Doctor Who - Revenge of the Cybermen Revisited "Careful, careful! I might explode!"

Well, I figured its time I looked at yet another of my previous posts, which I know has become a real habit lol! Anyway the post I will be revisiting is my review of the Doctor Who story, Revenge of the Cybermen from the Tom Baker era and I will do the usual expanding on sections in the review. 

So, how does this story stack up after nearly 45 years? Well, let's take another look and find out...

And the usual warning follows...

PLOT SPOILERS AHEAD!!

STORY

Right so the story begins with the Doctor (Tom Baker) and his two companions, Sarah (Elisabeth Sladen) and Harry (Ian Marter) spinning through the vortex of space (this carries on from the end of Genesis of the Daleks) using the time ring until they materialise back on the space station Nerva from the earlier story, The Ark in Space.  Sarah however notices that the TARDIS isn't there and the Doctor tells her that the TARDIS is drifting back through time and they will have to wait for it to catch up.  Also upon opening one of the doors onboard, a dead body drops out and as they make their way around outer corridors of the space station they find more dead bodies.

Meanwhile onboard the station in a communications room, a crewman Warner (Alec Wallis) warns away an approaching spaceship due to an outbreak of a plague onboard the ship.  The other surviving crewmembers onboard are Professor Kelman (Jeremy Wilkin), Commander Stevenson (Ronald Leigh-Hunt) and another officer, Lester (William Marlowe).  Kelman asks Stevenson how can they carry on manning the station with only three officers but Lester seems to think they can manage.  It is also revealed that Nerva's mission at this point is to warn away ships from Voga, a new asteroid which the station orbits until its presence is updated on all the starcharts of inbound ships.

Meanwhile the Doctor deduces that they have arrived thousands of years before the event of The Ark in Space when the crew of that time had been waiting thousands of years in suspended animation for the Earth to recover from solar flares that devastated the planet.  As the Doctor, Sarah and Harry however make their way through the ship a metallic creature is seen moving around the dead bodies: a cybermat.

Meanwhile on the surface of Voga, one of the native lifeforms, a Vogan is shot when trying to make outside contact with Nerva.  The body is soon taken to a Vogan leader, Vorus (David Collings) who is informed by his aide, Magrik (Michael Wisher) that the Vogan shot was frightened by Vorus's plan as he is working with unnamed agent onboard Nerva.  In the meantime however Warner is attacked by the cybermat and his skin ends up with glowing scars as a result.  And just about this time the Doctor, Sarah and Harry are discovered by Stevenson and Lester and Kellman alerts them of Warner's condition.

The Doctor offers to help them and Harry looks at Warner leaving the Doctor to go with Stevenson who tells him about Voga, which the Doctor instantly recognises as the planet of gold and that they are up against the Cybermen.  Meanwhile this goes on Kellman is shown to be the agent that Vorus mention as he spies on the Doctor and Stevenson from his room using a device after this he communicates a message to the Cybermen onboard their ship.

Meanwhile Harry tells the Doctor that Warner has died and the Doctor on examining Warner's body finds two puncture marks which suggest he was injected with poison which the Doctor then concludes that it was no plague that caused the deaths.  The Doctor then senses something else is wrong and he spies on Kellman's quarters finding the comms equipment, but he hides himself as Kellman returns, who is aware of the Doctor's presence and sets a trap for him to make it impossible for him to leave.  The Doctor however manages to escape just as Sarah is attacked by the Cybermat, after which the Doctor disables by throwing gold at it and he tells Harry to take her to the station's teleporter as Sarah can be cured if she is teleported it will disperse the poison in her body.

The Doctor then manages to repair the broken teleport beaming Sarah and Harry down, Sarah is cured of the poison but they are both captured by Vorus's men and taken to him.  Vorus's questioning is interrupted by the chief councillor Tyrum (Kevin Stoney) and Sarah and Harry is chained up.  The Doctor meanwhile confronts Kellman and uses the Cybermat to threaten him to find where the drive is to activate the teleport, which he gives up.  However the Doctor is a bit too late as Kellman has bought enough time for the Cybermen to board Nerva, where they knock out the Doctor and the others leaving Kellman.

And its from here the Doctor must try and find a way to stop the Cybermen from their plan to destroy Voga and rescue Sarah and Harry in the process.....

