This movie is different from the director’s previous films. The previous films had many violent set-pieces and intense conversational scenes between characters.
This film is slower, builds the plot at a gradual pace. It’s so slow that I almost felt like it could be divided into two TV episodes!
But the change of pace is due to the camera lingering on the environment around the plot. You get to breath in and taste America, particularly Hollywood, in the 1960s. This is particularly enjoyable if you are that old that this brings back nostalgia, or if you are aware of history and pop culture of the’60s and early’70s.
The soundtrack is also good, if you loved music of that time.
The acting, of course, is top-notch, but you get disappointed how some characters have less screen time, and you wish for the movie to develop on them, but instead, they all have a small part to nudge the plot along, or allow either of the two protagonists to reveal more about themselves to the audience.
If you go to see this movie without knowing it’s historical context, then you should still be able to enjoy it. It plays with your love for the two lead characters, gives them good scenes to act and interact with their supporting cast. There are scenes intense enough to remind you of Inglorious B and Pulp Fiction. You’ll love the ending, and how it calls back to previous scenes.
If you watch it knowing who the Masonsor Sharon Tate were, you’ll be able to guess what’s going to happen, but as usual, there’s a twist that should surprise and leave you smiling.
Your choice, whether to know the important real-life events, or watch it purely as a work of fiction!