What Is Once Upon a Time in Hollywood About?
Here's Everything We Know About Quentin Tarantino's Elusive Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
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In contrast to Rick Dalton and his personal demons, stuntman Cliff Booth lives a modest and carefree life — even besting Bruce Lee in a brawn versus martial arts battle on the set of The Green Hornet. But as with everything in Hollywood, Booth is rumoured to have a dark side. It's implied that he murdered his wife and got away with it, and it's through Booth's dealings with a flirtatious girl named Pussycat (loosely based on the real-life Manson Family member Kathryn Lutesinger) that we are introduced to the clan at Spahn Ranch, including Charles Manson as played by Damon Herriman and Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme as portrayed by Dakota Fanning.
Late in the story, Dalton and Booth converge on the ranch together and discover that the Manson family have kidnapped Sharon Tate and several guests from her house with the intent to murder them in service of their cult. We don't want to give away the ending, but let's just say this isn't the first time Tarantino has turned cruel reality into pulp fiction and suggested that cinema can act as a key cathartic release for some of life's most grievous wrongs.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood opens nationwide July 26.