Dare we say one of Tarantino’s must underrated films…

We’ve made it to the middle of another week, and I think it’s safe to say we’re all limping to the Friday finish line. Thus, a proper recharge is in order. But what to do? Hit the town? Pump some iron? None of the above. Rather, we’re prescribing some Netflix therapy for your Wednesday nights, and to help you decide what title on the streaming service will be getting your Wednesday night affections we figured we’d put together another Executive Decision.

If you’re not familiar, let us refresh your memory. It’s the weekly series where we scour the streaming services and choose a Hollywood classic worthy of a hump day binge. Our last instalment saw us revisit the 80s classic Top Gun. Today, however, we’re jumping a couple of decades into the future (and past), for the 2019 classic Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.

Set in the golden age of late 60s/early 70s Hollywood, the film follows dimming star Rick Dalton and his stuntman Cliff Booth and the various shenanigans they get up to (both together and invidiually) as they make their way through the city of angels. Throw in a reimagining of the infamous Manson murders with some classic Tarantino action and dialogue to tie it altogether, and you’ve got what’s to this day one of Tarantino’s greatest and most underrated films.

And so, we’ve done the hard work for you. Tonight you’re chucking on the 2020 Tarantino classic Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. Thank us later:

Battle of the leading men

No doubt seeing two of Hollywood’s finest leading men star alongside one another would make for a charismatic duo, but the chemistry old mate Leo has with Brad Pitt in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is everything a fan of the two actors could want. Despite Pitt’s character Cliff being a sidekick of sorts to DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton throughout the film, you can see the two actors trying to outdo each other at various points, with Leo being the one who ultimately prevails (no surprises here).

Getting to hang out with said leading men

How often do you get to say you got to kick back and just watch TV with your favourite actors? Once Upon A Time In Hollywood offers such an opportunity around halfway through the film as Rick and Cliff unwind to the old serial FBI while downing a couple of bevs. The choice by Tarantino to have the majority of the scene just focus on the TV screen really places you there with the two actors, all the while reaffirming the fact that this film is a love letter to cinema, first and foremost.

Rewriting history

Look, it’s safe to say that the fate that Sharon Tate and her family met in the Manson murders was pretty gutwrenching when it first happened and left a giant hole in cinema. Like his previous film Inglourious Basterds, however, Tarantino opts to rewrite history and present us with a much more hopeful and optimistic ending, one where Tate lives and befriends DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton. Plus, it reunited the pair for the first time since 2013’s Wolf of Wall Street, which I don’t think you’re gonna hear anyone complaining about.

Unbridled violence

It wouldn’t be a Tarantino film without a stupid amount of violence, and rest assured, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood doesn’t come up short in this department. Granted, it is Brad Pitt who is doing 90% of the ass-kicking in the film, particularly when he’s tripping balls at the end. Enjoy:

The whiskey sours

Hamburgers in Pulp Fiction, strudel in Inglourious Basterds, beers in Django Unchained, Tarantino well and truly could’ve done a food film if he ever desired. His talents for making dishes and alcohol appealing are also on display in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, whereby DiCaprio makes whiskey sours for one of his film roles. The result ends up being a cocktail jug that just jumps off the screen, and dare we say, DiCaprio looks like he’d make a half decent bartender in real life, just going off the scene below.