Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Rating: 8/10 (25 August 2019)

Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated director Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, The Hateful Eight) has said over the years he will retire from filmmaking after completing ten films, this is his ninth (although, you could also count Four Rooms, Sin City, and Death Proof). Basically, set in 1969, Rick Dalton (Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated Leonardo DiCaprio) is a former 1950s television actor, most famous for the Western TV show Bounty Law. He has made the move to Hollywood movie making, but fears his career is over. Casting agent Marvin Schwarz (Al Pacino) suggests he make Spaghetti Westerns, but Dalton fells this is beneath him. Dalton's friend and stunt man Cliff Booth (Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe winning Brad Pitt) lives a simple life, without glitz and glamour, in a trailer. He works for Dalton as his driver, as Dalton is an alcoholic, and has been arrested too often for drink driving. Booth has had no film work since the death of his wife, and rumours suggest he may have murdered her. Actress Sharon Tate (BAFTA nominated Margot Robbie) and her husband, film director Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha), have moved into the house next door to Dalton's, on Cielo Drive. Dalton hopes to befriend the couple to restore his status. That night, Tate and Polanski join Jay Sebring (Emile Hirsch) at a celebrity-filled party at the Playboy Mansion. The next day, Booth repairs Dalton's TV antenna, and reminisces about a sparring match he had with Bruce Lee (Mike Moh) on the set of The Green Hornet, which resulted in Booth being fired. Charles Manson (Damon Herriman) stops by Polanski and Tate's house looking for record producer Terry Melcher, who used to live there, but is turned away by Sebring. One day, while driving Dalton's car, Booth picks up young hitchhiker Pussycat (Margaret Qualley). He drops her off at Spahn Ranch, once a location for Bounty Law. Booth is suspicious of the large number of hippies squatting on the property (the Manson Family), and suspects they are taking advantage of the owner, George Spahn (Bruce Dern). Booth insists on checking on Spahn despite objections from Squeaky Fromme (Dakota Fanning). Spahn is blind and acts cantankerous towards Booth but assures him he is fine. Returning to the car, Booth discovers a tire has been slashed by Clem Grogan (James Landry HÃ©bert), he beats him and forces him to change it. One of the girls, Sundance (Cassidy Hice), fetches Charles "Tex" Watson (Austin Butler), but by the time he arrives on horseback Booth is driving away. Tate sees her movie, The Wrecking Crew, is playing at the local theatre, and decides to stop there to watch herself, and see and hear the audience reactions. Dalton lands the role of a villain in the pilot episode of a new series, Lancer. He strikes up a conversation with his eight-year-old co-star, Trudi Fraser (Julia Butters), who sees herself as a method actor. During one scene, Dalton is hungover, and struggles to remember his lines. Dalton has a breakdown in his trailer but returns to the set and delivers a powerful performance that impresses the director, Sam Wanamaker (Nicholas Hammond), and Fraser, this boosts Dalton's confidence. After watching Dalton's guest performance on an episode of The F.B.I., Schwarz books him to star as the lead of Sergio Corbucci's next Western, Nebraska Jim. Dalton takes Booth with him for a six-month stint in Europe, during which he appears in two additional Westerns and a spy comedy, and he marries Italian starlet Francesca Capucci (Lorenza Izzo). Returning to Los Angeles, Dalton informs Booth he can no longer afford his services, and they agree to part ways. After having drinks, they return home, where Booth finds the acid-laced cigarette given to him by Pussycat, he smokes it and takes Brandy the dog for a walk. Tate is heavily pregnant, and has a small gathering with Jay, and their friends Wojciech Frykowski (Costa Ronin) and Abigail Folger (Samantha Robinson). On a night in August, the Manson Family: Watson, Susan "Sadie" Atkins (Mikey Madison), Linda "Flower Child" Kasabian (Maya Hawke), and Patricia "Katie" Krenwinkel (Madisen Beaty) park outside in preparation to murder everyone in Tate's house. Dalton hears the car and angrily orders them to leave. The group decides to kill Dalton instead, after Atkins reasons that Hollywood "taught them to murder". Kasabian deserts the group, while the others break into Dalton's house, Capucci panics, and Booth recognises them from Spahn Ranch. Booth orders Brandy to attack, Krenwinkel and Watson are killed, while Atkins is severely injured. Dalton, who was listening to music on headphones, is oblivious to the mayhem. He is alerted when Atkins stumbles outside with a gun in her hand, falling into the swimming pool. Panicked, he retrieves a flamethrower kept from a film shoot and incinerates Atkins. After Booth is hospitalised and Capucci goes back to sleep, Sebring engages Dalton in conversation. Tate invites Dalton over for drinks with her houseguests. Also starring Kurt Russell as Randy, Timothy Olyphant as James Stacy, Luke Perry (posthumous, in his final role) as Wayne Maunder, Damian Lewis as Steve McQueen, Lena Dunham as Gypsy, ZoÃ« Bell as Janet, Dreama Walker as Connie Stevens, Rumer Willis as Joanna Pettet, Scoot McNairy as Business Bob Gilbert, Michael Madsen as Sheriff Hackett on Bounty Law, Clifton Collins Jr. as Ernesto the Mexican Vaquero, James Remar as Ugly Owl Hoot on Bounty Law, Tim Roth (scene deleted, but still credited), Harley Quinn Smith (Kevin Smith's daughter) as "Froggie" and the voice of Quentin Tarantino as the director of the Red Apple cigarettes advertisement. DiCaprio is most impressive as the down-trodden actor, Pitt is likeable as his stunt man and gopher friend, and Robbie is charming as real-life character Sharon Tate, and the ensemble cast all do well also. The main focus is slightly more on the DiCaprio and Pitt characters, seeing how they get on during the final moments of "Hollywood's Golden Age", the real-life Sharon Tate/Manson Family story only one component of an audacious, surprising and mind-bending narrative. It does exactly the same as Inglorious Basterds, plays with the facts, and gives us a "what if" scenario (what if the Manson Family went to the wrong house on Cielo Drive?). It works well as a homage to the changing times of Hollywood, it is a more melancholy and mature film from Tarantino, but obviously we get some trademark violence and over-the-top flamboyant moments to keep fans happy, overall it is a most interesting and watchable comedy-drama. It won the Oscar for Best Production Design, and it was nominated for Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Original Screenplay for Quentin Tarantino, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing, it was nominated the BAFTA for Best Film, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Casting, and it won the Golden Globe for Golden Globe Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, and Best Screenplay. Very good!