Quentin Tarantino Recreates AND Rewrites History In His Love Letter to Tinseltown, 'Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood'!

[WARNING: Spoilers ahead!]

Quentin Tarantino has done it again. In his 9th film, viewers are taken down a familiar road with Tarantino. It’s a road filled with cultural longing. In Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood, that cultural remembrance is completely dedicated to Hollywood in the year 1969. Quentin Tarantino, who grew up in Hollywood, remembers this era very vividly. Those memories are depicted perfectly in this film through the use of old cars, wardrobe choices, and his recreation of Hollywood Boulevard. It’s incredible. Tarantino has called this film his magnum opus and likens it to Alfonso Cuarón's Roma, in that it is a love letter to his childhood.

Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is a story about a famous actor named Rick Dalton (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). Both actors are trying to navigate their way through this new style of film in 1960s Hollywood. Meanwhile, actress Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and her director husband Roman Polanski (Rafał Zawierucha) are living right next door to Rick Dalton on Cielo Drive -- a name which has become synonymous with Hollywood Legend. It is a stark contrast between a struggling actor living directly next door to a very successful couple in Hollywood. This is something Tarantino does almost effortlessly. He is so easily able to combine fiction with reality in a way that is believable for viewers.

Something that is so interesting about this film, and really speaks to Tarantino’s filmmaking abilities, is the fact that the entire plot only depicts 3 days in the lives of these characters. With a runtime of 2 hours and 45 minutes, you would expect for it to cover a much longer timespan. However, let me be the first to assure you that there is not a moment within this film without some sort of purpose. I think that covering so much in such a short time frame is something Tarantino does best. If you look at any of his previous films, he does a great job of building tension throughout a movie.

From the start of the film, we easily get to know our characters. Rick Dalton is an actor who had his day but is now struggling to stay afloat in the ever-fickle entertainment industry. He is clearly insecure about not being able to get many great roles anymore. However, the film also shows that he is hopeful for what is to come. Rick lives in a mansion in Beverly Hills while his counterpart, Cliff Booth, drives outside of the city every day to his trailer on a drive-in movie lot in the Valley. The film takes viewers through Cliff’s nightly routine with his dog, Brandy. The dog’s obedience and loyalty to Cliff is remarkable, and we will understand why that is so important later...

Within the film, we follow Rick Dalton to a television shoot. We watch as he tries to get his stunt-double Cliff into the film as well. When Cliff is reluctantly accepted -- an unconfirmed rumor that he murdered his wife haunts him -- he ruins his chances by picking a fight with the iconic martial artist Bruce Lee. To put it simply, Cliff absolutely destroys Bruce Lee in the fight (and it’s incredible), showing some remarkable fighting skills. Once Cliff is fired from the set, we watch as Rick struggles to remember his lines. It’s a dramatic scene, which I’m sure is relatable for any actor. Meanwhile, Cliff takes a ride through Hollywood where he picks up a hitchhiker (Margaret Qualley) who just so happens to be one of Charles Manson’s girls. (Could this movie be any more wild!?) We watch as the hitchhiker takes Cliff to the famous Spahn Ranch, where the Manson family resided. Cliff Booth, of course, gets into another fight at the ranch, and he, of course, wins again. This small and creepy interaction with the Manson family will have some life-changing repercussions later on.

While all of this is taking place, the film then shifts focus on Sharon Tate. Tarantino did a great job in depicting Tate’s true personality. She was sweet, fun-loving, and caring (as we see when she too picks up a hitchhiker on the side of the road). The film takes us through Tate’s day. We watch as she goes to the theatre to see the movie she was starring in. It is a sweet moment that only makes the audience fall with Tate’s character even more. And Tarantino's decision to NOT replace Sharon in the film footage with Margot Robbie was bold, but correct.

After this day, the film jumps ahead 6 months, to August 8, 1969. However, a narration tells us what Rick and Cliff had been up to in the meantime. We learn that the actors travelled to Italy for work, where Rick ended up getting married. The flashback scene also shows Rick telling Cliff that their time together would have to end. Now, 6 months later, the men (and Rick’s new wife) have returned to Rick’s house in Beverly Hills for one last night of getting their drink on.

We also see that Sharon Tate is 8.5 months pregnant, and having some friends over while her husband is out of town. This is when the action (and the UNBELIEVABLE ending) really begins. As Cliff takes Brandy for a walk-through Rick’s neighborhood, we see a mysterious car pull up. It isn’t long before we realize that the people in the car are from the Manson family. Rick does not appreciate the fact that a very loud car is making noise in his very expensive neighborhood, so he yells at them, calling them a bunch of “hippies”. The car pulls away and Cliff returns to Rick’s house. We watch as the Manson family members get even more frustrated and decide they want to kill Rick Dalton in addition to Sharon Tate.

The members walk up to the house in a very eerie way. When they enter Rick’s house, they are greeted by a very high Cliff Booth. I don’t want to spoil too much here, because this is easily the best scene of the movie, but Cliff, his dog, and Rick manage to change history by making sure the Manson cultists never lay a finger on Sharon Tate and her friends. This scene left everyone at my movie theatre speechless. I was asking myself, “Did Tarantino really do that?” And the answer is YES. Tarantino rewrote his own version of history, one where Sharon Tate (and her baby) lives and the Manson family is murdered.

This ending scene is probably the best ending I’ve watched in any movie, because nobody could expect this to happen. One of Tarantino’s best qualities when it comes to film-writing and directing is to quite literally do whatever he wants. We saw him do it in Inglorious Basterds and we are seeing him do it again in Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood. This movie is absolutely incredible, and I highly suggest for anyone to check it out ASAP.

Now I’m just left wondering how Quentin Tarantino is going to top THAT in his tenth and “final” film...