Once Upon a Time in Hollywood review – Delightful off-the-wall journey

The celebrated Quentin Tarantino has hit the jackpot – again.

His latest paean to Hollywood is a delightfully off-the-wall journey with more twists and turns than a corkscrew. It’s a terrific tale punctuated with the director’s own eccentric style.

It’s also a self-indulgent, absurdly long and often disconnected tribute to a bygone age in Tinseltown and the superstars who made it tick.

Margot Robbie in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Photo: Sony Pictures

The story’s trajectory is brilliant because it’s loaded with sharp surprises – and the obligatory bursts of graphic violence.

While you think Tarentino is consciously leading you in one direction, he will suddenly switch tactics, make a rapid detour, ending up with a totally different set of circumstances. It’s all over the place, but then, that’s Tarantino.

By infusing his 1969 narrative with true life characters, such as Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), the notorious Charles Manson, Jay Sebring, Bruce Lee (Mike Moh) and Steve McQueen (Damian Lewis), there is a ring of authenticity as we observe the film’s chief protagonists, a fading TV star named Rick Dalton (Leo Di Caprio) and his trusty stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), make their way around an industry they no longer recognise.

Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Photo: Sony Pictures

What gives Once Upon a Time in Hollywood its resonance is the relationship between a TV star and a sidekick who will do your every bidding.

The chemistry between Di Caprio and Brad Pitt is palpable and their easy-going camaraderie infects every aspect of the story.

Info

Rating: ★★★★☆
Cast: Leonardo Di Caprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Al Pacino, Damian Lewis, Bruce Dern, Dakota Fanning
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Classification: 18 DLV

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