THOUGHTS

Well despite the negative reception this story has got over the years from Doctor Who fans, Revenge of the Cybermen is a fairly entertaining, solid story but next to the other stories in Tom Baker's first season as the Doctor, it admittedly lacks the quality the other stories in Baker's debut season had.  The story however written by the co-creator of the Cybemen, Gerry Davis, still stands head and shoulders over some of the more inferior Cybermen stories that followed during the 1980s (especially Silver Nemesis during the Sylvester McCoy era!).

Revenge of the Cybermen was also the first story to feature the Cybermen since Patrick Troughton's second Doctor story, The Invasion back in 1968 with the main reason being Terrance Dicks, the script editor during the Pertwee era, hated the Cybermen and never did a story featuring them in that whole time!

The story is also notable for another reason, which is that during its broadcast there was the sad news of William Hartnell's death, the actor who played the first doctor and had suffered from arteriosclerosis in the final years of his life and passed away in April 1975. 

PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES

As for the performances they are all pretty good for the most part and the supporting cast are all pretty solid. 

And to kick off with the regulars, Tom Baker puts in another fine performance as the Doctor and by this time he was starting to get to grips with his character pretty and starting to nail the fourth doctor's quirky sense of humour and alien nature. 

Tom has plenty of good moments in the story and for starters there is the scene where the Doctor makes several deductions while looking around the control room. So, the Doctor says to Stevenson "I've just made a third interesting discovery about your plague virus, Commander" and Stevenson surprised asks "A third?" and the Doctor tells him "Yes. One, it scratches metal. Two, it attacks its victims so suddenly that they become unconscious before they can even raise the alarm, and three..." and Stevenson says "Go on..." and the Doctor finishes "It removes tape from video logs. It must be a very literate and inquisitive virus". Stevenson then finally asks the Doctor "What are trying to tell me, Doctor?" and the Doctor replies "Whatever is attacking your crew, commander, its certainly not a plague".

Then there is the scene where the Cybermen have taken control of the beacon and hold the Doctor and the others captive but the Doctor remains defiant as he questions the Cyber Leader.

So, the Doctor insults the Cyber Leader by saying "You have no home planet, no influence, nothing!  You're just a pathetic bunch of tin soldiers skulking about the galaxy in an ancient spaceship!". The Leader however says "You speak unwisely. We are destined to become the rulers of the cosmos!" and the Doctor retorts "No, I don't think so. You tried that once already and were nearly wiped out!".  The Cyber Leader then says to the Doctor "Because of Voga and its gold. If the humans did not have the resources of Voga, the Cyber war would have ended in a glorious triumph!". The Doctor then sharply tells the Leader "It WAS a glorious triumph! For human ingenuity! They discovered your weakness and invented the glitter gun and that was the end of Cybermen except as gold plated souvenirs that people use as hat-stands!".

And in the same scene the Cyberleader becomes riled and grabs the Doctor by the throat and says "Cybermen can function more efficiently that animal organisms!  That is why we will rule the galaxy!" and the Doctor says "Loose thinking!  The trouble with Cybermen is they have hydraulic muscles and hydraulic brains to go with them!". So, after the Leader release the Doctor, the Doc grabs one of the cyber bombs and the Leader shouts "Put that down!". So, the Doctor warningly says to the Leader "Now, if I'm correct about what this contains and should accidentally DROP IT!" and he pretends to let go of it and continues "Now, I want something information from you, Cyber Leader!". 

Another good scene from Tom comes in the scene when the Doctor, Stevenson and Lester have bombs strapped to their backs and the Cyber Leader tells them "Cyber bombs. One of the most powerful explosive devices ever invented" and the Doctor says "Yes and their use was banned by the armageddon convention!". So, as the Cyber Leader orders the Doctor, Stevenson and Lester to get going, one of the Cybermen pushes the Doctor toward the transmat device and the Doctor quips "Careful, careful, I might explode!".

Then there is the scene where the Doctor, Stevenson and Lester once on the surface of Voga make their way toward their target and the Doctor says to Lester he has a better idea than waiting around and when Lester asks what it is he says "I don't know yet.  That's the trouble with ideas.  The only come a bit at a time!".

