Quentin Tarantino's 9th movie takes place during the ripe age of Hollywood in the 60s. We attach ourselves to Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth, a pair of actor-stunt double in collaboration. The film's opening interview vividly establishes who they are and we start following them almost everywhere they go, seeing almost everything they do. It's unedited and raw, providing golden opportunities for us to spend time with them, especially in their personal and working hours.
Rick Dalton is a TV actor who's famous for the B-Western show Bounty Law. His transition into feature films didn't turn out well, and he is devastated at his career decline. He drinks and smokes away his problems and it starts affecting his performance, as you could see from his constant stuttering and coughing. We see him embrace and dissolve his actor image into a character, and the transformation is fantastic! Cliff Booth is a loyal stunt-double cum choreboy. But more than anything, he is a spine friend! In midst of these fictional characters, we have a real life persona Sharon Tate staying right by Rick's alley. For those who do not know, Sharon Tate is an actress in the 60s who got brutally murdered by the Manson Family. How these three principal characters come together in a Tarantino dramedy is basically what Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is about.
Without Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth and Leonardo DiCaprio as Rick Dalton, this film wouldn't have effective half the way it does. Brad Pitt is suave! This is a role tailored for this man! Him approaching to meet George (Bruce Dern) out of heightened suspect in Spahn's Movie Ranch with Manson's hippies surrounding him is probably the second best and tense scene in the entire picture! It's glorious to watch him punch Clem Grogan and coerce to change the flattened tire, and even more so when he feeds his dog! Leonardo DiCaprio is an absolute revelation once again! From frying Nazis, singing and dancing, practicing recorded dialogues in swimming pool, forgetting his lines to scolding himself in the caravan, it's so pitiful yet bloody funny! Most importantly, you could buy your tickets just to see the height of chemistry between these two stalwarts, as how they sit and watch a show they both have worked on together! You care about them and you're devastated when their partnership comes to an end after 8 long years. That, is a clear stamp of outstanding characters!
Solid scenes and sequences is Tarantino's fort. Hippies chasing Cliff out of the ranch, Rick Dalton pursuing Spaghetti Western, the Bengal Lancer joke, Cliff's interaction with the young girl, James Stacy's (Timothy Olyphant) standoff and scene rewind for reshoot, Rick's ad films and initial conversation with Marvin Schwarz (Al Pacino), Cliff being high due to the acid-dipped cigarette and the entire chaotically nerve-wrecking climax with the Manson Family as Rick torches the last remaining one with his old flamethrower are spectacular! The conversation Rick has with Trudi (Julia Butters) about his current career under the pretense of Easy Breezy's story shows Tarantino's mastery of subtext, and you could see how Rick's acting skills emerge to the surface when he pursues the truth. Who could forget the happiness in his eyes after receiving compliments from the kid? However, Tarantino could have certainly explored the fact about Brad Pitt 'killing' his wife and showing how it's integral to the proceedings.
The silver screen is glazed with superstars! Kudos to the casting team for such a remarkable job! Apart from the main roles played by Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, we have Kurt Russell, Timothy Olyphant, Luke Perry, Bruce Dern, Maya Hawke and Al Pacino! Mike Moh's impression of Bruce Lee couldn't have been more spot on and his fisticuff with Cliff Booth is hilarious! The same can be said about the physical resemblances of the actors who played Roman Polanski and Charles Manson!
Essentially where Once Upon a Time in Hollywood falters is at the flimsy connection between the primary plot and the Charles Manson real-life murder crime. It's understandable that Tarantino wanted to alter a horrific event that happened in 1969 with a 'What If' spin. The outcome is surely hilarious, positive and to an extent, make us wish this could have replaced the real history. This isn't the first time Tarantino has done so, as we've seen Hilter dying in a theater in Inglorious Basterds. But the difference is, in the 2009 film, protagonist Shosanna (Mélanie Laurent) is directly involved in a conflict with Nazi Germany, rendering the action concrete, meaningful and cathartic. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood on the other hand, has a couple of main characters with little to no dramatic connection to Sharon Tate nor Charles Manson, turned up being used as mere tools to change what actually occurred to her. Also, this reversal would have worked only for those who know who Sharon Tate was and the tragedy that fell upon her. What about those who walk in knowing nothing about her and Charles Manson? The plot did not do a valid job to supply the audiences with the necessary information in order for us to completely appreciate the episodes coming out of the film itself. Anyways, the ending, while may seem unresolved, one can hope that in this reality, Rick Dalton becomes a big star starring in then-future Roman Polanski productions, which allows him to continue employing Cliff Booth!
It's almost a waste of time to dedicate a paragraph for the technical expertise of a Quentin Tarantino film, as we all already know before even watching it, that it is of the highest caliber you could get in cinema! This is 1969 Hollywood and trust Tarantino to transport you into it! Impeccable production design with luxurious costumes, colors, cars, film print reels etc. are beyond great! The use of contrast to show the difference between Rick and Cliff's lifestyle, financial status, dwelling and vehicle is simple yet extraordinary! Editing Rick Dalton into The Great Escape is flawless! Camerawork is masterful, especially the scene capturing Tex (Austin Butler) riding a horse. Soundtrack and song choices are phenomenal as well!
Interviewer: "So, uh, Rick, explain to the audience exactly what a stunt double does."
Rick Dalton: "Well, actors are required to do a lot of dangerous stuff. Say Jake Cahill gets shot off his horse. Can I fall off a horse? Yes, I can. Yes, I have. Now, say I fall off wrong or I sprain my wrist or twist my ankle. Now, that can put an undue burden on the production because now maybe I can't work for a week. So Cliff here is meant to help carry the load."
Interviewer: "Is that, uh, how you describe your job, Cliff?"
Cliff Booth: "What, carrying his load? …Yeah, that's about right."