Review |’Once Upon a Time … In Hollywood’

Love letters typically come in the form of words on paper; from Quentin Tarantino they come as passion filled cinematic pieces. His latest, Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood, is a nostalgia-inducing ode to Los Angeles and classic film. For his ninth offering, the director/screenwriter teases a fairytale from the very real 1969 tragedy — the brutal murder of Sharon Tate and her friends by the Manson Family. Eschewing his trademark merciless brutality from opening to end credits, Tarantino instead sprinkles scenes throughout that bristle with the threat of violence, keeping the emotional tension simmering close to the surface. Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate brilliantly evokes the wide-eyed wonder of a young ingenue. Leonardo DiCaprio delivers a sympathetic performance of aging TV actor Rick Dalton, who requires the constant moral support of his stuntman Cliff Booth, brought to electrifying life by Brad Pitt. Although the storyline develops leisurely, Tarantino nonetheless delivers an engaging snapshot of a moment in time with a thrillingly ruthless finale in this valentine to Hollywood.