Then there is classic moment in the story where Harry inadvertently causes a rockfall in the shaft area of the caves which knocks out the Doctor (and kills Kellman as a result).  And as Harry sees the Doctor he tries to unbuckle his bomb strap but is stopped by Lester and the Doctor comes to and asks Harry "Were you trying to undo this?" and Harry says "Well naturally" and the Doctor continues "Did you make the rocks fall, Harry???" and Harry sheepishly says "Well yes I guess I must have done". So, the Doctor then laughs out loud and yells at the top of his lungs "HARRY SULLIVAN IS AN IMBECILE!!!!" before passing out!

And lastly there is the moment where the Doctor and Sarah onboard Nerva towards the end manage to avoid Vorus's rocket after it is launched and Stevenson redirects it to miss the station.  And the Doctor says over the mic "Cogito ergo sum!" and Sarah asks "What?" and the Doctor says "I think therefore it missed!". However, Sarah nervously tells the Doctor "Yes, but we are still heading for the biggest bang in history!" and the Doctor says "Oh yes.." but then looks at the controls and says "Oh no! They've locked the gryo controls! The flight trimmers are jammed!" and Sarah asks "What does that mean?" and the Doctor tells her "It means were heading for the biggest bang in history!".

Elisabeth Sladen also does great in her role as Sarah Jane-Smith, the Doctor's companion (and possibly the most popular companion of all time).

Liz also has some good moments in the story such as the scene when after she has been poisoned by the Cybermat, the Doctor saves her by beaming her down to Voga along with Harry.  And Harry who carries her is delighted to find out that it worked and he says "It worked, Doctor!  It worked!" and Sarah groggily says "Stop bawling down my ear.  You've got a voice like a foghorn!" and she suddenly notices that Harry is carrying her and she says "Hey!  What's going on here?!".

And then in another scene where Sarah and Harry are chained up by the Vogans, Harry tries to prise open Sarah's chains and he says "Tibias, or rather fetlocks like a carthorse!" and Sarah taking offence says "My ankles aren't thick!".

Another good moment from Liz comes when the Doctor says to Stevenson "I smell a rat!" and walks out, and Stevenson says "You know I sometimes wonder if that friend of yours is right in the head!" and Sarah says "If the Doctor smells a rat, he'll find one!".

And lastly later on there is a nice little moment between the Doctor and Sarah as they are reunited on the space station and Sarah says to the Doctor "Doctor?  Its good to see you" and the Doctor says "Is it?" and Sarah smiles saying "yes" and the Doctor looks at her for moment and smiles "Oh, right.  Come on, quickly then".

Ian Marter is also very good again as Harry Sullivan, the Doctor's other trusty, yet clumsy companion.

Ian also has some good moments in the story such as the scene at the start just after they arrive back on the space station, Harry says to the Doctor of the time ring "I'd rather like to have it" and Doctor smiles saying "Well you take very good care of it, Harry".  However as Harry reaches for the time ring it suddenly vanishes and Harry looks at the Doctor "You knew that was going to happen, didn't you?" and the Doctor smiles and nods. 

Then there is the scene when Harry and Sarah beam down to Voga and Harry is carrying Sarah, who had been infected by the cybermat but the teleportation process cures Sarah. So, Harry shouts to himself "It worked, Doctor! It worked!". Sarah still a bit groggy then says "Stop bawling down my eat, you've got a voice like a fog horn!" and she suddenly notices that Harry is carrying her and she says "Hey! What's going on here?!" so Harry puts her down. Harry then walks off and angrily says to Sarah "Oh well, that's marvelous, isn't it?! Here I am trying to save your life..." and Sarah remembers "Save my life? That thing jumped on my neck!". Sarah looks around the caves and asks "Where are we?" and Harry tells her "A place called Voga I think. The Doctor trans-matted us to get rid of the poison. I might tell you, girl you were on the point of popping off!". 

Then there is the next moment where Harry spots gold lying around the caves and Sarah asks "What is it?" and Harry picks up a piece and says "It looks very much like gold. I can't believe it. There's some more of it over there!" and he moves around to find more "Look, its solid gold!" and Sarah knocks the gold out his hands and says "Harry, stop it! It isn't ours!" and Harry says "Well, its really anybody's just lying around". So, Harry  "I'm rich!  I can buy myself out of the navy, buy a quiet little practice in the country. Solid gold stethoscope!" but then he sees the Vogan guards approaching nearby and he says "That's torn it!".  

