ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD
Cert 18
172 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong bloody violence
Amid the turgid sequels and remakes, I can't underestimate how much I was looking forward to the beacon of light offered by Quentin Tarantino.
Unfortunately, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood ain't not Django Unchained.
Indeed, despite a brilliant cast, it left me confused and disappointed.
Of course, because it's a Tarantino film it is worth watching but it is not as funny as I expected and its plot is baffling.
Why? Because he has created a whole new version of the Charles Manson/Sharon Tate story.
It centres on a fictitious alcoholic actor called Rick Dalton (Leonardo Dicaprio) who fears his career is coming to an end after the run of a popular Western TV series.
Meanwhile, his stuntman (Brad Pitt) is also his driver and the chap who tries to save him from himself.
Meanwhile, Tarantino moves to real-life characters when he places movie director Roman Polanski (Rafał Zawierucha) and his pregnant girlfriend Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) next-door to Dalton.
And Manson (Damon Herriman) and his cult followers are at an out-of-town ranch living what appears to be a hippy-style life of free love and peace.
I shall not spoil the ending for those who haven't seen the film but suffice to say it is rather different from the one which history has already decreed.
But, before then, Tarantino throws in a fair few famous Hollywood actors of the present to play cameos of stars of the past.
For example, Al Pacino as producer Marvin Schwarz, Damian Lewis as Steve McQueen and Mike Moh as Bruce Lee.
Throughout there is top-quality acting combined with typical Tarantino surrealism.
Having been a fan of Tarantino for years, I know that his movies are deliberately off the wall but in many ways that this their attraction.
My problem here is that not only with the bewildering Manson/Tate element but simply that it isn't funny.
Django Unchained is one of my favourite movies but since its release, Tarantino has continued down Bloodthirsty Avenue but bypassed Comedy Boulevard.
So, Once Upon a Time In Hollywood continues the theme of the Hateful Eight - plenty of gore but no fun.
Worse still, it is not nearly as clever.
Is it bad? No. Is it Tarantino's worst film? Possibly. Is it DiCaprio's? Definitely.
Reasons to avoid: The strange retelling of the Manson story
Laughs: A few chuckles
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7/10
Did you know? Hollywood legend Burt Reynolds was to take part in the film but passed away before he was able to shoot his scenes. Burt attended rehearsals but his role went to Bruce Dern after he died.
Final word. Quentin Tarantino: "I was creating a Los Angeles of my memory. In this movie, it was the Los Angeles of when I was 6 and 7. It was easy to remember all that stuff." Time