to me it feels like he's not tearing up from a compliment but actually because he realizes that she is just being nice and really he has fallen from grace
@@CognitiveCorrosion I don't think so. He had been under pressure for so long, doubting his own abilities as an actor. That complement took him over the edge. To me it is clear that those are tears of true appreciation.
Disagree. The acting scene with the girl was EXTREMELY well acted. Came of as unhinged, angry, possibly drunk, and psychotic. Not over the top. When the girl said that was some of the best acting she'd seen, I completely agreed with her.
Totally agree with you! That was one of my favorite scenes in the movie. It's what's not said that makes it so great and just one of the reasons Leo is an amazing actor.
More thumbs for this: You hit the point 100. I was scratching my head when this creator said the acting in the scene "wasn't very good." Completely threw me off the narration. Tossing the child to the floor so hard shows just how far he was willing to go. Rick was out on a limb, but not blindly flailing or stupidly shaking; the man/character embodied pure malice and non-negotiable vengeance. Honestly accepting the little girl's praise wasn't self-delusion but outward validation.
Always felt like it was Tarantino leaning down and telling Leonardo that becoming a character on top of a character and pulling it off the way he directed it, was the best acting he had seen. That's some inception acting.
@@bobbyblazini and the algorithm is based off of what you watch I have often wondered what it would be like to be that stupid. Maybe you could record your thoughts
I love the observation on his "mediocre" acting because while watching the movie for the first time I was amazed how well DiCaprio acted and even more so how well he "acted" poorly as Rick. It was one of the lowkey most brilliant recent performances for me.
@@chuddlevideos You had me until you tried to tell someone else how to speak. I won't do the same. I'll just walk away shaking my head at the sight of your audacity.
The way I originally interpreted that scene was that Trudy was sincere in her remark, but Rick, taking the compliment to heart, and regaining a great deal of self-esteem, fails to consider that the girl is 8 years old. 😂 That very well could have been the best acting she has seen throughout her short career. I think the audience is meant to take note of this in a comedic manner.
@@cedarhittle Yes, and that her age was too young to comment "best scene in her whole life" making him feel even more distant from other actors who are far better and with better future than him. That's how I felt it, as if she said it to me and I was going through his existential crisis.
@@cedarhittle Fair point but I think Tarantino in all his weird creepiness was setting up Trudy to be seen as an adult (in a childs body) by the audience rather than a child, especially if you consider this movies side plot is off-handedly about director Roman Polanski (who had sex with a 13 year old minor if you did not know), as well as her extremely mature level of thinking and reasoning during all her dialouge with Rick. Therefore trudys character & opinion is that of an adult. Or am I reading too deep?
I’d concur. I watched while thinking about something akin to a “bubble guy” in the major leagues. He’s been on a long slump and can feel the end coming, but here he is at bat in a meaningful game; and he hits a double to the alley and 2 runs score. Maybe it’s not a bases loaded 550 foot home run in the bottom of the ninth, game 7 of the World Series, but dammit, it mattered and he can hold his head high as he heads into the waning years of his career.
4:50 Totally disagree. I thought DiCaprio's acting in this scene was incredible and the standout moment in the film. And the little girl's compliment was sincere and was a bit of a joke since she's so young and hasn't seen much acting.
I’ve tried to explain this to people, a bad way of wording things on my part, I think DiCaprio did an amazing job throughout every scene, when I refer to the scene in which the acting is not the greatest, I am referring to Rick Dalton’s acting not Leo.
@@sophiabynico Quentin has said that Dalton's potential as an actor is extremely high. I think it was supposed to come across as great acting from him in that scene, it did for me. And that's why every character says so. You're looking too deep.
@@sophiabynico Yes, and you are wrong. Rick Dalton played that scene *very* well. Your comment is pretentious nonsense. What, because he isn't doing method acting, because it didn't truly terrify the girl, that makes it a bad performance? Rubbish.
My perspective for Rick Dalton's 'triumphant' scene was that there weren't a lot of high energy dramatic scenes like that in that in Westerns at the time. Heavy dialogue and monologue scenes were usually pretty mellow still using two shots and dramatic stingers to give them impact. I saw it more like 'the first person to dunk' or something - where it's not that impressive today but for the era it was incredible.
This 100%. The first time you see Citizen Kane or Casa Blanca, you are drawn to the level of cliches, without realizing these are the sources of most cinematic movie tropes. If you go back and watch Gunsmoke or Bonanza, there simply wasn't this level of emotions left to the villains. QT kind of reaches backwards in time a la Marty in Back to the Future and gives a tropey villain delivery that just didn't exist at the time.
@@John-k6f9kMan is almost 50 and there's still people who thinks that? C'mon, he's more than a handsome face, he has an acomplished career, grow up please.
Leo isn't popular for no reason. Theres millions of pretty boys. There is a reason Scorsese and Tarantino consider him one of their staple actors, and Daniel Day gave him an honor for Gangs of New York. The guys a true legend and I have never heard him once boast about himself, he's consistently humble. Its always good seeing a quality person get famous.
I watched this in the cinema and it was definitely worth seeing it there. The acting in Rick's little scene was pretty good and the girl was honest about it. Suggesting she would've said something more specific if it was sincere is maybe a thought of an adult, not a 8-10 yr old. Not to mention the cinematography represented really well what it's like to witness real good acting first hand and up close. The rest of the essay was nice, well put together.
Also perhaps the choice of line implies a distinction about what it means for someone to do their best acting. On the tail end of the trailer rage scene, I think it means putting the effort despite the "not rights", to see the performance through with effort. The girl saying "that was the best acting I've ever seen" might be her saying "that was the most effort I've seen put into a performance". This lands home since he's recently been aware that he's seemingly unable to put in that effort (like when he ruined the scene and stood up, etc).
I'm very young so this was my first Quentin Tarantino movie in the theater, and I already loved his work, it was all worth it, this was an experience I'll never forget, I still remember some of us laughing while watching, 2019 was such a good year.
I think the compliment is exaggerated because she said 'whole life,' which doesn't mean much, as a little girl hasn't seen that much acting due to her limited experience.
You know, I've been thinking about that as well. I do think the acting was good, I just happened to notice that it felt cartoony, or maybe that's not the word, but rather how I mentioned, it felt as if it wasn't the best performance in the context of the character Caleb Decoteau. However, I do feel it was the effort he (Rick Dalton) gave for the scene that made the acting good, made you have respect and appreciation for the scene knowing the context of Rick.
