Quentin Tarantino’s latest is a star-studded affair — Leonardo DiCaprio (who is quite good here) and Brad Pitt do the heavy lifting as, respectively, a fading actor and his once stuntman now assistant/gofer, while Al Pacino, Margo Robbie (who given her talent and screen presence is not given nearly enough of a role here), Kurt Russell, Bruce Dern and other Tarantino regulars pitch in for generally brief moments. Set very much in 1969 LA — Tarantino’s attention to detail is something to behold — this is a tale of a time when Hollywood (a.k.a. America) was changing, when long popular actors’ (such as DiCaprio’s character) stars were fading and a new way of doing business was taking hold. At 2 hours and 40 minutes, this story bounces around — it’s a buddy story, an alternate history take on well-known events/people of that time, and a nostalgic trip through Hollywood backlots — some of which works well while some seem a trifle indulgent. However, for whatever criticisms I may have, Tarantino is a very talented movie maker and he aims to keep you watching.