This is followed by the scene where Sarah and Harry are held captive by Vorus and they are locked in gold chains. So, Harry looks at the chains and says to her "Sarah, these chains are solid gold!" and Sarah impatiently says "Harry, will you shut up about your rotten gold!" and Harry says "24 karat by the look of it" and Sarah angrily says "Its cos of this gold we're in this mess!". Harry then says "Just thinking" and Sarah snaps "Well don't!" but Harry then firmly tells her "Gold is a soft metal, isn't it, Sarah, so if we find a decent bit of rock maybe we can file it through!" and Sarah says to him "Well, we can't just sit here glittering can we?".

And lastly there is the moment where Harry tries to free Sarah and as he struggles says to her as he tries to prise her foot from the gold chain "I think you might be able to get your foot through now. Come on, one more pull!". So, as they keep trying, Harry says to Sarah of her ankles "Tibias, or rather fretlocks like a carthorse!" and Sarah angrily tells him "My ankles aren't thick!". And this is followed by Sarah freeing Harry from his chains and he gronas as his chains break loose and Harry says "Maimed for life!" and Sarah sharply says "Honestly I don't why you are complaining!  I got you free!".

As for the story's supporting cast, Ronald Leigh-Hunt does very well in his role as Commander Stevenson and he also has some good scenes.

For starters there is the one where Stevenson speaks bitterly of Professor Kellman after Kellman tells them they deserve a medal for "self sacrifice beyond the bounds of stupidity!". So, Stevenson angrily says to Lester "I've lost most of my crew in these last months, some good friends among them, yet a thing like that is still alive!".

Then there is the scene where Stevenson and Lester spring a trap on Kellman as Stevenson pulls a gun on him in the corridors of the station and Kellman has a gun on him also.  And as Kellman tries to back away Lester comes from behind and grabs him and seizes Kellman's gun and Stevenson says to Lester "Well done, Lester.  You walked right into it!".

Another good scene from Leigh-Hunt is after Kellman has been captured and questioned by the Doctor, Stevenson angrily glares at Kellman, disgusted by his insubordination. So, Stevenson angrily tells Kellman "As a space service commander, there are some crimes where I can order immediate execution and YOU have murdered 47 members of my crew and jeapordised our mission!". 

Jeremy Wilkin is also very good as the double agent, Professor Kellman who is working both with the Cybermen and the Vogans.

Wilkin's good scenes include his first one where Kellman says to Stevenson and Lester of their futile manning of the space station due to the plague by saying "You deserve a medal for self sacrifice beyond the bounds of stupidity!".  And later on after Kellman shows Warner to the others once the Doctor, Sarah and Harry arrive, Stevenson tells them to take Warner out of the room but the communication room must be left operational, which annoys Kellman and he spits out "Oh yes, at all costs!!" before storming out.

Then there is the scene where Kellman beams down to Voga and he is taken captive by Tyrum's aide, Sheprah and Kellman demands to speak to Vorus and Sheprah says "Vorus is no longer in charge here.  Take him away".  And Sheprah's guard grab Kellman and take him away as Kellman protests "Oh no, you don't understand.  I must see Vorus!  You're in danger, all of you!".

And in the scene where Kellman is taken to Tyrum he reveals his plan as he has been working with Vorus all along to defeat the Cybermen.  And Kellman says "We were working together.  We wanted to lure the Cybermen into a trap!" and Tyrum asks "What trap?" and Kellman shouts "The beacon of course!!  Vorus has a rocket aimed at the beacon!".  And when Kellman finally meets with Vorus he warns him that they are too late "The Cybermen have already landed!" and Vorus angrily says "What?!  Have you betrayed us?!" and Kellman yells back "Well I tried to warn you!!  Once they were on the Beacon, I couldn't delay them any further!".

And lastly as Kellman notices that Sarah has gone missing and Harry tells him she has gone back to the beacon to warn the Doctor, Kellman concerned says "If that girl reaches the beacon and starts blabbing about the rocket, the Cybermen will explode their bombs!".

David Collings is also excellent as Vorus, the Vogan leader who get's involved in a plan to destroy the Cybermen but also get's caught up in a civil war between his own people.