@@sophiabynico But that kind of "cartoony", or rather more theatrical acting was typical for that era. Compared to today's standards, actors in the 60s or 70s overacted.
Yes, I thought it was a good performance too, given the material. It's not Shakespeare, which makes the director's Hamlet push to Rick at the end of the scene funny. As far as the girl's compliment goes, I do think that was genuine as well. It's the best acting she's 'seen ever in her life', which is the joke. She's a child -- how much can she have really seen? But Rick is so fragile he takes the compliment at face value. We, and Rick, know he's not Laurence Olivier, but that's not his world -- this is -- and here he proves, at least for a brief moment, that he might still be the Rick fuckin' Dalton of old.
When I first saw them I thought DiCaprio and Pitt were just good looking standard Hollywood actors but they have turned out over the years to be some of the best actors in Hollywood.
I'm glad they mentioned his character's stutter. I really liked how Rick displayed a slight stutter in real life, but it would disappear entirely whenever he was acting. No one else seems to notice. but it's a great touch.
It's been 14 years since Shutter Island, some people love it, some not so much, but I have always said that when I walked out of the Cinema that night, I knew I don't see Leonardo DiCaprio as a person, I just see the Character. There are very few actors, Huge actors, who actually pull that off. Daniel Day Lewis is perhaps the greatest at this of course, but Leo, for me, is superb, and always has been even when you go back to his earlier works. When I said this to my girlfriend she couldn't even tell me his character names in anything apart from "Jack in Titanic". When I said this to the lads they said "Don't be gay, it's your round."
I went into Shutter Island wondering if I'd like it. Leo's always been someone whose acting I liked but it was that film that really showed me how much nuance the guy could put into his roles.
For a movie i thought as of mostly sub par this video gave me goosebumps because it gave me a definitive understanding of this character that made me appreciate the movie more
I saw this movie in the theater baked like a potato and I was feeling so anxious and completely encapsulated by the story of Rick worrying about the future of his life and relating it to my life and then the redemption arc of this scene hit and it was absolutely incredible It was such good acting that I didn't feel like I was watching a movie any more, like I transcended through the screen and the only thing that reminded me it was a movie was when Trudi whispered in his ear that it was the best acting she's ever seen lol it was a crazy experience
you didn't need to be high to experience what you did when watching the whole scene. we all felt exactly what you felt sober. it was just so immersive and a testament to great moviemaking
Your comment reminded me of something I discovered some years back when channel surfing into the wee hours while stoned. I found that being stoned while watching any acting usually reveals the artifice of what I’m I watching, and not in a good way. The acting will often look embarrassingly obvious and fake. But once in a while what I’m watching stoned captivates me in such a way that I’ve totally bought in … I don’t see acting, I’m experiencing something that seems real. My daughter (she’s 34) and I call this the pot test. Try it.
@@pjmlegrande Indeed it takes a high level of some kind of mesmerism to completely forget that everything we watch is just a bunch of people playing pretend in front of a camera. Good acting & great production will make you forget about that as soon as you see it. Usually when I'm stoned I prefer watching something I've already seen that I already know has great acting and will not catch me off guard showing me something I do not wish to see.
The book is really great! I wish QT had included a couple of scenes from it but as I understand it, he wrote it after he wrote the script. I would have loved to have seen Cliff Booth with those mooks in the pizza parlor as well as the scene with Aldo Ray. Great film and a great novel.
I am an actor at the Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theatre in St. Petersburg (Russia). I think good acting is when an actor, going on stage, changes the entire atmosphere on it. The same is true in cinema, but it is simpler there - the entire film crew works for you. In Russian theatres, you are often left to your own. The director does not help you, but only sets the coordinates where your story should go. The path is yours.
This granular breakdown of Rick Dalton kinda felt personal and I don't know how to feel about it. I just saw so much of myself in this... the ambivalence is overwhelming.
ive been talking about this scene since it came out. this, i think is leos peak. the set up with the girl before filming the scene, then THE scene itself gave me chills in the theatre. always been a fan of leo and have him in either 1, or 2 as my goat actors/actresses, but that 10 mins (or there abouts) was spectacular. give the man his flowers fr (dont say it wasnt a good performance author, because it was)
I should clarify, I believe Leo gave an amazing performance acting as an actor who is acting as someone else. I was referring to the character he’s playing Rick Dalton. That Rick Dalton didn’t give the best performance but that we can appreciate Rick’s effort playing as Caleb Decoteau.
@@sophiabynico Reminds me of Ruffalo in Shutter Island. I remember thinking he was awful in the opening scene, only to realise hes an actor playing a doctor who's supposed to be a good actor.
I remember watching 'what's eating gilbert grape", never saw Leo before and really thought the actor was mentally disabled. I was like how did they pull that off.
What I love about Tarrantino films is: in the most part, when you watch them, you think "Ah, that was cool" but you're not blown away (Maybe Pulp Fiction is an exception) but when you return to them and really study therm, you see the multi faceted side to them. I love that!!!!! Inglorious Basterds, for me, really proves that theory - 15 or so years after its release, it's one of my all time favourite films but at the time I thought it was just "good". Tarrantino is one of the best!
I remember not liking this movie at all the first time I saw it. (well until the end :) ) But now I find myself re watching it and all these awesome scenes.
Rick Dalton’s reservation to “play the heavy” was with understanding an homage to his peak performance (Jake Cahill/Bounty Law) was an admission to having peaked. His reluctance to embark on the ‘spaghetti western’ train was with the understanding of it as the fated trajectory of his peers in this transition of Hollywood. His initial struggles in scenes also highlight his struggles fighting to reclaim his bygone glory and his poor performances being a losing battle. That belauded final scene is a bittersweet embodiment of character & acceptance of fate.
i wish we had more leo and pitt movies they both understand character depth on the same level providing context without words yet leaving themselves to the directors hands making them less like wood to a knife and more like clay to a sculptors hand
DiCaprio's playing the good Rick Dalton's scene with the girl shouldn't have been perfect, because it is not played by DiCaprio in Tarantino film, it is played by Rick Dalton in western movie of another director! So actually it is incredibly great how DiCaprio managed to play the role inside the role - he played the best possible cut of Rick Dalton without becoming DiCaprio himself, who is definitely more strong dramatic actor. I love this! This is what making DiCaprio so great. When he is playing Rick Dalton in the trailer, he is not depicting a role inside the role, he is playing real person with real emotions, that is why it is so different.
