Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood – PS News
Reviewed by Victor Rebikoff.
Director: Quentin Tarantino, Sony Pictures, MA 161 Minutes.
Quentin Tarantino has definitely turned the nook on the films he has directed (following his 2015 western ‘The Hateful Eight’) along with his overlong marathon being a journey down reminiscence lane highlighting Hollywood’s altering cultural lifetime of the ‘60s’.
It is due to this fact not shocking that the opening scenes of this comedic drama reveals TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio –‘The Revenant’) and his stuntman Chris Booth (Brad Pitt –‘Allied’) being interviewed on the set of his televised western Bounty Law.
Due to his fading star and to resurrect his performing profession, Rick is approached by agent Marvin Schwarz (Al Pacino –‘Serpico’) to think about making spaghetti westerns in Europe a lot to the chagrin of his buddy and driver Chris.
As the story develops, the approach to life of each males is revealed with Rick being pushed to his luxurious dwelling in Hollywood’s unique location whereas Chris lives the lifetime of a cowboy in a derelict caravan.
As it seems, Rick’s subsequent door neighbours are director Roman Polanski (Polish actor Rafal Zawierucha –‘Plan B’) and his spouse, none apart from the rising starlet Sharon Tate (Aussie Margot Robbie –‘I Tonya’).
Then on the next day after Polanski has left dwelling, Sharon and her pal Jay (Emile Hirsch –‘Freaks’) inadvertently meet Charles Manson (Aussie Damon Herriman –‘The Nightingale’) having been noticed by Chris whereas engaged on Rick’s roof.
In the intervening interval previous to Rick and Chris departing for Europe to shoot the spaghetti westerns, Chris unknowingly turns into concerned with some hippies – belonging to the Manson clan – confronting them on the ranch of George Spahn (Bruce Dern –‘Chappaquiddick’).
After returning to Los Angeles from Rome the place Rick meets his actress spouse Francesca (Lorenza Izzo), Chris, and later Rick, are compelled to battle off a deadly dwelling invasion from Manson’s hippies which results in Rick lastly assembly Sharon.
Tarantino’s entertaining but prolonged epic of 161 minutes pays tribute to Hollywood’s golden period of the late ‘60s’ by merging a number of storylines centered on its foremost characters, in addition to highlighting the emergence of the hippies.
In complementing his fairytale title of “once upon a time” Tarantino has assembled a solid of many celebrated stars reminiscent of Bruce Lee (Mike Moh) and Steve McQueen (Damien Lewis) and, other than Pacino and Dern delivering solely cameos, essentially the most pleasant performances are supplied by the main actors – DiCaprio, Pitt and Robbie – particularly Pitt.
Vic’s Verdict: three ½ Stars