"The 9th Film From Quentin Tarantino."
This fact was shocking to me when the official trailer for the renegade director's new film, Once Upon A Time ... in Hollywood, debuted earlier this week.
Then again, it just goes to show that there are indeed some true storytellers left in Hollywood. People who only make a movie when it's living in their bones, disgruntled and needing to get out on the big screen.
Tarantino's work here looks polished, assured and on the money.
For the first time, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt are sharing the screen, playing declining TV star Rick Dalton and his stunt double/best friend Cliff Booth. Set in Hollywood in 1969 against the backdrop of the Manson Murders, Tarantino's film carries so much intrigue because most of the plot is unknown or at the very least, vague and hidden in a box that doesn't open until July.
The film enjoyed a wonderful reception this week at the Cannes Film Festival in France, blowing audiences away and reminding them how much of a virtuoso Tarantino is behind the camera and with a pen in his hand.
The cast is easily the most impressive in years. Only Martin Scorsese's upcoming Jimmy Hoffa film, The Irishman, can stand toe to toe with it and share an actor as well. That's Al Pacino, playing Dalton's agent in QT's Hollywood.
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What about the rest? Margot Robbie, Timothy Olyphant, Luke Perry, Kurt Russell, Margaret Qualley, Dakota Fanning, Emile Hirsch, Lena Dunham, and more.
Damian Lewis (Billions and Homeland) is playing Steve McQueen. Bruce Dern, taking over for the late Burt Reynolds, is George Spahn. Damian Herriman is Charles Manson. Tarantino vets like Tim Roth and Michael Madsen are around as well. The most star-studded and eclectic group to ever grace one film.
Why? Quentin. Tarantino. That's why. He attracts talent. Once upon a time ... Hollywood, for real, Bruce Willis took a massive pay cut to play Butch Coolidge in Pulp Fiction.
While the details of his new film aren't exactly known, the soul of the plot is well versed. Dalton and Booth are part of a dying breed in Hollywood, which underwent big change in 1969. TV cowboys like Dalton were pushed aside for more unconventional stars like Midnight Cowboy's Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight. The anti-hero became popular, and straight-shooting talent like Dalton were told to get.
Dalton and Booth aren't just professional partners; they are also best friends, and in a recent interview with Esquire Magazine, DiCaprio and Pitt both talked about having their own allies and enemies in the acting game.
Think about it. Tarantino, DiCaprio, and Pitt all broke into Hollywood around the same time, over 25 years ago. They've been around and can fill the pages on this screen with vigor, authenticity and some of their own DNA.
I love seeing what Pitt, in particular, is doing these days. He's being rightfully stubborn. Outside of cameos in Deadpool 2 and The Jim Jeffries Show, he has acted in five movies in the past five years. Like Tarantino and DiCaprio, Pitt only works if the script and director pull him out of the chair. He's become a very wise and finely weathered actor in his older age.
Pitt's Cliff is a Hollywood soldier type, doing the dirty work for his best friend and giving his life to an industry that is becoming more and more mysterious and ugly with each passing year. I instantly link up to that guy, especially with my fascination with the stunt performer business.
The trailer shows glimpses of many characters but focuses on DiCaprio and Pitt's adventures around town, and eventually, their run-in with Manson and his infamous acts. By killing those people, Manson grabbed the headlines and attention that Dalton wanted.
Tarantino mixing them together into a cinematic cocktail designed as a tribute to a time of old lions and morals makes this film a true must see.
You can find the trailer online. Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood opens on July 26.