You just got a new sub, what a superb video essay on Leo's character as well as his acting. My fav QT film used to be Inglorious, But having watched OUATIH around 12-15x times now since release, It is my fav QT film. Everytime I got back to watch it, there is something new there I didn't catch on the last view. To me its a perfect movie.
Thank you for the support! AND YES, Inglorious was 100% a favorite of mine (would still say it is) but when watching Once Upon... I couldn't help but keep appreciating the characters and the world that was created.
Leo did indeed slay in this film. However, I have to point out that the girl who played Sadie, Mikey Madison, did an even better job, and deserved an Oscar. The audience HATES her, but she absolutely NAILED that role. Especially in the scene where the Manson family is in the car. Everyone watch it again.
Whenever there is a wise child, spitting truth to an out of sorts on-the-edge adult, I can't see it any other way than a direct reference to J.D. Salinger and one of his characters meeting a precocious child.
Your appreciation of this film is better than the actual film, although its serves to highlight the disconnect Hollywood is experiencing with audiences, they sit around talking about their deep meaningful artistry while drinking cocktails and slapping other on the back and handing out awards... meanwhile audiences are thoroughly bored and frustrated with the slow death of the entertainment industry while forking hard earned cash for mediocrity. In the spirit of this movie... one would say... get you head out of your a**
I think the industry is kind of reinventing itself, for better or for worse, it's not the first time that happens, and it's also not the first time someone states that the industry of entertaintment is dying, it always finds it's way, hell, the film is set in the late 1960s, right at the beginning of 'New Hollywood' after the death of the 'Golden Age'.
@@jesustovar2549 Definitely, I was implicitly connecting the films subject matter with transition from the Golden Age to the current transition away from profitably in favor idealism
5:17 - When she said this to him, I was the only one at the packed cinema who laughed out loud. 😀 + 😕 I don't know whether I was truly the only one who got the joke. ".... the best acting I've seen in MY WHOLE LIFE." She was only EIGHT years old ! ! ! ! ! 😀 😀 And he then got genuinely flattered and overwhelmed by the compliment. 😀 😀
I like that Leo always likes to play a character with a struggle, I know 0 people without a struggle. For the ones that say they don't have a struggle, it's their lies.
Perfect acting? Leonardo Di'Caprio in Jango unchained. When Candie smacks the table and hurts his hand REAL in the glass cup, he keeps acting, following the role perfectly, as if it all was part of the script. An amazing improvisation, that made the character incredibly strong.
Leo was great in this but most of it is thanks to Quentin. Leo’s had peaks and valleys IMO but Quentin has gotten his two best performances, at least to me
those scenes blew me away... that tarantino was able to have an actor play an actor struggling to act, then to get his head straight and do some of the best acting ever, not for the movie within the movie but the movie itself... and the temper tantrum in the trailer... c'mon who hasn't been there... i mean i swear i'm sure i've probably said, after an instance of stumbling over my words in an embarrassing public display "duh, duh duh you fucking stupid idiot" to myself... and of course this absolutely proved, as if we needed any proof, that Leo is indeed one of the finest actors to ever hit the big screen.
I wondered why the hell Leo didn't win an oscar for his stunning performance in the film. Then I realized, it was the same year the film Joker came out ;)
This isn’t the greatest movie ever made, but it sure as hell ranks up there. As a man approaching 50, best years behind, worst ahead, I can’t even begin to tell you how much it resonates with me personally. Rick Dalton is just a whinier version of myself. I know I am not alone when I lay awake at night and stuck with my own honest unfiltered thoughts.
I thought his acting in that scene was brilliant. It was the best scene of acting like im acting I can think of. So in that context I thought the derivative was good acting.
Sorry, but I don't agree with your breakdown of his "greatest acting I've ever seen" scene at all. When watching the movie in real-time, you get a sense that Rick Dalton is acting very well and everyone in the scene is aware of it. You've got to understand that he's only acting like a good actor in that scene. I don't know how he pulls it off but he does it very well: you can tell he's acting but he's acting well. He's got a crazy demeanour in his eyes like the character Rick is playing is supposed to but he's overacting it just enough to pull it off in the third person: Leo acting like Dalton acting like a western outlaw. It's actually some of the best acting I've every seen (no pun intended).
This is my favourite Quinn Tarantino movie. I love seeing the lives of the actors behind the scenes, come back to reality so to speak. Remind me of when I first moved to Toronto years ago, it was the first time I’ve ever seen movies being made all over the city. So I was really fascinated at first, but after a couple years I had become jaded by the experience. It just became more of an inconvenience for me, especially when I couldn’t ride my bike down a street because somebody was making a movie or TV show. I lived in a house for six out of the seven people were in the movie business. My landlord was the doctor, and one of them selves movies, he even would read lines with Denzel for practice. And the way he told stories, it just seem like working nothing spectacular. I will see him in the house, all dressed up, because he had a shoot a commercial or doing audition for TV show or movie. Other housemate made crack for 50 Cent in the movie get with your guy trying. He was just one of the people a crewmember the worked maintaining the set. He got a phone call one day and asked if you know what crack was. he was happy and offended at the same time, but he says Curtis was really nice. He calls him Curtis lol. He also said on one movie, Jessica Alba asked him “are you gonna leave some cereal for the rest of the people?”. He said she was really sweet and had a sense of humor. Another housemate was the professor in the movie The Mummy. It’s weird when I went back and watched the movie, because I can’t see the character anymore, all I do is see him. Another housemate used to be in the spinoffs of the Godzilla movie back in Japan. I think it’s called Mantle(I don’t know, I’ve never watched him) but he was a child actor. Another housemate just made props for the movies, you could guess what the yard look like around Halloween time! And in the last housemate, (which actually was one of my Christian brothers from church, I got him an apartment in the house) did an episode of Suits one day. My landlord’s agent was looking for extras one day, you just needed to have to have a black suit. He did the episode, but we never watched it or talked about it. It was just a day work, just to get to make some money and no big deal. The weird part, is he never cashed the check that they sent to the house, about six weeks later, because he had moved to Alberta by then. Call him and told him, he had a check he said don’t worry about it. He was just more concerned with finishing up his plumbing license. And there are used to go to a bar and see some of the regulars on TV and doing commercials. And even some of the comedians that worked doing stand up at the bar, I would sometimes see them doing standup specials on TV. But there was no glitz and glamour, these were just all working class actors that I got a chance to know. So I got to see a different part of the industry, that I could identify with. I can literally go on, not to mention how I can recognize the city of Toronto in so many movies, that I watched. When I go to the movies, I’m like no, that’s not New York, that’s not Washington DC, that’s the building right down Yonge Street. Street.
