By Nicole Rees-Williams

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie and is directed by
Quentin Tarantino.

Upon hearing of TarantinoÔÇÖs direction, I had my preconceptions. His films are often tied to the use of
brutal, bloody violence and foul language. Considering this, I was pleasantly surprised by the direction
that ‘Hollywood took. The film has a very laid-back vibe and relies on comedy and conversation to carry
the story more than violence and action.

There was a real focus on characters in this film that I quite frankly adored. We delve deep into the life
of Rick Dalton (DiCaprio), a fading Hollywood star that isnÔÇÖt ready to let go and his quiet and composed
pal, Cliff Booth (Pitt). Their relationship is captivating even when performing menial activities such as
watching TV together. DiCaprioÔÇÖs portrayal of Rick, the narcissistic yet insecure has-been was a highlight
for me, with one of my favourite scenes being his frustrated monologue after messing up his lines. As
opposed to RickÔÇÖs brashness, Cliff is quiet but intriguing. We learn that he was a war hero, now
struggling to find excitement in his life with the odd stunt job being the only action he gets. He
repeatedly seeks trouble in the film, such as his fight with Bruce Lee and his persistence in the tense
ranch scene, suggesting he has more to give than his cool aura. The films third act finally gave Cliff the
extremely satisfying action-packed glory that I had been waiting to see.

‘Hollywood has faced some criticism however, particularly in the areas of pacing and direction. In terms
of pacing, the film is very steady, but I never found myself bored. Admittedly, your understanding of the
direction will heavily rely on your knowledge of actress Sharon Tate, (played by Robbie), her tragic
murder, and the criminal cult leader who caused her death, Charles Manson. ‘Hollywood is one of the
only films recently that hasnÔÇÖt given the plot away in its trailers. None of the marketing material told us
Manson would be a key part of this film. Growing up in the 70ÔÇÖs, Tarantino would have an obvious
awareness of MansonÔÇÖs crimes. Although the killer is undoubtedly still known today, this assumed
knowledge may go amiss with younger audiences with RobbieÔÇÖs role as Tate coming across as a
secondary character. As no reference throughout the film is made directly to Charles Manson, it could
seem like thereÔÇÖs no specific direction. RobbieÔÇÖs portrayal of Tate shows her as an extremely kind,
genuine person and this alone, if you are aware of TateÔÇÖs fate, is the films direction. Hints throughout
such as reference to ÔÇÿCharlieÔÇÖ and Damon HerrimanÔÇÖs second portrayal of the criminal after his debut of
Manson in the Netflix series Mindhunter leads those who are aware of the case to believe the climax of
the third act will end in TateÔÇÖs tragic demise.

A major focus of the film is the ÔÇÿHollywood Star.ÔÇÖ RickÔÇÖs failing career leads us to the question: do we
need big stars to sell films? In one scene, Dalton is told he must wear heavy costuming that will make
him unrecognizable when playing his character, and he replies, ÔÇ£how are they going to know itÔÇÖs me?ÔÇØ
The idea of being ÔÇÿRick Dalton ÔÇô Hollywood StarÔÇÖ is becoming more appealing to him than giving his all to
truly acting. Though the story-line reinforces the idea that big Hollywood names are a thing of the past,
the film itself is a contradiction to this. Hollywood uses top actors such as DiCaprio, Pitt and Pacino
whose presence undoubtedly elevate the film. Tarantino wouldÔÇÖve been a young boy when shows such
as ÔÇÿBounty LawÔÇÖ, RickÔÇÖs breakout role, were aired on television and wouldÔÇÖve looked up to actors like Rick
and Cliff the way kids today adore the heroes of the Marvel Universe and ‘HollywoodÔÇÖs ending very much
reinforces the idea of the Hollywood star acting as a ÔÇÿheroÔÇÖ.

Though ‘Hollywood uses real people in its narrative such as Bruce Lee, Sharon Tate and Charles Manson,
the story strays from the ÔÇÿtruthÔÇÖ in some drastic ways. Painful moments in history are re-written to give a happy ending, alluding to the fairy-tale feel of this movie reinforced by its very own title, ÔÇÿOnce Upon a
Time…ÔÇÖ

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood┬áis truly brilliant. If youÔÇÖre a fan of the gorier approach then no need to
fear, the filmÔÇÖs third act is still classic Tarantino. The whole cinema was roaring with laughter as the
gore was used perfectly to create one of the most satisfying endings that I have seen in film. ‘Hollywood
didnÔÇÖt have to solely rely on violence to keep the audience intrigued, but when it did use it, it was used
perfectly.