Horia Gazdovici, X F
Tarantino’s newest film is definitely not for everybody. ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ follows the actor Rick Dalton and his stunt double confidant, Cliff Booth, who wonder about 1960’s Los Angeles as Rick Dalton is gradually forced to play in spaghetti westerns, although that’s only one plotline, and the movie offers plenty of them.
With a somewhat ambiguous undertone that regards the Manson Family, a notorious group of cultist serial killers, ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ takes some time to immerse the viewer into the 1960’s mood, as Tarantino comes packed with references to old movies and old cars that simply shine on the road.
As always, there was some controversy regarding the film due to its violence and other anger-inducing content, but the biggest and the most peculiar piece of dispute that arose when the movie launched involved a scene in which Cliff Booth beats Jackie Chan in combat by throwing him against the side of a car. Tarantino, however, decided to stick to his creative reasoning and simply ignored all of the unjustified hate received for the movie.
Some people have said that the film is much too slow to bear watching, spanning over three hours in length, but it’s all about the carefully-thought buildup – the movie is one of the only movies nowadays that provides an authentic cinema-going experience. This last aspect, the fact that the film strives to provide an experience rather than a complex story, was misunderstood by many who criticized the plot, perceiving it as ‘lazy’ while overlooking all the extra work put into directing the movie.
To conclude with, it bears mentioning that the ending is superb, as it provides one of the most crystal-clear examples of very enjoyable, slapstick Tarantino violence.