Collings's good scenes include when he meets with Sarah and Harry and he says to them "So, you are from the beacon. Why have you come to Voga? Was it to escape the plague?" and Sarah tells him "Yes, that's right, the plague" but Vorus angrily says "You are lying! Now tell me the truth!". Vorus then says to Sarah "When the plague had down its work there were to be four humans left alive, that was the plan! You were not among the four!". So, Vorus asks them "So, how many humans are on the beacon now?" and they say nothing and Vorus warns them "If you refuse to answer, you will suffer, and then I will ask you again and you will answer!  Do you understand?!" and Harry says "Yes. Vorus then says to Sarah and Harry "Humans are reported to have some intelligence. When Vorus, leader of the Guardians, asks you a question, it is not wise to refuse to answer". 

Then there is the scene when Vorus meets with Tyrum and they have a heated argument over their stance and Vorus's ambitions. So, Tyrum says "I know your ambitions, Vorus. I know you see Voga as a great power again, trading its gold with other planets in the galaxy" and Vorus defensively tells him "Why not?!  Why should we remain underground, cowering in the memory of something that happened centuries ago!". Tyrum then tells him that this way the Vogans remain safe and Vorus shouts "SAFE?! You have the philosophy of a cringing mouse, Tyrum!" and Tyrum tells him "And you are a gambler with a mad thirst for power!". So, Tyrum warns Vorus "That's why I no longer trust. My militia have moved into the goldmines. If there is any bloodshed, it will be on your hands!" and Vorus furiously says to Tyrum "I shall have you removed from office for this!" and he storms out. 

Another good moment is when Vorus meets with Tyrum's aid, Sheprah, once the Vogan's civil unrest has started and Sheprah says "Tyrum has given fresh orders.  My troops will hold their present positions and not attack your guild chambers" to which Vorus smugly says "He has shown sense!  Your city scum would be badly beaten!".

And lastly there is Collings last moment in the story where (SPOILER!!!!!) Vorus attempts to fire his rocket with the Doctor and Sarah still onboard and Tyrum shoots him but is too late as Vorus already has fired the rocket and in his dying breath says "My skystriker!  My Glory!".

Kevin Stoney who was always a solid dependable actor (and played Tobias Vaughan the main villain in the previous Cybermen story, The Invasion) does another fine job here as the Vogan chief councillor, Tyrum who Vorus falls out with.

Stoney also has some good moments that include the scene where Tyrum meets with Vorus and they have an argument which ends with Tyrum warning Vorus "You're men are outnumbered and the troops have orders to crush any resistance.  If there is any bloodshed, remember it will be on your hands!".

Then there is the moment where Sarah and Harry and they discuss Vorus which leaves Tyrum worried "My suspicions about Vorus are hardening into certainty. He's always had great ambition. This city we're in was once the survival chamber for our people. We've lived here ever since, unseen, and safe from further attack from the Cybermen. You know of the Cybermen?" and Sarah says "Yes, but I thought they weren't meant to wiped out ages ago". So, Tyrum ponders and asks "I wonder.  Has Vorus in the madness of a vanity brought down the vengeance of the Cybermen upon us again?" and he says to them both "You'll come with me" and Sarah asks where and Tyrum says "To the coal mines. Its time Vorus accounted for himself".

And last of all is the scene where Vorus meets with Kellman on Voga and Tyrum is with them as they discuss their plan to destroy the Cybermen with Vorus's rocket, So, Tyrum angrily tells Vorus "You're insane, Vorus! You've brought about the destruction of our race!". Vorus however tells Tyrum that he wanted to bring about freedom so they can live on the surface but Tyrum criticises Kellman's part in the plan "And this great plan was conceived in the company of such as he, a double agent, a despicable traitor, a murder of his own kind? A man whose only loyalty is to himself and the gold he hopes to win!".

William Marlowe is also good as Lester, one of the surviving space station's officers and he has some good moments as well such as the scene where he watches over Warner, who is dying after being poisoned by the cybermat.

And in that scene Lester says of Warner "Its always the same.  They just seem to burn up.  Warner's lasted longer than most" and Harry says "Strong constitution!" and Lester says "He's as tough as an old boot!".  And lastly there is the scene where Lester sacrifices himself as the Cybermen managed to stop the Doctor and Harry from attacking them with the gold, so Lester unbuckles his bomb which blows himself and the Cybermen up.

Brian Grellis does well too as Sheprah, Tyrum head of the guards and he has some good moments too such as the scene where Sheprah desparately tells Tyrum "Councillor, the Cybermen are here!".  And Sheprah says to Tyrum "They landed on the first level.  We've suffered heavy casualties and we need reinforcements!".  And when Tyrum how many of them there are Shep says "Two of them at least!  Our weapons have no effect on them!".

