What does It Mean for a Film to be "Stylish"?

Question

I've come across the phrase stylish a few times while reading movie reviews online. A few examples of what I'm talking about: <ul><li>the critics consensus of "X-Men: First Class" is as follows: "With a strong script, stylish direction, and powerful performances from its well-rounded cast, X-Men: First Class is a welcome return to form for the franchise".</li> <li>Kill Bill Vol. 1 has the critics consensus: "Kill Bill is admittedly little more than a stylish revenge thriller -- albeit one that benefits from a wildly inventive surfeit of style."</li><li>John Wick has the following critics consensus: "Stylish, thrilling, and giddily kinetic, John Wick serves as a satisfying return to action for Keanu Reeves -- and what looks like it could be the first of a franchise."</ul>What exactly does stylish mean in the context of film?

Answer 1

This is a great question. When it comes to film, the adjective "stylish" is often placed upon films that have a unique property about them. In regards to your Tarantino example, he's considered to have a very unique style as a filmmaker because he doesn't follow cookie cutter examples of characters, story structure, or cinematography. Let's take for example, his film Reservoir Dogs. It's written in a distorted narrative structure rather than the typical Hollywood 3 Act Structure. He writes big, bold and abrasive characters which can often feel larger than life and contribute to the high energy atmosphere created in so much of his work. Think of a time you've ever seen someone's outfit and thought "that's very stylish". What made you use that word? Odds are, you used it because the outfit was out of the status quo and very much it's own thing.