The last Quentin Tarantino movie I liked was Jackie Brown (1997). It was also the last I saw in a theater. Since then I've watched at least part of each of his more recent films on cable and not been impressed. Way too much graphic violence, cartoonish characters, and no sense of humanity. He was a one-trick pony as far as I was concerned.
After reading some reviews, I decided to take a chance on his new one and saw it last night along with the THC Son-In-Law. It's his best film since Jackie Brown, actually having a point and displaying a touch of humanity though, as always, everything exists within Tarantino's idiosyncratic vision of the world in which all that is real occurs in the movies.
Of course it also looks great as his films always do, and the period touches capture the times.
It's 1969 and in the hills of Los Angeles, fading TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) lives up in one of the canyons, hanging out with his friend and stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). Next door, up a road behind a gate are Rick's new neighbors Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie).
At a leisurely pace, the film follows Rick as he tries to resurrect his career (and the scenes in which he attempts to do so are among the most humanly perceptive Tarantino has done), while Cliff cruises around Hollywood, picking up a young hitchhiking girl and bringing her to the Spahn Ranch where he encounters many odd-behaving young girls and references to an absent and mysterious character named Charlie.
The three leads are perfect and the rest of the cast is crammed with well known actors doing small roles and cameos including Al Pacino, Bruce Dern, Dakota Fanning, Timothy Olyphant, Luke Perry (in his final role), Kurt Russell, and Damien Lewis (as Steve McQueen!).
Given the year, location, and the characters you can tell where this is going. Or maybe you think you can. I can't discuss the bigger themes Tarantino is pursuing in Once Upon A Time without further disclosing the plot so will let it at that except to warn that while there is much violence at the end, it is righteous and cathartic.
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