Quentin Tarantino has always stated that he keeps his filmmaking influences in his mind while writing and shooting his movies. Several Tarantino-directed films pay homage to several international classics. But as Tarantino gets inspiration from the cinematic masterpieces, he also desires to helm them as a director and reminisce on that thought.

In a recent interview with Dana Carvey, who was guest-hosting celebrity talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Tarantino iterated one such desire. During the show, Carvey asked Tarantino about a movie he has watched and wishes he could have directed.

Though Tarantino didn't take long to respond, his answer was probably surprising and shows how well-informed he is about global cinema. Tarantino named the Japanese film Battle Royale as his most desirable film, which he wished he could have directed.

Oh, that’s a good question. I’m a big fan of the Japanese movie ‘Battle Royale,’ which is what ‘Hunger Games’ was based on,” Tarantino explained. “Well, ‘Hunger Games’ just ripped it off. Just straight, ripped it off. That would have been awesome to have directed ‘Battle Royale.

In his comment, Tarantino, owing to his talent for analyzing movies, said how The Hunger Games is also a rip-off of the Japanese film. Though The Hunger Games is based on a novel series of the same name, Tarantino was not wrong. In Battle Royale, a totalitarian government forces a group of young teens to fight off each other to death on a deserted island. The surviving winner is then treated as a celebrity just as it was in The Hunger Games. Yes, there are several differences in the overall crux of The Hunger Games, the concept in the source material matches that of Battle Royale.

Quentin Tarantino’s Tribute to Battle Royale

Kill Bill

Directed by Kinji Fukasaku, Battle Royale has once been a part of Tarantino's filmmaking process. His 2003 movie Kill Bill Vol. 1 featured actress Chiaki Kuriyama in a supporting role, who broke into the industry via a supporting role in Battle Royale. She played Gogo in Kill Bill. In fact, Kill Bill was Tarantino’s tribute to the cinematic traditions of Japanese period dramas, blended with Chinese martial arts, Spaghetti Westerns, and Italian Horror films.

Tarantino is known for using inspirational frames from the works of his favorite films in his movies. His talent as a great observer has made him an official critic film critic on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. His film reviews are available via a page dedicated to him on the website while he is penning a book on cinema critiques.

Tarantino has directed nine films (ten, if Kill Bill is bifurcated into two) up until now. His films, such as Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, have featured homages to several actors and the works of classic directors. He has previously stated that he will only direct ten films in his career, meaning that the next movie will probably be his last. There isn't any update on what Tarantino is up to, but his final one would be high on entertainment.