
But being a huge cinephile, James Gunn can state his thoughts about certain directors in the same vein as Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino. Sometimes it’s nice to know what a filmmaker’s taste is like. The only time you ever hear it is when they’re promoting a project or looking back at their career. Hopefully this will bring some peace to the cinema debate.
