Quentin Tarantino: Actor, Filmmaker, Illusionist

Rating: 7/10 (6 May 2020)

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood offers very little (if any) concept of plot. The backdrop of the film is set against 1969 Los Angeles, a time where the notorious Manson family rose to infamy. Margot Robbie's almost cameo role in the film as Sharon Tate has been much criticised, for seemingly having no relevance to the plot or overall film whatsoever, but she serves as a vital device in handing the viewer a sense of suspense and plot direction - a vital component of Tarantino's ruse.
Anyone with prior knowledge of the Manson family Tate murders can predict where the climax of the film will take us, however in true Tarantino fashion (remember how Inglourious Basterds ends?) the factual course of history is not strictly adhered to. That is not to the say the climax of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood doesn't deliver - it certainly does - it just doesn't deliver exactly how we might've expected.
So Tarantino uses this setting and vague plot direction to basically lead on the viewer for two hours while he eulogises about an evolving era in Hollywood. The illusion wouldn't hold up without the performances of DiCaprio and Pitt, who keep us entertained throughout with their day to day struggles and lovable bromance. While Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) has a lot more depth and arc to his character, it is Cliff Booth's scenes that are the most enjoyable and ultimately earn Pitt his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
I enjoyed the irony of Al Pacino's role in the film, as an actor famous for once portraying a character who flees to Italy for refuge, finds himself an Italian wife, and returns stateside having completed his character transformation (Michael Corleone of course). The character of Rick Dalton follows a similar blueprint of success, returning from Italy with a new sense of fashion and comeuppance with the changing times, signifying the completion of his own character arc. There were perhaps more subtle references to the Godfather throughout (14 Fists of McCluskey maybe?) that a cleverer critic than myself may be able to make sense of.
While Once Upon a Time in Hollywood isn't Quentin Tarantino's best film, it's certainly worth a watch - even if only for the final 20 minutes or so. It's plot is an ingenious act of illusion, which once realised can only be admired. Overall 7/10.