I need more films with this kind of flowy character arcs that journeys through their highs and lows and keeps one looking and rooting for them. Hollywood has lost the art of quality drama
People lost it. Hollywood makes what people pay to see. When Marvel cooks and Once Upon a Time flounders, it's not Hollywood's fault. The general public are the ones in the driver's seat.
Scorsese and DiCaprio Movies: Four Tarantino and DiCaprio Movies: Two Nolan and DiCaprio Movies: One I hope we can see another Nolan and DiCaprio movie
I differ with most on the final acting scene. Dalton did an incredible acting job given the lines he was provided. If you believe the acting was 'mediocre' on his part I think you are criticizing the screenplay rather than the acting. Don't confuse those. Also, to me at least, the girl represented the purity of the acting craft if you look at her dialogue you might see that as well. So the compliment was huge in that sense and the fact he was able to get his mind together and claw his way back to that place of acting purity.
it took me a while to actually appreachiate the movie... its so nuanced and frankly: if you are not already a fan of that movie era you take a while to get all the suttle references... but I gotta say: now after reading into it, still not my most favorite Tarantino, but it has risen a lot :)
I thought the dynamic between Cliff and Rick was amazing. Cliff is a two-time Medal of Honor recipient (which is implied by Rick addressing him as "Audie Murphy" as gentle ribbing, and specifically pointed out in the text of the novelization by Tarantino) and yet, he has no real ego about his lot in life, the way he exists on the periphery of his friend's existence. It made me despite Rick for a minute when they returned from Italy and Rick told Cliff he could no longer afford to keep him on. I don't know how relevant that really is to the point of the video, but it really sticks in my craw. And how much do you love Cliff now, knowing he could have capitalized on being the most-decorated soldier in modern history, taken his good looks, physique, and deadly skills out on the town and easily displaced Rick in the Hollywood pecking order, but instead, he trains his dog, rides his motorcycle, and dedicates himself wholeheartedly to seeing Rick Fucking Dalton conquer Hollywood? There has not been a dual Medal of Honor recipient since Smedley Butler, and there will never be another since, after the death of John Basilone -- the Marine who went home after he was awarded the Medal to sell war bonds, but grew irritable and bored, insisting he redeploy to the Pacific with his men -- the War Department and the Department of Defense will no longer deploy a Meal of Honor recipient to a war zone and risk losing him, or having him taken captive. Cliff is an anachronism, since he violates the Basilone rule, and since he seems very fit twenty five years after returning home from WWII. But he is also clearly heroic not just as a war fighter, but as a friend, and that is what makes him such a great character, even if he did harpoon that screeching, drunken harpy wife of his. Let's be honest, who among us would have had the needed restraint?
When the girl gives Leo that complement and his eyes tear up like he got a complement from his biggest idol is some class A acting.
to me it feels like he's not tearing up from a compliment but actually because he realizes that she is just being nice and really
he has fallen from grace
he's tearing up because he knows it's not a real compliment. As was said in the video.
She doesn't like descriptions like 'the girl'......but seeing as its a youtube comment, we'll let it go this time.
Builshit he knows how to act drunk
@@CognitiveCorrosion I don't think so. He had been under pressure for so long, doubting his own abilities as an actor. That complement took him over the edge. To me it is clear that those are tears of true appreciation.
Disagree. The acting scene with the girl was EXTREMELY well acted. Came of as unhinged, angry, possibly drunk, and psychotic. Not over the top.
When the girl said that was some of the best acting she'd seen, I completely agreed with her.
He gave everything he had. That is what they needed to get out of him.
Totally agree with you! That was one of my favorite scenes in the movie. It's what's not said that makes it so great and just one of the reasons Leo is an amazing actor.
Me too.
More thumbs for this: You hit the point 100. I was scratching my head when this creator said the acting in the scene "wasn't very good." Completely threw me off the narration. Tossing the child to the floor so hard shows just how far he was willing to go.
Rick was out on a limb, but not blindly flailing or stupidly shaking; the man/character embodied pure malice and non-negotiable vengeance. Honestly accepting the little girl's praise wasn't self-delusion but outward validation.
The acting was amazing!
Leo was really a dude playing a dude who thought he was another dude.
What do you mean, "you people?"
@@catpawjack7687what do you mean “ you people” ?
ME?! I know who I am!!
I’m the dude playing the dude disguised as another dude
He PLAYED a dude playing a dude thinking to be another dude.
When I saw this part, I actually said to myself, this is the best acting I've seen
I love the niche movie video essay genre on RUclips.
id hardly call once upon a time in hollywood niche
id hardly call the video essay genre niche
@@toptierwaifu yo mama
You don't know what "niche" means
A lemon wedge on a cocktail is a fancy little "niche" that's an example of how to use that word.
holy, this is such a quintessential arrogant film critic comment section.
Always felt like it was Tarantino leaning down and telling Leonardo that becoming a character on top of a character and pulling it off the way he directed it, was the best acting he had seen. That's some inception acting.
And the algorithm delivers the best content
Way to compliment yourself
@@herbg4866he didn't lol
@@bobbyblazini learn how algorithms work
@@herbg4866 he was complimenting the video not himself. Do you know what an algorithm is? Ain't complimenting the algorithm, complimenting RUclips
@@bobbyblazini and the algorithm is based off of what you watch
I have often wondered what it would be like to be that stupid. Maybe you could record your thoughts
I love the observation on his "mediocre" acting because while watching the movie for the first time I was amazed how well DiCaprio acted and even more so how well he "acted" poorly as Rick. It was one of the lowkey most brilliant recent performances for me.
You had me until "lowkey". Please don't use that word.
@@chuddlevideos we used ur mom in the basement last night, dud
@@chuddlevideos Okay boomer
@@chuddlevideos You had me until you tried to tell someone else how to speak. I won't do the same. I'll just walk away shaking my head at the sight of your audacity.
Hate to argue but I believe trudy was telling the truth when she said "thats the best acting ive ever seen"
The way I originally interpreted that scene was that Trudy was sincere in her remark, but Rick, taking the compliment to heart, and regaining a great deal of self-esteem, fails to consider that the girl is 8 years old. 😂
That very well could have been the best acting she has seen throughout her short career. I think the audience is meant to take note of this in a comedic manner.
@@cedarhittle Yes, and that her age was too young to comment "best scene in her whole life" making him feel even more distant from other actors who are far better and with better future than him. That's how I felt it, as if she said it to me and I was going through his existential crisis.