And lastly there is the moment where Shep warns Vorus about his men as the civil unrest between the Vogans has begun "Unless we are provoked, Vorus.  Then we shall sweep you aside!".  And quickly  

Michael Wisher also does well enough in his role as Magrik, Vorus's rather weak willed aide but it is a far cry from the fearsome and unforgettable performance Wisher gave in the previous story of Genesis of the dalek as Davros.         

I will quickly mention just one of Michael's scenes and its his first one where a dead body of a Vogan is taken to Vorus, who tells his men to bury it. So, Vorus says to Magrik "Why?" and Magrik says "Your plan frightened him Vorus. Sometimes it frightens me" and Vorus warily asks him "But would you warn the humans? Do you feel kinship?!" and Magrik says "No, its simply there are so many things that can go wrong!".

And last of all there is Christopher Robbie as the Cyber Leader who it has to be said is the weak link in the cast here as his portrayal of the Cybermen is far from logical and is far more emotional sounding and Robbie also appears to have a strange tansatlantic accent which seems a bit peculiar for a Cyberman!

Regardless of that though Robbie still has some good moments in the story such as when the Cybermen first board the beacon and use their helmet beam weapons to knock out the Doctor and the answers and the Cyber Leader says "The beacon is ours!".

Then there is the scene when the Doctor riles the Cyber Leader who stalks toward him and he says "We have enough parts in our ship to build an entirely new Cyber army.  And this time, Doctor, it will be invincible!".  And the Cyber Leader then grabs the Doctor around the throat and says "Cybermen FUNCTION more efficiently than animal organisms!  That is why we will rule the galaxy!". So, the Doctor grabs one of the Cyber bombs and the leader warns him "Put that down!" and the Doctor says "I want some information from you, Cyber Leader! What's Kellman's cut in all this?" and the leader tells the Doc "Kellman wants power. He will rule this solar system, once we have conquered it!" but the Doctor is soon re-captured by another Cyberman and the Leader tells them "Do not kill them!".

Another good scene is when the Doctor tries to attack one of the Cybermen aboard the beacon with gold but he is apprehended by one of the other Cybermen and the Doctor says "We surrender!  We surrender!" and the Cyber Leader demands the Doctor to tie Sarah up "Now tie her up.  Tie her up!".

And last of all there is the moment where the Cyber Leader and the other cybermen are about to depart the beacon when they hear about Vorus's rocket.  And the Cyber Leader says to the Doctor and Sarah "You two are especially privileged. You are about to die in the biggest explosion ever witnessed in this solar system. It will be a magnificent spectacle. Unhappily, you will be unable to appreciate it!".

DIRECTOR AND MUSIC

As for the director of the story, Michael E. Briant does a fine job here, having already directed the Sea Devils and The Green Death during the Jon Pertwee era.  Briant handles the action and pacing of the story quite confidently throughout and his prior experience on the show clearly made for a good choice.  Briant also made good use of the filming location of the Wookey hole caves in Somerset which were used for the shooting of the Vogan surface scenes and they help provide the story with some more atmosphere.

Getting onto the music well instead of using the series regular composer, Dudley Simpson, producer Philip Hinchcliffe went with Carey Blyton instead, who already previously composed a couple of stories during the Pertwee era.

Blyton's score is a bit of a mixed bag but overall its not a bad one and there are some good moments in it that add some atmosphere and tension to the story.  The score however also features additional synthesizer music by Peter Howell, who later on composed the new Doctor Who title theme in 1980 as well as for various stories from the end of the Tom Baker era until Colin Baker's era and Howell's score here isn't too bad either but overall its nothing too special either.

FLAWS

As for flaws.......well yeah Revenge isn't quite perfect and for to kick off one of the main problems with the story is the portayal of the Cybermen, which are far from menacing or being that effective especially as they have all of a sudden become far more emotional rather than logical beings especially the Cyber Leader.  Their outfits are also just a bit silly looking aswell and if you look closely they seem almost be wearing silver fabric clothing that appears to flare at the bottom of their feet!  Its almost like they want to keep the Cybermen in check with the period of the 1970s!  

