Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

This was the weakest Tarantino film for me so far. I’m fine with alternate reality, I certainly didn't mind it in the French cinema scene in Inglourious Basterds. Plus, you can clearly tell from the title that it’s not going to be a documentary. I was prepared for long, extensive dialogues, but instead I got a boring inside look into the life of an actor with a declining career, and I was really bored. The cast was great, but the actors didn't have much to do, the screenplay was unusually lacking. If everything worked like the final attack, five stars wouldn’t be enough. (09/01/2020)

The ninth film by Quentin Tarantino turned out pretty much as I expected. It falls a bit short of his greatest hits, but compared to most of today's films, it's still at the absolute pinnacle of cinema, no doubt about that. I have to admit, though, that without the main acting duo of Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, the film would likely have fared worse in terms of audience reception. Both portrayed their characters excellently, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment they were on screen (if I had to choose just one, I’d go with Pitt... his role as the carefree stuntman was incredibly appealing to me). The supporting characters didn’t just fade into the background, either; scenes with Bruce Lee or Steve McQueen are ones I’ll remember for a long time. I knew the basic storyline, so I was curious to see what twist QT would come up with at the end. The final fifteen-minute sequence is worth it; it’s almost the most vivid thing I’ve experienced from this director throughout his career. It was clear how much Tarantino enjoyed this epilogue and finally got to incorporate his unconventional style of violence. Great stuff. A strong four stars, and I’m giving it 87%. (20/12/2019)

At first, I was a bit doubtful whether I would like this refined walk through good old Hollywood. But in the end, I enjoyed the whole thing immensely. How could it not, since I still enjoy Tarantino's specific style of storytelling and I like both Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, both of whom are a real joy to watch here. Moreover, I'm quite fond of late sixties / early seventies music, which wonderfully completes the retro atmosphere of the film. Among the biggest positives I also count the massacrous ending, which clearly indicates that even with advancing age Quentin Tarantino has no intention of softening up. (85%) (08/05/2023)