@@cedarhittle Fair point but I think Tarantino in all his weird creepiness was setting up Trudy to be seen as an adult (in a childs body) by the audience rather than a child, especially if you consider this movies side plot is off-handedly about director Roman Polanski (who had sex with a 13 year old minor if you did not know), as well as her extremely mature level of thinking and reasoning during all her dialouge with Rick. Therefore trudys character & opinion is that of an adult. Or am I reading too deep?
@@youngmagic8343disagree completely
I’d concur. I watched while thinking about something akin to a “bubble guy” in the major leagues. He’s been on a long slump and can feel the end coming, but here he is at bat in a meaningful game; and he hits a double to the alley and 2 runs score.
Maybe it’s not a bases loaded 550 foot home run in the bottom of the ninth, game 7 of the World Series, but dammit, it mattered and he can hold his head high as he heads into the waning years of his career.
4:50 Totally disagree. I thought DiCaprio's acting in this scene was incredible and the standout moment in the film. And the little girl's compliment was sincere and was a bit of a joke since she's so young and hasn't seen much acting.
I’ve tried to explain this to people, a bad way of wording things on my part, I think DiCaprio did an amazing job throughout every scene, when I refer to the scene in which the acting is not the greatest, I am referring to Rick Dalton’s acting not Leo.
@@sophiabynico Okay, I understand now what you were saying. Thanks for clarifying.
@@sophiabynico Quentin has said that Dalton's potential as an actor is extremely high. I think it was supposed to come across as great acting from him in that scene, it did for me. And that's why every character says so. You're looking too deep.
@@sophiabynico Yes, and you are wrong. Rick Dalton played that scene *very* well. Your comment is pretentious nonsense. What, because he isn't doing method acting, because it didn't truly terrify the girl, that makes it a bad performance? Rubbish.
@@benisrood it's subjective, no need to insult
Leonardo dicaprio It's one of the greatest actors ever exists.
‘We’re all just people an we’re all just trying’ is such a profound, underrated comment. This sums up life, perfectly and succinctly.
And sometimes we’re floundering and flailing
The world is a stage and the people it's actors
@@LeonHuang-nj2nr and one man in his time plays many parts …
My perspective for Rick Dalton's 'triumphant' scene was that there weren't a lot of high energy dramatic scenes like that in that in Westerns at the time. Heavy dialogue and monologue scenes were usually pretty mellow still using two shots and dramatic stingers to give them impact. I saw it more like 'the first person to dunk' or something - where it's not that impressive today but for the era it was incredible.
This 100%. The first time you see Citizen Kane or Casa Blanca, you are drawn to the level of cliches, without realizing these are the sources of most cinematic movie tropes. If you go back and watch Gunsmoke or Bonanza, there simply wasn't this level of emotions left to the villains. QT kind of reaches backwards in time a la Marty in Back to the Future and gives a tropey villain delivery that just didn't exist at the time.
Leonardo DiCaprio is great at acting like he can't act. This shows how good he is at acting.
Or maybe he just can't act.
@@John-k6f9k Are you serious? Watch "gilbert grape". Leo could act since he was a teenager.
@@John-k6f9kMan is almost 50 and there's still people who thinks that? C'mon, he's more than a handsome face, he has an acomplished career, grow up please.
Leo isn't popular for no reason. Theres millions of pretty boys. There is a reason Scorsese and Tarantino consider him one of their staple actors, and Daniel Day gave him an honor for Gangs of New York. The guys a true legend and I have never heard him once boast about himself, he's consistently humble. Its always good seeing a quality person get famous.
@@John-k6f9kIs this bait? Leo is almost unarguably the greatest actor of all-time.
I watched this in the cinema and it was definitely worth seeing it there. The acting in Rick's little scene was pretty good and the girl was honest about it. Suggesting she would've said something more specific if it was sincere is maybe a thought of an adult, not a 8-10 yr old. Not to mention the cinematography represented really well what it's like to witness real good acting first hand and up close. The rest of the essay was nice, well put together.
Also perhaps the choice of line implies a distinction about what it means for someone to do their best acting. On the tail end of the trailer rage scene, I think it means putting the effort despite the "not rights", to see the performance through with effort. The girl saying "that was the best acting I've ever seen" might be her saying "that was the most effort I've seen put into a performance". This lands home since he's recently been aware that he's seemingly unable to put in that effort (like when he ruined the scene and stood up, etc).
I'm very young so this was my first Quentin Tarantino movie in the theater, and I already loved his work, it was all worth it, this was an experience I'll never forget, I still remember some of us laughing while watching, 2019 was such a good year.
I think the compliment is exaggerated because she said 'whole life,' which doesn't mean much, as a little girl hasn't seen that much acting due to her limited experience.
Dang I thought Rick gave a great performance there 😂
Yea, I disagree with the sentiment in the video regarding that part.
I disagree too. Far from mediocre
You know, I've been thinking about that as well. I do think the acting was good, I just happened to notice that it felt cartoony, or maybe that's not the word, but rather how I mentioned, it felt as if it wasn't the best performance in the context of the character Caleb Decoteau. However, I do feel it was the effort he (Rick Dalton) gave for the scene that made the acting good, made you have respect and appreciation for the scene knowing the context of Rick.
@@sophiabynico But that kind of "cartoony", or rather more theatrical acting was typical for that era. Compared to today's standards, actors in the 60s or 70s overacted.
Yes, I thought it was a good performance too, given the material. It's not Shakespeare, which makes the director's Hamlet push to Rick at the end of the scene funny. As far as the girl's compliment goes, I do think that was genuine as well. It's the best acting she's 'seen ever in her life', which is the joke. She's a child -- how much can she have really seen? But Rick is so fragile he takes the compliment at face value. We, and Rick, know he's not Laurence Olivier, but that's not his world -- this is -- and here he proves, at least for a brief moment, that he might still be the Rick fuckin' Dalton of old.
Man, you really put to video essay everything I loved about this film. You have a new sub and can't wait to go back and watch your other videos.
I really appreciate the support and I hope I can keep making videos that people enjoy!
I knew how good Dicaprio was way back in What's Eating Gilbert Grape. He is one of the best around today and this role is one of my favorites of his.
Brilliant film and my favourite performance by Leo. Just incredible.
When I first saw them I thought DiCaprio and Pitt were just good looking standard Hollywood actors but they have turned out over the years to be some of the best actors in Hollywood.
That's because they know how to choose their projects, they deserve to be in the reigns of Hollywood.
I love to come back to this movie so much! And it tastes better every time!
