Once Upon A Time...Tarantino's take on classic Hollywood!

Rating: 8/10 (26 August 2019)

I've seen all of QT's movies and I've thoroughly enjoyed every single one of them. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood was no exception.
The dialogue was snappy, the soundtrack was spot on, and the cinematic landscape and scene setting was as detailed as you would expect. The leads in the primary storyline were great, Leonardo Di Caprio and Brad Pitt were excellent as two ageing buddies trying to adapt to the changing world around them. The movie at times pays so much tribute to the golden age of Hollywood it feels like a blend of a Tarantino and a Coen brothers movie. (which can't be a bad thing).
The late 60's aesthetic is enhanced by the appearance of real-life characters; Bruce Lee on the studio back lot, and then at the Playboy Mansion during a party sequence, Mama Cass, and Steve McQueen amongst others joining Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski. True to form there are a number of QT favourites making cameo appearances; Mike Madsen, Kurt Russell, Uma Thurman's daughter Maya Hawke, and Bruce Dern are examples. Otherwise there are cameos galore, my favourite supporting roles being Al Pacino's movie producer Marvin Schwartz, and Margaret Qualley's Charles Manson follower "Pussycat". (Qualley is another Hollywood 2nd generation cutting their teeth).
Tarantino is at his best when he is writing original work, although as with Inglorious Basterds, he did show he can incorporate an alternative historical timeline to great effect. That is the intention of "Once Upon a Time..." with the climax of the movie taking an alternate view on what could have happened if the Manson Murders had been aimed at fictional characters Rick Dalton and his stuntman Cliff Booth, instead of Sharon Tate and friends.
The film does have problems though, the story feels a little thin and lacks the depth of previous Tarantino outings. Margot Robbie plays Sharon Tate as an angelic figure, and as such spends most of the movie just smiling and looking happy, filled with innocence without adding any further complexity to the character. The Manson gang are introduced in the form of a group of wandering homeless looking disciples dumpster diving for food. When Cliff later gets to meet them properly at Spahn Ranch, the only one that the viewer has had any real connection to is Pussycat.
Yet, when we come to the climax of the movie and the Manson members attack Rick, Cliff, and Rick's Wife...Pussycat is not there, the only Manson member we would remember is "Tex", the horse riding second in command, but again there's no real connection to him other than remembering who he is. As a result the ending does lack a bit of punch,
That being said, the ending does have some great comedic moments, mixed in with an expected level of blood and violence. It still manages to tie together elements of the story, with a class ending shot which is straight out of the 1960's. By anyone's standards it is a strong movie, but compared to Tarantino's standards, it is a little off the mark. However, would I watch it again? Yes, I absolutely would!!