What’s funny is that I’m not that big a fan of older movies from the ’60s and ’70s, but for some reason, I do love modern movies, either set in these decades or inspired by movies from this time period. This is one of the many reasons why I have been drawn to Quentin Tarantino’s movies since first watching Pulp Fiction at 14 years old. He makes movies in genres like spaghetti westerns, blaxploitation, and karate that aren’t my favorite, but I love his Tarantino-stylized version of them. He is able to transform them into something fresh and stylized that makes me addicted to them. I really enjoy how Tarantino doesn’t just pay homage to those eras and genres, but he reinvents them with his own voice and makes them a lot cooler. That’s the Tarantino magic for me. He doesn’t recreate the past; he reinvents it in a way that speaks directly to me. And this is why Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is one of my favorite Quentin Tarantino films.
Tarantino’s most recent film is a sun-drenched love letter to the fading magic of 1969 Los Angeles and Hollywood that shaped his love for cinema. The premise is simple, as we follow fading TV Western star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his steadfast stuntman/best friend Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) as they grapple with career insecurity and cultural shifts rocking the industry. As Quentin does, we are completely immersed in this time period while hanging out with these two because of his obsessive attention to detail. Vintage cars, radio jingles, forgotten billboards, and a killer soundtrack that perfectly captures the era.
At its heart, the film really shines with powerhouse performances that QT draws from his actors through his iconic, sharp dialogue, humor, and relatability. DiCaprio delivered one of my favorite performances of his career as the vulnerable aging actor trying not to fade away into obscurity. His improvised trailer meltdown is some of the best acting of Leo’s career and an all-time QT scene. However, as great as Leo is, Brad Pitt is the one who stole the show. Bro was the ultimate wingman, sparred with Bruce Lee, possibly got away with murdering his wife, and beat the shit out of hippies. What’s not to love? Along with the two stars, we got some fantastic and memorable supporting players like Margot Robbie, Al Pacino, and Julia Butters. And I haven’t even mentioned the cast of hippies filled with future breakout stars like Margaret Qualley, Austin Butler, Mikey Madison, Sydney Sweeney, Maya Hawke, and more.
One of the standout scenes of the film and a perfect example of how QT creates tangible tension out of nowhere is the Spahn Ranch sequence. The fun hangout vibe turns into something darker and unsettling once we essentially meet the Manson Family. After dropping Rick off at the studio, Cliff picks up the flirtatious hitchhiker “Pussycat” (Qualley) and drives her back to Spahn Movie Ranch, a once-bustling Western filming location where Cliff used to work as a stuntman.
After pulling into the ranch, Cliff decides to check in on his old friend George Spahn, played by the wonderful old cranky Bruce Dern, the ranch’s elderly owner. What follows is a masterclass in building dread with surgical precision as Cliff slowly makes his way across the dusty and decaying old ranch to the main house. Outnumbered by hippies and the uncertainty of what lies ahead just shows how Tarantino is able to sustain a heaviness without jump scares or gore. We are all in Cliff’s shoes, expecting the worst. This sequence perfectly contrasts Cliff’s unflappable cool with the chaotic, ideological menace of the counterculture hippies. It shows the Family as creepy and pathetic while making them feel genuinely dangerous. More than any other part of the film, the Spahn Ranch visit plants the seeds of darkness that make the movie’s revisionist climax so cathartic. It’s pure Tarantino suspense.
In the end, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood feels like Tarantino at his most mature and affectionate. He takes all the things I usually don’t connect with, the actual 1960s and ’70s, traditional genre films, and the harsh realities of fading fame, and turns them into something warm, funny, and stylish. By reinventing that lost era with his signature tone, razor-sharp dialogue, and a wildly entertaining revisionist finale, Tarantino once again proves why he’s one of the most exciting filmmakers alive. This has become one of my most rewatched films of QT’s filmography, and I love being transported to this world each time I revisit it.
