Quentin Tarantino is no stranger to epics. In fact, almost every film he’s made has been epic in one way or another – be it the bloody tale of revenge in Kill Bill or the slow burn whodunnit murder mystery of The Hateful Eight. In crafting this legendary back catalogue, Tarantino has also become no stranger to Hollywood’s bright lights and cutthroat nature. Combining his trademark style with this real-world backdrop, the infamous director’s 9th feature film Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood aims to be his grandest tale yet – clocking in at a meaty 160 minutes. Bringing Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt back into the fold with The Wolf of Wall Street star Margot Robbie, the film manages to be one of the director’s most grounded and restrained offerings yet. Make no mistake however, by the time the credits roll, you’ll have no doubt that you’ve just witnessed a Quentin Tarantino creation.
Following the standard of 2009’s Inglorious Bastards, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is a film of fact that’s been given a Tarantino twist of fiction. Another movie loosely based on its subject material, but one that isn’t afraid to play around with key details to create something outrageous and memorable. Billed originally as an epic centred around the Manson Family Murders of the late 60’s, this is instead very much a window into one man’s mid-life crisis. We spend a lot of time following our three lead characters through their daily lives, with the almost three-hour runtime feeling almost gratuitous at times. It’s a very slow burn compared to the director’s earlier films, until it suddenly isn’t. In saying this, Tarantino has made sure that every scene and line fits some purpose in the grander scheme of things. He’s built an entire world here, and it’s a world that regularly feels alive and connected. If a character mentions a particular TV show in passing during conversation, expect to hear about it a few more times or even join the characters as they watch it themselves an hour later. It often feels like every move has a reason, with each character’s decisions and actions making sense to those audiences able to piece the personalities together as the show goes on. While allowing viewers to develop their own understanding of each character in this way is a bold move, it can be tough trying to keep up with all the subtle details buried in so much movie.
Thankfully this lengthy adventure is built on the shoulders of an immensely talented cast, with the film’s plot itself revolving around the struggles, dangers and rewards that come with being a big-time movie star. At the centre of things is Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton, a 60’s TV show cowboy desperately trying to hit the big leagues as his best years seem behind him. DiCaprio cuts a striking image of a fading Hollywood star suffering a mid-life crisis, a character honestly more relatable to audiences than it may seem. He sells the role completely with great emotional range, adding in a heavy accent and a slight stutter to make Rick stand out from the crowd. His scenes shooting a western alongside the late, great Luke Perry and the fantastic young Julia Butters are a total highlight, and prove why DiCaprio is still a household name.
Completing the other half of the headlining duo is Brad Pitt, returning for another Tarantino offering after a ten-year break. Pitt plays Cliff Booth, the stunt double and right hand to Rick during the film. More than just a lowly side act, his character rivals – if not, surpasses – his on-screen counterpart in terms of charisma and style. A character seemingly crafted entirely and lovingly by Tarantino himself, Cliff is a scarred, rugged and aging stunt man who has a healthy fear of nothing and the skills to back it up. Painted as slightly unhinged at times with a questionable history, Booth’s tag-team with faithful pooch Brandy is a central relationship in the film that reaches an epic crescendo before the film’s end.
Rounding out the leading names is Margot Robbie as 60’s starlet Sharon Tate, infamous to those who know the history of the Manson Family Murders that the film is set around. Robbie doesn’t play the typical leading lady that you may be expecting going into the film, instead occupying a secondary role largely removed from that of the two male leads. Tarantino portrays Tate as a naïve, innocent woman at the start of her big Hollywood career, untouched by the politics and bitterness of the industry around her with Robbie dialling up the charm in spades. If the film’s title suggests we’re watching a fairy tale, Tate is without question its princess. This is never more on show than when she’s silently revelling in the joy of watching an audience love her latest movie, gleefully hiding herself in the aisles among the crowd as they laugh along.
Sharing much of Robbie’s screentime is Emile Hirsch, who plays her former lover-turned-friend Jay – and he isn’t the only face you’ll recognise answering the call for Tarantino’s latest project. Randy and his fireball wife Janet (played by Kurt Russell and a hilarious Zoe Bell) inject some great shots of humour when on screen, and Russell keeps us all up to date throughout the film as a narrator with some great lines and sharp delivery. Timothy Olyphant assumes his best Justified cowboy persona for his role, playing a straight-shooting gunslinger opposite DiCaprio in a spaghetti western that is just as great as it sounds. Despite a relatively short time on screen, we also have Al Pacino delivering a return to form as the wise-cracking, well-meaning talent agent that sets his sights on the wayward Dalton. We even see Dakota Fanning deftly assuming one of the most intimidating roles of the film, proving to be in a league of her own after rising to fame as a child actress all those years ago.
Fanning’s not-so-merry ensemble of unsettling Manson family hippies also help to display the cast’s huge commitment to the time period and its vibe. Their outfits, demeanour and speech all help to sell the world the film is being set against. Coupled with the lengthy runtime working to pull you in as much as possible, you’ll almost forget you’re looking at the real world as it (almost) was 50 years ago. A strong example of this world building is within the scattered groups of the Manson family dotted throughout Hollywood. The hippie groups just feel like a brainwashed cult, without ever needing to come right out and say it – plus there’s no mistaking Dalton’s open feelings toward every single one of them. As expected, this total attention to detail carries through to every other piece of Tarantino’s latest grand design. The old movies and shows played during the film are – or may as well have been – all shot during the 60’s. After seeing Leonardo DiCaprio superimposed into classic films so perfectly, you’d swear he was in them all along.
This love carries forward to things like the soundtrack, vehicles and backdrops which are also expertly chosen to completely drown you in 1960’s Hollywood style. Tarantino was always a big fan of spaghetti westerns, and he’s used the film to create a number of elaborate scenes where he essentially builds one right in front of us. This meta-style type of storytelling certainly isn’t new ground for the director, though seeing his experience and incredible level of detail on show is always a wonder to watch. A fine example of this comes in the song choice used to bring us into the final act. We watch as our characters fall into place while the Rolling Stone’s 1966 song “Out of Time” plays alongside, subtlety telling the audience that we’re in the final stages of the grand tale. Always going that extra step, what actually plays is Mick Jagger’s orchestral cover of the song, not released until well into the 70’s – meaning that even the song’s existence in the film is ‘out of time’.
While being a relatively long journey that doesn’t attempt to hold out a guiding hand for those unfamiliar with its plot, the film is still as finely crafted and tightly written as any of Quentin Tarantino’s past works. Certainly slower and more grounded than most of his other offerings, the charismatic trio of DiCaprio, Pitt and Robbie manage to keep you invested all the way through to its wild finale. Shot through the lens of the swinging 60’s, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood spends its time slowly lifting the mask of glitz and glamour from the somewhat grim face of the movie industry – before promptly knocking all its teeth out.
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Kurt Russell, Timothy Olyphant, Dakota Fanning, Al Pacino and Luke Perry – In cinemas now.