The program's budget also clearly didn't allow for that many Cybermen to be used as there appear to be only three or four Cybermen in the whole story!  And the Cyber Leader also makes a silly suggestion as to how they have enough parts onboard their ship to build an entire Cyber army!  OK but how can they?!  And what just exactly what parts do they have?!  If they have just armour and helmets and no actual bodies to put in them then it hardly makes any sense does it?!  And if they are the only Cybermen in the cosmos at this point then they are hardly in any position to conquer the galaxy!

In fact Lis Sladen during the DVD commentary for The Ark in Space poked fun at this story when the actor Brian Grellis, playing Sheprah said the line "The Cybermen are here!" and he joked by saying "The Cybermen are here!  All two of them!".  And that just about sums the Cybermen up in this story, there are very few of them in number to make any real difference to the big picture.  

It also has to be said that while its a fairly decent story its still not one of the more interesting ones plot wise and the internal struggles of the Vogans comes a bit boring after a while as Vorus and Tyrum squabble.  Admittedly their spats do provide some good moments of drama as both Collings and Stoney were and are (well Collings anyway as he still lives) fine actors.  But the Vogan subplot does let the proceedings down somewhat.  

Another problem I had with the story is even though Kellman is ultimately working towards destroying the Cybermen with Vorus it seems a bit excessive that they have to devise a plan to kill off most of the space station's crew with a plague.  Surely they could have worked out another way that didn't involve killing so many crewmen onboard the station in the first place, e.g. evacuate them somehow and leave a minimal crew behind.  So while Kellman is eventually working toward  positive ends his means are really pretty nasty and as such its hard to even support him after he reveals that he is a double agent. 

And lastly surely its a bit daft that a substance such as gold would have such a fatal effect on the Cybermen in the first place!  And the Doctor only very quickly says that it somehow effects the Cybermen's breathing apparatus and it thereby suffocates them and that's basically it.  And when you look at it the gold they use in the story when the Doctor tries to attack the Cybermen hand to hand, the gold has no effect whatsoever until the Doctor loads up the Cybermat with gold and reprograms it to kill one of the Cybermen onboard the beacon.  But this also raises the question if the Cybermat is allergic to gold aswell then just how could the Doctor be able to get it working again in the first place?!  It doesn't quite sit right.  

Anyways that's it for the flaws.

SUM UP

So in summary the Revenge of the Cybermen is a bit of mixed bag in some ways but it is far from a bad story and despite its flaws the story is still enjoyable and it is helped by a strong cast, some decent action scenes and the effective use of its film location in the Wookey hole caves.  But in comparison to the other Doctor Who stories of the Philip Hinchcliffe-Baker era it doesn't quite stack up as well as that era's very best ones.

Anyway, so that's it for now and I will be back with another post before the month is out.

Till then its bye fer now!

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Review (Revisited) "YOU'RE the blind one!"

Right, well as the Oscars took place earlier this week, I figured it would be a good time to revisit one of my reviews from last year and the review is of Quentin Tarantino's latest film, Once upon a time in Hollywood.

So, I will do the usual expanding on the sections with bits of quoted dialogue and also add a bit more to the flaws and any additional thoughts etc.

So, with that said let's take another look at this film...

And the usual warning is coming up...

PLOT SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

STORY

So, the story follows two fictional characters, Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) a Hollywood actor, who was formerly the star of a 1950's TV show, Bounty Law and his good friend and stunt double, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). Dalton at this stage in his career has reached the realisation that things are on a downward turn after a meeting with a casting agent (Al Pacino) who advises him to make Spaghetti westerns, which Dalton thinks are beneath his abilities. Dalton also by this time has become something of an alcoholic and Booth as it turns out is his personal driver after Dalton has been subjected to a number of DUI's. Booth on the other hand has also had struggles to find stunt double work after rumours involving the death of his wife (which he was alleged to have killed).

We also find out early in the film that Dalton just so happens to be neighbours to Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and director, Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha) as the film is also set loosely around the Manson murders and indeed there is a scene where Manson makes an appearance looking for a record producer.  Dalton realising how ailing his career is also longs to befriend Tate and Polanski to get his career back up and running again.

However, Dalton's luck appears to take a turn for the better after he lands the role of a villain in a western TV show called Lancer where after a breakdown during his performance, he soon recovers himself and goes onto impress the director, Sam Wanamaker (Nicholas Hammond) and his co-star, the 8 year old, Trudi Fraser (Julia Butters).

