Imagine a world where Quentin Tarantino, the mastermind behind Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained, had the chance to direct one of the most iconic Western villains of all time. It’s a cinematic 'what if' that still haunts film enthusiasts to this day. Tarantino, known for his love of B-movies and his knack for reviving careers, has often cast actors from the lowbrow films and TV shows he adored. Think John Travolta in Pulp Fiction, Pam Grier in Jackie Brown, and David Carradine in Kill Bill. He even brought Franco Nero, the original Django, back to the screen in Django Unchained. But there’s one legendary actor he deeply regrets never working with: Lee Van Cleef.
In 2014, during an appearance on The Director’s Chair with his friend Robert Rodriguez, Tarantino was asked who he considered the ultimate badass actor of all time. His answer? Lee Van Cleef. But here’s where it gets bittersweet: Van Cleef passed away in 1989, just a few years before Tarantino’s directorial debut with Reservoir Dogs in 1992. Tarantino wistfully admitted he would’ve loved to work with Van Cleef during the actor’s prime in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Van Cleef, with his sharp features and piercing gaze, was the epitome of the Western villain. His breakout roles as the 'black hat' in films like High Noon (1952) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) set the stage for his most memorable performances in Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns. Who could forget his icy portrayal of Angel Eyes, 'The Bad,' in The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly? Or his unexpected turn as the hero, bounty hunter Douglas Mortimer, in For A Few Dollars More? And this is the part most people miss: Van Cleef’s ability to infuse his villains with depth and even sympathy made him a legend, as he once explained to Johnny Carson in 1984.
Johnny Carson himself quipped, 'If anyone needed a despicable bad guy, they’d say, 'Go get Lee Van Cleef.'' Van Cleef’s hawk-like features, combined with his coiled menace, made him the go-to choice for villains. But it wasn’t just his looks—it was his talent for making audiences both fear and, strangely, root for his characters.
Van Cleef’s influence is still felt today. Characters like Cad Bane from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Rattlesnake Jake from Rango are clear nods to his iconic style. Even John Carpenter, another fan of Van Cleef’s, cast him as Police Commissioner Bob Hauk in Escape From New York (1981), pairing him with Kurt Russell’s Snake Plissken in a dystopian thriller.
While Carpenter got his chance to work with Van Cleef, Tarantino was left to imagine what could have been. But here’s the controversial question: Would Tarantino’s signature style have elevated Van Cleef’s legacy even further, or would it have overshadowed the actor’s natural charisma? Let’s debate that in the comments.
One thing’s for sure: the idea of Tarantino and Van Cleef collaborating remains one of cinema’s greatest 'what ifs,' leaving fans to dream of the masterpiece that never was.
