Tarantino’s heartfelt, rambling ode to old Hollywood.

Love him or loath him, you just can’t keep Quentin Tarantino down. Nearly three decades on from unleashing Reservoir Dogs on the world, the director has weathered stormy Hollywood waters to become one of the most influential filmmakers of his generation.

Whatever your opinion of him, it’s hard to deny that the film industry is in a far better place for having Tarantino in it. Sure, his singular style and often controversial approach have brought him as much criticism as praise over the years, yet in a business increasingly obsessed with big budgets and bankable franchises, Tarantino continues to carry the torch for original, innovative filmmaking.

As one of the few directors left in the game whose name alone gets bums on seats, just knowing that he’s out there doing his thing and doing it his way feels like a particularly uncompromising ray of light in an increasingly gentrified Hollywood landscape.

Frustrating and infuriating though he may be at times, Tarantino is a true student of cinema, with each of his eight previous films conceived as a love letter to his fondest genres. From Reservoir Dogs and the heist, to the westerns of Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight, Tarantino has covered almost every genre going. The man’s love for cinema runs deep, so it’s fitting that, in his ninth (and penultimate) movie, he’s decided to bow out with an unabashed ode to the entire movie industry.

As the end of the 60s draws near, Hollywood is at a crossroads. Gone are the cowboys and action heroes of the Golden Age as a new era dawns on the town. Caught amidst the turning tide, faded TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) do what they can to remain relevant. But just as Rick sees his life and career nosediving, rising starlet Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) moves in next door to offer a glimmer of hope that there may be a future for him in Hollywood after all.

In many ways, Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood is the distillation of everything good and bad about Quentin Tarantino as a filmmaker. After two hours and forty-five minutes of beautifully rendered, self-indulgent meandering, the director’s ninth film is the perfect summation of what makes him such an impressive filmmaker, while highlighting many of the issues that have drawn him criticism through the years.

As one might imagine for his penultimate directorial outing and his fondness for the subject matter, the filmmaker throws absolutely everything at Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood and the result is pure, uncut Quentin Tarantino. Passion and fervour ooze from every millimetre of celluloid as, for the first time since Jackie Brown, the director puts character first in an unfiltered love letter to an era close to his heart.

Less a film and more an immersive period-Hollywood experience, Once Upon a Time gleefully wears its influences on its sleeve as Tarantino’s love for the era shines through in every scene. As is often the way with any Tarantino movie, however, this fervour can sometimes spill over in a tidal wave of references, winks, Easter eggs, and signposts that, while fun, can become draining.

Being the subject and time period that has informed Tarantino’s career above and beyond anything else, Once Upon a Time bursts at the seams with so many real-life Hollywood characters, nods, and call-backs that, at times, the narrative creeks under the pressure. As fun as it is to spot all the references and famous faces thrown your way, more than ever before, it feels like Tarantino is sitting right there in the theatre with you, nudging you every five seconds and asking if you’re getting it.

The passion and excitement is infectious as Tarantino often finds himself caught up in the moment, yet forgets to craft a coherent narrative as a consequence. Although the rambling approach feels reflective of the movie’s period, the execution is occasionally a little sloppy, with odd editing choices galore and long stretches that will try the patience of even the most ardent Tarantino fan.

From Pulp Fiction to Inglorious Basterds, Tarantino has always had a soft spot for the ensemble and while Once Upon a Time’s primary focus lies largely on its two stars, there’s certainly a larger world at play. Channelling his inner Robert Altman, Tarantino weaves in his extended cast with freewheeling abandon as Al Pacino cameos and Luke Perry walk-ons pad out an authentic, lived-in world around Rick and Cliff.

Bolstered by an evocative 60s radio-tinged soundtrack, the film drips with style and nostalgic authenticity, but a mixed bag in terms of tone and pace. Ranging from some of Tarantino’s best work to something far less engaging, scenes and characters come and go haphazardly, making it very hard to get a foothold in the story at points. Give yourself over to the trip, however, and there’s much to enjoy in what Once Upon a Time has to offer. 

