Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Review

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the ninth film Quentin Tarantino has made and he has made it as his love letter to the ’60s and the film industry as a whole.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follows Western star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and stunt-double/best friend Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt.) Both have fallen down the Hollywood pecking order: Rick can only get one-off roles in TV shows and gets an offer to star in Italian films. Cliff is unable to get stunt work because of accusations that he killed his wife.

In contrast, Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) is a star on the rise. She’s starring in more movies and is married to the acclaimed director Roman Polanski. Whilst on the other side of the track is the Manson Family who lives on the set of Rick’s old show.

Tarantino is one of the few directors that’s as big of a star as many of his actors. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood has been promoted as the ninth Tarantino film and is set to be the penultimate film before his retirement. This is assuming you’re willing to believe his retirement promise. He’s a man who has terrific film knowledge and has a knack for elevating grindhouse material to Oscar-winning status. But he has been accused of being a copycat, lifting scenes and ideas from other films and being incredibly arrogant.

Some of Tarantino’s critics like Mark Kermode have claimed that he’s a self-indulgent filmmaker. This was the case with his previous film, The Hateful Eight, which was a 90-minute story stretched out to three-hours and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was worst. At least The Hateful Eight had a story – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was basically a string of events loosely tied together. Individual segments were fantastic like when Rick films scenes for The Lancer, Rick’s breakdown in his trailer, and when Cliff is on the Manson compound. But it’s not a coercive film.

This leads to the question of what was Tarantino trying to say? Was Once Upon a Time in Hollywood a story about fading careers where the two men try to have one last hurrah? A broader look at the culture in Hollywood? The obsession with celebrity? Film students and academic will dissect Once Upon the Hollywood as a whole and certain scenes to find meaning in it. But it was really an empty film.

I would say that if Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was made by an unknown director it would not have been as well-received. But Hollywood is a place where adores autofellatio: it loves nothing more than films that celebrate the place and the film industry. So the results would possibly have been the same. The film was a masturbatory exercise for Tarantino as he gets to homage various films and TV shows.

Tarantino is still a master craftsman and there is no faulting his direction. He is able to make seemingly uninteresting activities compelling and there were some truly terrific sequences. There was a perfectly eerie atmosphere when Cliff was at the Manson compound. Tarantino usual tropes were on display – i.e. long tracking shots, a great soundtrack, and an incredibly violent conclusion. The final act was wonderingly catharsis that satisfied my bloodlust. But it was understandably controversial.

Tarantino was able to gather a great cast for his film. He worked with DiCaprio and Pitt before and they were great together as the long-time buddy and as individuals. DiCaprio’s role as an actor in the twilight of his career is like a sportsman who has to face the inevitable, retire or move to a lesser league. Pitt was smart and tough as the stuntman turned jack-of-all-trades. And Robbie was framed as a goddess, although she’s perfunctory to the plot.

The film also features an assemble cast. Some were people who have worked with Tarantino like Kurt Russell and Bruce Dern whilst others obviously wanted to work with him like Damien Lewis and Dakota Fanning, even if it’s just for one scene.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a film made up of great sequences and had great performances, but due to its meandering and unfocused nature, it’s Tarantino’s worst film.