Tarantino's "American Graffiti"

Rating: 8/10 (20 September 2019)

Being a fan of Tarantino, my expectation for this film was very high-considering this might be the filmmaker's last directorial outing. Having watched it a couple of weeks ago at the cinema, I enjoyed it. Did it exceed expectations? Not really. Is this Tarantino's best work? Not at all. As many film reviewers have wrote, this is Tarantino's love letter to the 1960's Hollywood. The visuals, down to the small details was brilliantly done. The soundtrack is just as great, like most of Tarantino's work. The performances were all wonderful (including the controversial Bruce Lee and Sharon Tate portrayals). The story moves at a relatively slow pace, following the vignette-style of "American Graffiti". There's less violence by Tarantino standards-that is until the last thirty minutes of the film. The satisfyingly gruesome climax was executed very well, and definitely worth the long running time. For audiences that are not familiar with the historical background and context, I suggest you research it before watching the film because the climax won't be as satisfying. "Once Upon a Time" is Tarantino's "American Graffiti"-a story that takes place in a transitional phase in history, but served with the right amount of cathartic violence that will be sorely missed from audiences worldwide if this great filmmaker really is going to retire.