I'm glad they mentioned his character's stutter. I really liked how Rick displayed a slight stutter in real life, but it would disappear entirely whenever he was acting. No one else seems to notice. but it's a great touch.
"This is the best video I've ever seen in my whole life."
Leo and Brad made the film, top tier performance and i hope to see them in films in the coming years. Brad pitt thrives as a duo in films
I remember walking out of the theater being a bit weary of the plot but thinking "that was without a doubt Leo & Brad at their absolute best"
It's a duo that should never fail.
It was such a good movie I totally forgot it was brad pit and Leo acting side by side I was so invested in cliff and Rick
Definitely Tarantino’s best, imo
It's been 14 years since Shutter Island, some people love it, some not so much, but I have always said that when I walked out of the Cinema that night, I knew I don't see Leonardo DiCaprio as a person, I just see the Character. There are very few actors, Huge actors, who actually pull that off. Daniel Day Lewis is perhaps the greatest at this of course, but Leo, for me, is superb, and always has been even when you go back to his earlier works.
When I said this to my girlfriend she couldn't even tell me his character names in anything apart from "Jack in Titanic".
When I said this to the lads they said "Don't be gay, it's your round."
I went into Shutter Island wondering if I'd like it. Leo's always been someone whose acting I liked but it was that film that really showed me how much nuance the guy could put into his roles.
For a movie i thought as of mostly sub par this video gave me goosebumps because it gave me a definitive understanding of this character that made me appreciate the movie more
I saw this movie in the theater baked like a potato and I was feeling so anxious and completely encapsulated by the story of Rick worrying about the future of his life and relating it to my life and then the redemption arc of this scene hit and it was absolutely incredible
It was such good acting that I didn't feel like I was watching a movie any more, like I transcended through the screen and the only thing that reminded me it was a movie was when Trudi whispered in his ear that it was the best acting she's ever seen lol it was a crazy experience
you didn't need to be high to experience what you did when watching the whole scene. we all felt exactly what you felt sober. it was just so immersive and a testament to great moviemaking
haha that's awesome, thanks for sharing
you had a geek bro thats fire
Your comment reminded me of something I discovered some years back when channel surfing into the wee hours while stoned. I found that being stoned while watching any acting usually reveals the artifice of what I’m I watching, and not in a good way. The acting will often look embarrassingly obvious and fake. But once in a while what I’m watching stoned captivates me in such a way that I’ve totally bought in … I don’t see acting, I’m experiencing something that seems real. My daughter (she’s 34) and I call this the pot test. Try it.
@@pjmlegrande Indeed it takes a high level of some kind of mesmerism to completely forget that everything we watch is just a bunch of people playing pretend in front of a camera. Good acting & great production will make you forget about that as soon as you see it.
Usually when I'm stoned I prefer watching something I've already seen that I already know has great acting and will not catch me off guard showing me something I do not wish to see.
Brad pitt was my personal fav in this film. So its cool to hear a different perspective
Seeing these scenes after reading the book was just gold.
The book is really great! I wish QT had included a couple of scenes from it but as I understand it, he wrote it after he wrote the script. I would have loved to have seen Cliff Booth with those mooks in the pizza parlor as well as the scene with Aldo Ray. Great film and a great novel.
This is hands-down the finest film I've ever seen in my life, and I'm old.
Exactly. At 58, I would agree. Be well.
DiCaprio is the second best actor ever. The first being Day Lewis of course... by far.
I agree with your nomination for 1st but Leo second? Not in my opinion, not saying Leo is bad but holding him up against Daniel Day Lewis...nope.
I am an actor at the Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theatre in St. Petersburg (Russia).
I think good acting is when an actor, going on stage, changes the entire atmosphere on it. The same is true in cinema, but it is simpler there - the entire film crew works for you. In Russian theatres, you are often left to your own.
The director does not help you, but only sets the coordinates where your story should go. The path is yours.
This granular breakdown of Rick Dalton kinda felt personal and I don't know how to feel about it.
I just saw so much of myself in this... the ambivalence is overwhelming.
Great analysis. Hadn’t really thought of it this way… now I’ve got to rewatch the movie!
ive been talking about this scene since it came out. this, i think is leos peak. the set up with the girl before filming the scene, then THE scene itself gave me chills in the theatre. always been a fan of leo and have him in either 1, or 2 as my goat actors/actresses, but that 10 mins (or there abouts) was spectacular. give the man his flowers fr (dont say it wasnt a good performance author, because it was)
I should clarify, I believe Leo gave an amazing performance acting as an actor who is acting as someone else. I was referring to the character he’s playing Rick Dalton. That Rick Dalton didn’t give the best performance but that we can appreciate Rick’s effort playing as Caleb Decoteau.
@@sophiabynico i get it now. i was wondering how a video about good acting said that his performance wasnt the best. threw me off.
@@sophiabynico Reminds me of Ruffalo in Shutter Island. I remember thinking he was awful in the opening scene, only to realise hes an actor playing a doctor who's supposed to be a good actor.
Leonardo DiCaprio is the best and most talented actor ever.
The scene with Leo at the trailer makes me cry every time
I remember watching 'what's eating gilbert grape", never saw Leo before and really thought the actor was mentally disabled. I was like how did they pull that off.
What I love about Tarrantino films is: in the most part, when you watch them, you think "Ah, that was cool" but you're not blown away (Maybe Pulp Fiction is an exception) but when you return to them and really study therm, you see the multi faceted side to them. I love that!!!!!
Inglorious Basterds, for me, really proves that theory - 15 or so years after its release, it's one of my all time favourite films but at the time I thought it was just "good".
Tarrantino is one of the best!
I remember not liking this movie at all the first time I saw it. (well until the end :) ) But now I find myself re watching it and all these awesome scenes.
Damn i always thought that Dalton's scene was epic, not mediocre
Rick Dalton’s reservation to “play the heavy” was with understanding an homage to his peak performance (Jake Cahill/Bounty Law) was an admission to having peaked. His reluctance to embark on the ‘spaghetti western’ train was with the understanding of it as the fated trajectory of his peers in this transition of Hollywood. His initial struggles in scenes also highlight his struggles fighting to reclaim his bygone glory and his poor performances being a losing battle. That belauded final scene is a bittersweet embodiment of character & acceptance of fate.
Yes it is!!! One of his best performances! So good and talented
i wish we had more leo and pitt movies they both understand character depth on the same level providing context without words yet leaving themselves to the directors hands making them less like wood to a knife and more like clay to a sculptors hand
Acting is all about eyes and that deep understanding of role + ability to imagine it.. That's what makes things transfer to watcher, imo.
