One of Tarantino's Best

Rating: 10/10 (10 April 2020)

I am a Tarantino fan, have watched all of his movies. But I have to admit, other than Pulp Fiction and (to a lesser extent) Reservoir Dogs, I have no interest in watching them again after the first viewing. He just seems to be trying to hard to entertain, create interesting dialogue, whatever... I can't put my finger on it, but it's there. They do not stick in the mind, other than stylistically.
Until this picture. There are movies that somehow just scratch an itch in your mind. You want to go back to them. Need to. This movie really scratches that itch for me. There are so many elements that seemlessly come together to make this a true masterpiece of cinema. From the amazing soundtrack, one of the best of the year IMHO, to the fantastic pacing (one of the most under-rated and misunderstood characteristics of great movies), to the incredible acting.
Let's talk about the actors. Brad Pitt and Leo Decaprio are truly at the top of their game here. Truly astounding acting. Pitt is the lens for the entire '60's vibe going on here. We see this slice of life through his eyes, and also see how he deals with it. A truly great character. And Leo, wow, one of his best movies as far as I'm concerned. I've been in the 'he's way over-rated' group of people regarding DeCaprio's talent. But he absolutely shines here as the actor in the downside of his career, knowing that, yet still trying for that great role.
The supporting actors who deserve special mention are that group of dirty, f@*!king, smelly hippies who are central to this story. Tarantino really (and intentionally) takes the luster out of part of the '60's era. This group of people is not presented sympathetically, as so many other movies have done. It probably is a more realistic depiction (to some degree), which adds to the originality of this screenplay. One other truly outstanding performance is the little girl actress who bonds with Leo's character. She is a joy to watch. The chemistry between those two is fantastic.
In conclusion. the best Tarantino pic since Pulp Fiction. I've watched it 3 times already, and encourage others to do the same. It wasn't until my third viewing until I noticed that my wide screen literally turns into a '60's old fashioned television set. I mean it is quite literal. It blew my mind.