Struggles of Mid-life Crisis and Good vs. Evil

Rating: 10/10 (2 August 2019)

Actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and stunt man Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) are two best friends having a mid-life crisis in 1969 Hollywood. Dalton, who stars in a TV western series, "Bounty Law," reflects on his life and believes he should have done better as an actor and should have been offered more challenging roles. Booth, once suspected of killing his wife, also believes he should have achieved more in life. Dalton is somewhat bitter, but both men exhibit an ability to care about the people around them. They also have a certain degree of decency and morals and the wisdom to recognize evil when they see it. This is especially true of the scene in which Booth visits the Spahn Ranch and recognizes the evil atmosphere perpetrated by the hippies who live there. After forcing one hippie to change his flat tire, Booth escapes certain death by driving away from the ranch just as Tex Watson, intent on killing any trespasser, returns on horseback from a tour of the ranch. For all that their own lives have been less than fulfilling, Dalton and Booth use their acting and action skills to become real-life heroes by defeating evil at the end of the film.