Here I am a fucking rube who thought the scene with Dalton and Trudy was actually really good acting.
And actor playing a role as a struggling actor failing to keep his compure during a set? This is golden acting. We may never see this again.
"Good acting, good acting" it was amazing.
he is so good in everything he does that we take it for granted just how damn good he is
DiCaprio's playing the good Rick Dalton's scene with the girl shouldn't have been perfect, because it is not played by DiCaprio in Tarantino film, it is played by Rick Dalton in western movie of another director! So actually it is incredibly great how DiCaprio managed to play the role inside the role - he played the best possible cut of Rick Dalton without becoming DiCaprio himself, who is definitely more strong dramatic actor. I love this! This is what making DiCaprio so great. When he is playing Rick Dalton in the trailer, he is not depicting a role inside the role, he is playing real person with real emotions, that is why it is so different.
Saw it on a plane on my way to Milan. Great acting.
2:29 "Don't let the Mexicans see ya cry".. That line got a lol out of me.
this was a great breakdown. covered it all and spoke about it how we felt about it...well done. Memento next?
why do you have so few subscribers? this video was wonderful.
Just subscribed :-)
Leo deserved an Oscar for his acting in this movie!
You just got a new sub, what a superb video essay on Leo's character as well as his acting. My fav QT film used to be Inglorious, But having watched OUATIH around 12-15x times now since release, It is my fav QT film. Everytime I got back to watch it, there is something new there I didn't catch on the last view. To me its a perfect movie.
Thank you for the support! AND YES, Inglorious was 100% a favorite of mine (would still say it is) but when watching Once Upon... I couldn't help but keep appreciating the characters and the world that was created.
Inglorious is still my favourite but I loved OUAITH since it came out.
That scene nearly made tear up.
Absolutely phenomenal acting by Leo there.
Leo understood the character better cause he's been an actor for decades now.
The iconic scoff into fist scene
Leo was brilliant in this. A true underrated genius, despite his superstar status.
The little kid in the scene at the saloon was the best performance in the whole film, and that's saying a lot bc they were all great.
Yeah I thought she was so good that I was hoping to see her in more films.
Leo did indeed slay in this film. However, I have to point out that the girl who played Sadie, Mikey Madison, did an even better job, and deserved an Oscar. The audience HATES her, but she absolutely NAILED that role. Especially in the scene where the Manson family is in the car. Everyone watch it again.
"Here, put these on. Don't cry in front of the Mexicans"...
"Well you were drinkin all night....fuckiiiinnnnnnn bulllshittttttttt." 😭
Whenever there is a wise child, spitting truth to an out of sorts on-the-edge adult, I can't see it any other way than a direct reference to J.D. Salinger and one of his characters meeting a precocious child.
Seeing professional Hollywood actors 'acting' out their scenes the exact same way I act out my normal life has made me feel...
Normal.
The quality is insane...
MAKE MORE
Disagree completely with your interpretation of the girl giving Leo the compliment
Your appreciation of this film is better than the actual film, although its serves to highlight the disconnect Hollywood is experiencing with audiences, they sit around talking about their deep meaningful artistry while drinking cocktails and slapping other on the back and handing out awards... meanwhile audiences are thoroughly bored and frustrated with the slow death of the entertainment industry while forking hard earned cash for mediocrity. In the spirit of this movie... one would say... get you head out of your a**
I think the industry is kind of reinventing itself, for better or for worse, it's not the first time that happens, and it's also not the first time someone states that the industry of entertaintment is dying, it always finds it's way, hell, the film is set in the late 1960s, right at the beginning of 'New Hollywood' after the death of the 'Golden Age'.
@@jesustovar2549 Definitely, I was implicitly connecting the films subject matter with transition from the Golden Age to the current transition away from profitably in favor idealism
5:17 - When she said this to him, I was the only one at the packed cinema who laughed out loud. 😀 + 😕
I don't know whether I was truly the only one who got the joke.
".... the best acting I've seen in MY WHOLE LIFE." She was only EIGHT years old ! ! ! ! ! 😀 😀
And he then got genuinely flattered and overwhelmed by the compliment. 😀 😀
The scene with Leo and the girl is such a fantastic scene. I have to disagree with you on your point. So much going on in the silence.
I like that Leo always likes to play a character with a struggle, I know 0 people without a struggle. For the ones that say they don't have a struggle, it's their lies.
Perfect acting? Leonardo Di'Caprio in Jango unchained. When Candie smacks the table and hurts his hand REAL in the glass cup, he keeps acting, following the role perfectly, as if it all was part of the script. An amazing improvisation, that made the character incredibly strong.
This was so well done. Truly.
Love,
Cliff
thank you for this video, it was a good analysis of Rick Dalton
The greatest failure in the last 30 years of cinema is that caprio did get only one oscar. cmon people.....
Leo was great in this but most of it is thanks to Quentin. Leo’s had peaks and valleys IMO but Quentin has gotten his two best performances, at least to me
Great video essay. I subscribed
those scenes blew me away... that tarantino was able to have an actor play an actor struggling to act, then to get his head straight and do some of the best acting ever, not for the movie within the movie but the movie itself... and the temper tantrum in the trailer... c'mon who hasn't been there... i mean i swear i'm sure i've probably said, after an instance of stumbling over my words in an embarrassing public display "duh, duh duh you fucking stupid idiot" to myself... and of course this absolutely proved, as if we needed any proof, that Leo is indeed one of the finest actors to ever hit the big screen.
I wondered why the hell Leo didn't win an oscar for his stunning performance in the film. Then I realized, it was the same year the film Joker came out ;)
Yeah and Brad Pitt won for best supporting actor when I think Al Pacino deserved it for The Irishman.
This isn’t the greatest movie ever made, but it sure as hell ranks up there.
As a man approaching 50, best years behind, worst ahead, I can’t even begin to tell you how much it resonates with me personally. Rick Dalton is just a whinier version of myself.
I know I am not alone when I lay awake at night and stuck with my own honest unfiltered thoughts.
I hope you don't have problems with drinking as Rick had (my whole theater was laughing at that scene).
This movie is so dead on for the era, so much a joy to watch. Sharon Tate Lives should be written on the walls, just like Frodo.
Great film, nice analysis
Dude is arguably the greatest actor ever. He hasn't missed ONCE in anything.
Except Critters 3, but that was at the beginning of his career.
I thought his acting in that scene was brilliant. It was the best scene of acting like im acting I can think of. So in that context I thought the derivative was good acting.
