The 9th Film From Quentin Tarantino.

Kaleidoscope's newest in on Sony's & Columbia's production of "Once Upon a Time in...Hollywood".  Written & directed by Quentin Tarantino, the movie stars Leonardo Dicaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Dakota Fanning, & Al Pacino.  Rated 'R', it has a running time of 2 hr., 41 min.

The setting is Los Angeles, circa 1969.  Rick Dalton (Dicaprio) is an aging, former star of the western series 'Bounty Law'.  Walking with his best friend & stunt double, Cliff Booth (Pitt), Dalton is confessing that he fears that his career is on a downward spiral.  Booth, a war veteran who travels under the cloud of suspicion that he killed his wife, drives Dalton around town in the hope that when Rick gets work, so will Cliff; they have established a symbiotic relationship.    While Dalton continues to live in a large house in the Hollywood Hills, paid for by his work on 'Law', Booth lives in a trailer with his dog, Brandy.  In a concurrent narrative, actress Sharon Tate (Robbie) & her husband, director Roman Polanski, have moved into the house next door to Dalton's--a house once owned by recording producer Terry Melcher, son of actress Doris Day.  Dalton longs to befriend the couple n hopes of reviving his career.  Later in the 1st act, Charles Manson drops by Polanski's & Tate's house, hoping to meet former owner Melcher, believing that Melcher may help Manson's budding recording career.  He is turned away, however,  by Tate's friend, hair stylist Jay Sebring (Hirsch), who informs Manson of the new tenants.  Booth & Dalton are having a drink in a bar when Rick's agent Marvin (Pacino) arrives.  Marvin tells Rick that he has seen him act in some television episodes--always playing the 'heavy'.  He informs Rick that taking such roles will only lead his career in a downhill direction.  Act I ends as Booth picks up a hitchhiker who takes him to the mini commune where she lives with Manson, Tex, Squeaky & others.  Booth leaves after bloodying up one of the Manson acolytes Stave Grogan, who has slashed Booth's tire, forcing Grogan to change it.

This is Tarantino at his best (and to some people, his worst).  As writer & director, Tarantino is always solely in charge of his vision & voice.  The film is the auteur's ode and homage to the Hollywood of the 60's & 70's--the era that shaped his directing/writing persona.  If the Woodstock of August 15-18 seemed to promise peace & love, Tarantino posits that the Tate/Labianca murders of August 8 & 9, orchestrated by Manson, truly defined where we as a society were headed.  Television of the 50's & early 60's were dominated by westerns--freewheeling sagas that highlighted the free spirit of America.  "Hollywood" showcases the turning point that has led to the America of today, a society seemingly split in two with no hope of reunification on the horizon.  As always, this film contains long stretches of Tarantino-style dialogue.  Again, as with the film's plot, people either buy into the extended verbiage, or they do not.  In this reviewer's opinion, there is enough occurring in the converging narratives that most people will find the film above average.  Tarantino directs his large cast with elan & flair.  The cutting between the 2 plots is always clear, & one is never confused by what is happening  The acting is superb throughout.  DiCaprio perfectly embodies the Warner Bros.--type stable of actors who dominated the small screen during their heyday; Dalton's arc resembles Clint Eastwood's, at times, as his agent seeks to get him into some Italian spaghetti westerns.  Through the cadence of his speech (often with a  stammer), smoking incessantly, eyes darting, seeking to find a predator who may take what little Dalton has remaining, & other mannerisms, DiCaprio continues his string of world-class performances.  Pitt's is the more understated performance for most of the film.  However, he expertly convey's Booth's pent-up violence that simmers below the surface.  Because of his excellent performance, we are not surprised when this simmering violence boils over 3 times in Tarantino-style elegance.  Robbie is the film's disappointment--not because of anything that is her fault; as always her beauty is matched by the realism of her effective performance.  The disappointment lies in her underutilization by Tarantino.  Her scant few lines are accompanied by her limited screen time.   Surely the writer could have given the director more to do with this outstanding actress.  In the one, somewhat lengthy, scene that Robbie does have, she sublimely conveys Tate's insecurity, hopefulness, & desires in an almost wordless manner.  She deserved more.  The supporting roles led by Hirsch, Fanning, Pacino, Bruce Dern, Timothy Olyphant, Luke Perry, & others among a huge cast are solid & convincing.  Robert Richardson's cinematography captures the essence of the vast milieu & tableaux against which the film is set.  The movie's production design, art direction, & set decoration ably support Tarantino's vision & Richardson's photography.  Fred Raskin's editing is clear & defined.  One is always aware of the dialogue & certain of the ensuing action.  The soundtrack is composed of the songs of the era.  They are arranged in a manner that underlies & comments on the film's scenes.  

I give "Once Upon a Time in...Hollywood" 9 out of 10 nuggets.  It presents an awesome sprawl of a defining time in American history--a turning point that lives on today.  If you are a Tarantino devotee, you will surely be pleased.  If you are not, give it a try; you may be pleasantly surprised.  Be sure to stay through the mid-end credits for a Dalton/DiCaprio surprise.