Tarantino films are long. We all know this. It’s just the way he tells his stories. But, despite Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood struggling to justify its epic 161-minute duration at points, the extended running time brings with it an alluring, mesmeric quality that sweeps you up in its late-60s vibe and, like an acid-dipped cigarette, takes you on a trip that will baffle and amaze in equal measure.

Regardless of its faults, there’s an aura about the film that’s unlike anything Tarantino has offered before, one that’s downright impossible to resist when in full flow. Stuffed full of charm and warmth on a level that surpasses any Tarantino effort to date, Once Upon a Time thankfully dials down on the director’s worst exploitative instincts to make way for something altogether more satisfying. 

Barring the rather questionable portrayal of Bruce Lee – who is bizarrely set up as a comical, self-aggrandising chump – characters and situations both real and fictional are approached with a refreshing level of respect. Considering Tarantino’s often blunt approach to sensitive real-world history, this is a pleasantly surprising tact that shows a level of maturity and compassion we’ve rarely seen from the director. 

In particular, the tragic story of Sharon Tate and the Manson Family passes by in a respectful, even touching, manner. Without divulging too much plot-wise, that fateful, horrific piece of Hollywood infamy that had everyone sweating over the second the film was announced, winds up perhaps one of the most touching and surprisingly satisfying moments of Tarantino’s career.

As for Tate herself, her presence in the narrative feels like little more than a periphery figure at times as she spends most of the film skirting around the edge of the story. While she does fantastically well with the limited material she’s given, Margot Robbie is often left adrift as a handful of beautiful, but scattered, scenes struggle to add much substance to the movie as a whole. 

Like many of the various A-list cameos that flit in and out of the film, Robbie is, ultimately, a bit-part player in the DiCaprio and Pitt show. Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood may have its ensemble in place, yet there’s little doubt that this is a film built entirely around its two stars.

Pulling the movie through even its trickiest moments, the individual performances and combined chemistry of Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt is truly something to behold. With heart and humour to spare, the duo bounce off one another as if they, like Rick and Cliff, have been joined at the hip for years. 

I mean, there are few actors out there that can keep you enthralled while they do nothing but cruise slowly through LA traffic, yet both hold the power to keep you hooked even in the most mundane of situations. With both well versed in what it takes to carry a Tarantino script, DiCaprio and Pitt put absolutely everything into the roles, combining perfectly to offer a cinematic double-act for the ages.

For all of Once Upon a Time’s expansive cast and plotting, the entire film boils down to a sweet, enduring buddy romance between a pair caught in the middle of a Hollywood sea change. Helped by some of the best character writing of Tarantino’s career, DiCaprio and Pitt give their finest performances for years as they sell the kind of washed up characters that could’ve easily descended into cliché.

Cutting two strikingly contrasting figures, Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth nevertheless sum up a dying breed of performer as both DiCaprio and Pitt inject the perfect balance of broad, physical humour and nuanced pathos into the characters. The film’s themes of loss, regret, insecurity, and fear shine through in both performances as their clear passion for the subject and the era run parallel with Tarantino’s to elevate the film above its problems.

Frustratingly unfocused yet refreshingly heartfelt, Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood is a tricky Tarantino effort to pin down. Written and directed with a remarkable level of affection, the film surpasses much of Tarantino’s greatest work in terms of character and warmth; however, his abundant enthusiasm for the time and setting often spills over to leave behind a jumbled mess of Hollywood love letters. Yet, with impressively heartfelt character work, we’re allowed both time and space to get to know Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth, as both Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt offer up a double-act worthy of Hollywood’s Golden Age itself. As we enter the final act of Quentin Tarantino’s directorial career, there’s more than enough in Once Upon a Time to suggest he still has what it takes to pull off the classic Hollywood finale his legacy deserves.