Last summer, moviegoers were treated to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood — Quentin Tarantino’s ninth and, if he sticks to his 10-movie plan, penultimate film — and it deviated drastically from the director’s usual style (in a good way). The film's second act gave us a day in the life of the characters rather than a traditional plot, and most of the stylized violence is saved for the last 20 minutes.
But the movie still added plenty of fantastic characters and scenes to the Tarantino oeuvre. So, here are 5 Classic Tarantino Characters (& 5 Classic Tarantino Moments) From Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.
Character: Cliff Booth
The central dynamic of Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is really compelling. As an actor, Rick spends his days getting into fake danger, and as his stunt double, Cliff spends his days getting into real danger.
Cliff is a little predatory, checking out young girls while “Mrs. Robinson” appropriately plays on the radio, and he might’ve killed his wife — although the movie leaves that part ambiguous, so he might not have killed her — but he’s also oddly charming (mainly because he’s played by Brad Pitt). This might be Pitt’s best performance to date; it’s no wonder he’s been showered with awards.
Moment: Rick’s meltdown in his trailer
While shooting his guest role on an episode of Lancer, Rick Dalton starts to mess up his lines and proceeds to retreats to his trailer, where he has a meltdown, chastising himself. This scene wasn’t in the original script. Leonardo DiCaprio suggested that Rick should fluff up his lines, and then improvised the scene in the trailer.
It ended up becoming the dramatic crux for Rick’s arc: his rock-bottom point and his refusal to disappear into obscurity. This moment humanizes Rick, perhaps more than any other scene in the movie, and from a technical standpoint, the Godard-influenced use of jump cuts gives it an fascinating flow and energy.
Character: Sharon Tate
Quentin Tarantino’s portrayal of an alternate-history version of Sharon Tate in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was met with some controversy when the film hit theaters, because he’s known for his long, unwieldy dialogue scenes, and while Rick and Cliff get plenty of lines, Tate doesn’t have a lot to say.
But as a whole, this movie feels like a tribute to Tate; a fantasy in which this promising young star got to live the full and happy life she deserved. There’s a lot of affection for the real Tate in Margot Robbie’s performance, and her use of non-verbal communication creates more of a personality than any dialogue could.
Moment: Cliff’s fight with Bruce Lee
The portrayal of Bruce Lee in this movie as an arrogant jerk who needs to be taken down a peg has been controversial. But this isn’t really Bruce Lee; it’s the Bruce Lee of the curious alternate reality that Quentin Tarantino has created. Lee and Cliff devolve into fisticuffs on a studio backlot to confirm who’s the better fighter, and Cliff slams Lee into the side of a car, denting the door (and angering the owner of the car).
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’s few detractors criticized the film for having a lot of filler scenes that don’t advance the plot and only serve to extend the already-bulky runtime. But when the filler scenes are this entertaining, who cares? It all contributes towards Tarantino’s unique snapshot of L.A. in the ‘60s.
Character: Marvin Schwarz
Although Martin Scorsese made better use of Al Pacino’s particular acting talents in The Irishman with his kooky, outlandish portrayal of Jimmy Hoffa, Quentin Tarantino interestingly used him as a mouthpiece for his unending knowledge of film history.
Marvin Schwarz is a big fan of Rick Dalton’s and wants to save his star from fading by hooking him up with Sergio Corbucci (one of the greatest influences on Tarantino’s career — he directed the original 1966 Django movie) to shoot Spaghetti Westerns in Italy. Pacino relishes the chance to play a pretentious film buff, because he’s probably met hundreds over the course of his decades-long career.
Moment: Rick and Cliff watch Rick’s F.B.I. episode
Right before the six-month time jump that takes us to the night of the Manson Family murders (or, this movie’s fictionalized version of them), Rick invites Cliff into his house to watch the episode of The F.B.I. in which he guest-starred. Cliff brings in a six-pack and they settle on the couch to watch the show.
The camera is fixed on Rick’s TV set as Leonardo DiCaprio is edited into an existing episode of The F.B.I., and Rick and Cliff comment on the show from off-screen. It plays like an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, which is really hilarious.
Character: Trudi Fraser
On the set of Lancer, Rick meets Trudi, a child actor who is both more professional and more mature than Rick. When he starts crying, she has to comfort him. While Quentin Tarantino was writing the script, he spotted actress Julia Butters on the TV in the background (acting in the sitcom American Housewife, in which she’s a main cast member) and realized she was perfect for the role of Trudi.
After her scene with Rick, Trudi whispers in his ear, “That was the best acting I’ve ever seen in my whole life,” which gives him the confidence to keep at it.
Moment: Cliff arrives at Spahn Ranch
Quentin Tarantino brilliantly subverts the audience’s expectations in this scene. Cliff gives one of the hippies a ride up to Spahn Ranch, and says he’d like to pay George Spahn a visit. They all tell him that George is sleeping, and he immediately thinks something’s up. Cliff doesn’t think George would let them stay there, and suspects foul play.
So he goes up to the house, walks down the hallway, and enters George’s bedroom. The scene feels like it’s building suspense to shock us with something terrible. But George is there, sleeping, just like they said, and he’s been gladly allowing those hippies to stay at his ranch.
Character: Rick Dalton
Rick Dalton is a fantastic character who plays to both the comedic and dramatic sides of this story, because he’s a deconstruction of the movie star as a mythical figure. Rick is an actor known for playing tough-guy roles like Jake Cahill in Bounty Law, a guy who shoots first and asks questions later.
But in real life, Rick’s an insecure mess. He’s constantly second-guessing his decisions. He’s terrified that he’ll fall out of the spotlight and be forgotten forever. Almost every time he shows up in the movie, Rick bursts into tears. And as always, Leonardo DiCaprio shines in the role, unafraid to show real vulnerability.
Moment: Brandy attacks the Manson Family murderers
Cliff’s pit bull, Brandy, was introduced as mild-mannered and chilled-out. In her first appearance, she was just sitting around his trailer, waiting to be fed, and she didn’t rush to the bowl when Cliff fed her. But in the final scene, Brandy turned out to be a badass attack dog. The Manson Family members who’d been sent to kill Sharon Tate and her guests decided to go after Rick Dalton instead because his TV show apparently taught them how to kill.
What they didn’t count on was Cliff being there. Tripping from an acid-dipped cigarette, Cliff called Brandy to attack. Watching these people — who, in real life, killed a pregnant woman that night — get torn to shreds by Brandy (and Cliff, who kills one of them with a phone) is gruesomely satisfying.