Sorry, but I don't agree with your breakdown of his "greatest acting I've ever seen" scene at all. When watching the movie in real-time, you get a sense that Rick Dalton is acting very well and everyone in the scene is aware of it. You've got to understand that he's only acting like a good actor in that scene. I don't know how he pulls it off but he does it very well: you can tell he's acting but he's acting well. He's got a crazy demeanour in his eyes like the character Rick is playing is supposed to but he's overacting it just enough to pull it off in the third person: Leo acting like Dalton acting like a western outlaw. It's actually some of the best acting I've every seen (no pun intended).
This is great stuff. Keep m comin' 🔥
I have to praise you for the Good, the Bad and the Ugly reference. That was very witty.
This is my favourite Quinn Tarantino movie. I love seeing the lives of the actors behind the scenes, come back to reality so to speak. Remind me of when I first moved to Toronto years ago, it was the first time I’ve ever seen movies being made all over the city. So I was really fascinated at first, but after a couple years I had become jaded by the experience. It just became more of an inconvenience for me, especially when I couldn’t ride my bike down a street because somebody was making a movie or TV show. I lived in a house for six out of the seven people were in the movie business. My landlord was the doctor, and one of them selves movies, he even would read lines with Denzel for practice. And the way he told stories, it just seem like working nothing spectacular. I will see him in the house, all dressed up, because he had a shoot a commercial or doing audition for TV show or movie. Other housemate made crack for 50 Cent in the movie get with your guy trying. He was just one of the people a crewmember the worked maintaining the set. He got a phone call one day and asked if you know what crack was. he was happy and offended at the same time, but he says Curtis was really nice. He calls him Curtis lol. He also said on one movie, Jessica Alba asked him “are you gonna leave some cereal for the rest of the people?”. He said she was really sweet and had a sense of humor. Another housemate was the professor in the movie The Mummy. It’s weird when I went back and watched the movie, because I can’t see the character anymore, all I do is see him. Another housemate used to be in the spinoffs of the Godzilla movie back in Japan. I think it’s called Mantle(I don’t know, I’ve never watched him) but he was a child actor. Another housemate just made props for the movies, you could guess what the yard look like around Halloween time! And in the last housemate, (which actually was one of my Christian brothers from church, I got him an apartment in the house) did an episode of Suits one day. My landlord’s agent was looking for extras one day, you just needed to have to have a black suit. He did the episode, but we never watched it or talked about it. It was just a day work, just to get to make some money and no big deal. The weird part, is he never cashed the check that they sent to the house, about six weeks later, because he had moved to Alberta by then. Call him and told him, he had a check he said don’t worry about it. He was just more concerned with finishing up his plumbing license.
And there are used to go to a bar and see some of the regulars on TV and doing commercials. And even some of the comedians that worked doing stand up at the bar, I would sometimes see them doing standup specials on TV. But there was no glitz and glamour, these were just all working class actors that I got a chance to know. So I got to see a different part of the industry, that I could identify with.
I can literally go on, not to mention how I can recognize the city of Toronto in so many movies, that I watched. When I go to the movies, I’m like no, that’s not New York, that’s not Washington DC, that’s the building right down Yonge Street. Street.
Doing westerns with Timothy Olyphant can be daunting...He is the best western sheriff ever.
When i saw this movie i said to myself in my head "Damn, that acting by Leo was the best acting i've seen ever, and i've seen a lot of movies."
I need more films with this kind of flowy character arcs that journeys through their highs and lows and keeps one looking and rooting for them. Hollywood has lost the art of quality drama
People lost it. Hollywood makes what people pay to see.
When Marvel cooks and Once Upon a Time flounders, it's not Hollywood's fault. The general public are the ones in the driver's seat.
Scorsese and DiCaprio Movies: Four
Tarantino and DiCaprio Movies: Two
Nolan and DiCaprio Movies: One
I hope we can see another Nolan and DiCaprio movie
Scorsese and DiCaprio have like six now.
Leo is ma boy and his the best, I always said that! His goated!
The same with Al Pacino
Great essay, thanks! Just rewatched the movie after watching this. You sound a little like Alt-Shift-X btw.
2:44 I stuttered, and his stutter is really goddamn good
This was great!
I differ with most on the final acting scene. Dalton did an incredible acting job given the lines he was provided. If you believe the acting was 'mediocre' on his part I think you are criticizing the screenplay rather than the acting. Don't confuse those.
Also, to me at least, the girl represented the purity of the acting craft if you look at her dialogue you might see that as well. So the compliment was huge in that sense and the fact he was able to get his mind together and claw his way back to that place of acting purity.
it took me a while to actually appreachiate the movie... its so nuanced and frankly: if you are not already a fan of that movie era you take a while to get all the suttle references... but I gotta say: now after reading into it, still not my most favorite Tarantino, but it has risen a lot :)
I thought the dynamic between Cliff and Rick was amazing. Cliff is a two-time Medal of Honor recipient (which is implied by Rick addressing him as "Audie Murphy" as gentle ribbing, and specifically pointed out in the text of the novelization by Tarantino) and yet, he has no real ego about his lot in life, the way he exists on the periphery of his friend's existence. It made me despite Rick for a minute when they returned from Italy and Rick told Cliff he could no longer afford to keep him on.
I don't know how relevant that really is to the point of the video, but it really sticks in my craw.
And how much do you love Cliff now, knowing he could have capitalized on being the most-decorated soldier in modern history, taken his good looks, physique, and deadly skills out on the town and easily displaced Rick in the Hollywood pecking order, but instead, he trains his dog, rides his motorcycle, and dedicates himself wholeheartedly to seeing Rick Fucking Dalton conquer Hollywood?
There has not been a dual Medal of Honor recipient since Smedley Butler, and there will never be another since, after the death of John Basilone -- the Marine who went home after he was awarded the Medal to sell war bonds, but grew irritable and bored, insisting he redeploy to the Pacific with his men -- the War Department and the Department of Defense will no longer deploy a Meal of Honor recipient to a war zone and risk losing him, or having him taken captive. Cliff is an anachronism, since he violates the Basilone rule, and since he seems very fit twenty five years after returning home from WWII.
But he is also clearly heroic not just as a war fighter, but as a friend, and that is what makes him such a great character, even if he did harpoon that screeching, drunken harpy wife of his.
Let's be honest, who among us would have had the needed restraint?
Wow, I need to read that novelization.
@@jesustovar2549 It's big fun. Tarantino as he would be without having to worry about the MPAA.