Set in the 1960s, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” takes the audience on a wild ride full of cowboy movie stars, hippies and bare feet.
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, the ninth film from acclaimed director Quentin Tarantino deals with the lives of Rick Dalton, Cliff Booth and late-actress Sharon Tate.
Dalton is a famous movie star known for his role on the made-up television series “Bounty Law.” Booth plays his stunt double and is also rumored to have had murdered his wife. Tate is an infamous victim of cult-leader Charles Manson and his followers.
While dealing with a dying career, Dalton decides to take on a role of the villain in a new television series, “Lancer.” With the questioning gossip surrounding Booth, he is out of a job and becomes Dalton’s personal errand-runner.
While Robbie is considered the lead actress of the movie, her role as Tate is minimal on the screen. If anything, Tarantino paid tribute to Tate with this film. Instead of showing her being murdered like many other films, he shows off her charming personality.
One of the many highlights in the film is when Booth gives a young girl a ride to Manson’s residence on a former movie-set ranch. Booth is confronted with a herd of barefoot hippies after entering their home. He later beats one of the men on the ranch to a pulp after the man flattens his tire.
Booth eventually runs into three Manson family members when they break into Dalton’s house while he is house-sitting. This scene is the big payoff at the end of the nearly three-hour movie. Without giving too much away from the finale, you should expect to see plenty of blood, laughter and flames.
Tarantino has said after he has directed 10 movies he will retire. With this film being his ninth, fans are left to wonder if Tarantino will live up to his word and what his last film will be about.
