I still remember the thrill of watching my very first Quentin Tarantino movie, fantastic "Pulp Fiction" many years ago - it was a explosion of adrenaline, a work of over-excited movie geek and I loved every second of it (& played its soundtrack on the radio where I had worked as DJ). However, his subsequent work failed to excite me - very quickly I got tired of cartoonish violence and one dimensional characters and I just didn't find all this brutality entertaining. In fact, I even skipped completely his 2015. movie "The Hateful Eight" because I wasn't in the mood for more blood spurting all over the big screen. Apparently, everything I loved two decades ago about "Pulp Fiction" somehow became predictable and perhaps I am not the same person anyway. So this time I approached latest Tarantino movie with some caution.
"Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" might be my second-favourite Tarantino movie ever.
It was overlong - three meandering hours, with occasional flash of genius and very,very gripping finale - but still way too long for me to genuinely enjoy without glancing at the watch. But I found myself talking about it and discussing it long after I have seen it so I guess it did left an impression after all. This time Tarantino focused on late 1960s when hippie movement, piece & love era was suddenly destroyed when drugged followers of cult leader Charles Manson massacred actress Sharon Tate and all her guest in the house at Cielo Drive. From that moment, people didn't leave the doors open and fear moved to Los Angeles - Tarantino has Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt next door to the place where murders happened and in his re-imagining of the story, they are the ones dealing with Manson Family. Without spoiling the ending, I must say that it all ends in a typical Tarantino bloodbath but not in a way we expected (or what actually happened). In fact, some teenagers sitting in a cinema next to me were giggling all the way trough, not knowing or understanding that Tarantino describes something that actually happened in real life - they were too young to actually remember Sharon Tate.
The movie has a cast of thousands, with a feeling that Tarantino included every acquaintance, neighbour and a friend he ever met - critics praise came by Al Pacino but I don't see why this particular actor instead of any other. On the other hand, some new faces were excellent, like child actress Julia Butters, intense Margaret Qualley as dangerous hitchhiker or Dakota Fanning as her lethal red-haired Manson family buddy. Scenes at Spahn Ranch where drugged hippies set their commune on a land of blind owner were genuinely spooky and menacing - here Tarantino approached level of danger not unlike his famous predecessor Alfred Hitchcock. In fact, this is the first time I could tell Tarantino is not a young, nerdy geek he used to be - this time he worked very carefully on pacing and characterisation, reaching certain level of maturity that is interesting to note. Initially I thought it was flawed masterpiece but now I think it might not be flawed at all.
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