Inglourious Hollywood Basterds

Rating: 7/10 (26 November 2019)

It's 1969 Hollywood. Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a former TV western star and Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) is his stunt double. Dalton's career is on a downward slide and Booth is also his driver. Dalton discovers that he is living next to famed director Roman Polanski and his actress wife Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie). Booth is taken with Pussycat (Margaret Qualley) who happens to be a Manson girl.
There is only one section of true tension. It's Cliff Booth going to see George at the ranch. The ranch is the best section of the movie. Dalton and Booth have a fascinating chemistry. Brad Pitt may indeed be too pretty to be a stuntman. All of this leads me to conclude that it would be interesting to have Booth go back to the ranch to save George from the hippies. He can shoot them all and have a smoke. Quite frankly, the reworking of the climatic incident lacks the power of the Hitler cinema. I also don't like this Bruce Lee. It reminds me of all the copycat Bruce after his death and I doubt he would do a flying kick to start the fight. Obviously, Tarantino is reworking the legendary Bruce Lee incident but it feels wrong. Tex also feels wrong. There is a reason to rework Hitler for a revenge porn. There is no reason to rework Bruce Lee and if he's reworking the Manson family, he may as well rework it to its full extent. Quite frankly, Mindhunter gives an alternate version of Manson which is infinitely more compelling than this. Tarantino has more than enough skills but he would have more freedom to do a lesser known crime.