Well....

Rating: 7/10 (26 July 2019)

This is a film that you'll either love or hate...or simply shrug off. I'm not sure I'm in agreement that this is "one of his best." "Pulp Fiction" and "Jackie Brown" are enough for any one director to have created. They're masterpieces. This film is marred by an unchecked self-indulgence.
What I liked:
The craftsmanship, the work with the actors, the infinitesimal period detail, the ability to create considerable suspense in a story that's so familiar we can almost tick off the forensics of the crime which is the film's culmination. The performances of Pitt and DiCaprio both as a team and as individuals is remarkable. It's nice to see them do very serious work that is both comedic and dramatic--and a whole lot of action. When the camera isn't the star (much of the film is done with actors alone in a scene, tripping through a sunny recreation of 1969 Hollywood), the film really soars. The soundtrack is a trip as well. It keeps the film alive when there's very little reason to be engaged other than an odd blunted nostalgia for a time in America where cigarette smoke filled lungs and penetrated clothing, women were objectified, drug use was about to flood American culture...and dog food really sucked. But by the time Feliciano's "California Dreamin'" hits the soundtrack, and it's late in the film, all that's come before gets infused with an immense sadness, and a dread that's not just about a crime and lost lives, but the weight of time itself.
What I didn't like:
I'm not sure why the producers indulged the length of the cut of this film. It could easily have been a 90 minute feature. We have long sequences of people driving in cars or riding on horse back or...just walking down a street. Beautifully shot, I can see why the footage would be hard to let go. But the film is unnecessarily long. There is precious little plot, which was very disappointing. Given the subject, I would have liked to see something a little less like soft buttery nostalgia which Tarantino seems to revel in. The scene at Spahn Ranch is lengthy, unnerving and prepares us for the climax. But like most of the set pieces in the film (the filming of the Western with Caleb Da-ko-ta, Sharon Tate's watching "The Wrecking Crew" (which is charming), DiCaprio's tantrum over not remembering his lines, etc.) they go on and on, and...nothing much comes of it. A party at the Playboy Mansion gives us little.
All I'll say about the ending: This is one of the most disturbing crimes among many in American history. It wasn't just our fascination with the rich and famous, but the brutality and lack of real motive is the stuff of nightmares. For Tarantino to use it in the manner he's chosen--which of course he's free to do--puts us in the position of laughing it off while survivors of the victims are still living. It's ballsy, yes. I'm not sure it was worth risking where it leaves the audience.