Meanwhile, Booth picks up a young female hippie hitch-hiker named "Pussycat" (Margaret Qualley) and takes her out to a ranch farm where she says the rest of her family are. It soon becomes apparent that the family are indeed members of the Charles Manson family and Booth is curious to chat to the ranch owner, George Spahn (Bruce Dern) as he once worked there on Dalton's former series, Bounty Law but Spahn doesn't recognise him. As Booth leaves, he finds one of his car's wheels has a knife in it and he beats up the man responsible, "Clem" Crogan (James Landry Hebert) and forces him to change the wheel.

And from here things take a series of twists and turns for Dalton and Booth as things are set to change for both men's careers while the ever looming threat of the Manson killings are due to rear their heads...

THOUGHTS

It has to be said that I enjoyed Once upon a time in Hollywood when it first came out but I did find it a bit slow-paced at times and felt it was not one of Tarantino's better films. However on repeated viewing I really have changed my mind and enjoy the film more every time I watch it.

And after its admittedly slow start it does pick up its pacing as it goes in and Tarantino also builds on the uncomfortable troubling times of the period with the Manson murders but of course without giving anything way, Quentin certainly has his own unique take on those proceedings. The two leads characters are also somewhat likeable and have certain amount of charm even if Dalton still has a buzz of arrogance to him and Booth is a pretty impetuous guy where his bolshy attitude get's him into trouble on Hollywood film sets.

The film of course was also notable as being controversial on different fronts, particularly regarding its portrayal of the real life celebrities, Bruce Lee and Sharon Tate. Bruce Lee's portrayal in particular took heavy flak from many including Bruce's daughter, Shannon, who saw Bruce being depicted as an arrogant guy when she said he was nothing like that. Sharon Tate's portrayal was also given criticism by Sharon Tate's sister, Deborah, who saw the film as being exploitative and told lies about the real-life events.

PERFORMANCES AND NOTABLE SCENES (Warning: this section may contain spoilers and strong language!)

As for the performances, well this is of course where the film does excel as the cast are all on top form here.

Starting with Leonardo DiCaprio who is great in his role as Rick Dalton, an ailing Hollwood actor, who is worried his career might soon be over. This is Leo's second collab with Tarantino and again here he produces a great performance only this time, Dalton is a more likeable if egotistical character than his unpleasant slave owner in Django Unchained.

And Leo has his share of good scenes that include the one where near the start after Rick has his meeting with the casting agent, Marvin Schwarz and he realises his career is ailing. So, after the meeting, Rick emotionally shares his new with Cliff and he tells him "Its official, old buddy. I'm a has-been!" and he starts to cry on Cliff's shoulder, who quickly pushes him back and gives Rick his shades to put on.

So, Cliff asks Rick "So, what's got you all upset?" and Rick tearfully says "Well, if coming face-to-face with the failure that is your career ain't worth crying about, then I don't know what the fuck is!". Cliff then asks Rick "That guy turn you down?" and Rick says "No, he wants to help me get into Italian moves". So, Cliff a little puzzled asks "So, what's the problem?" and Rick yells "BECAUSE I'VE GOTTA DO GODDAM ITALIAN MOVIES! THAT'S THE FUCKING PROBLEM!" and they both get into Rick's car with Rick berating himself as they drive off.

Then there is the scene where Rick during a break in filming the TV show, Lancer, sits and reads a book sitting next to the young child actress, Trudi who appears in the show with him and he becomes emotional as the books reflects where he is at in his acting career.

So, in the scene Rick tells Trudi about the main character, Breezy, who in his day was a great bronco buster (i.e. breaking in horses) but half-way into the book he has become a former shadow of himself. So, Trudi asks him "What's happening to Breezy now?" and Rick awkwardly tells her "He's not his best anymore, in fact far from it. And he's coming to terms with what it feels like to..." and Rick holds back his tears and says "...to feel slightly more useless each day!". So, Trudi comes over and reassuringly pats Rick on the knee and tells him "Its OK, Caleb. Its OK. It sounds like a really sad book. I'm practically crying and I haven't even read it" and Rick tearfully says "In about 15 years, you'll be living it". Trudi then asks "What?" and Rick recovers himself and says "Nothing, pumpkin puss. I'm just...just teasing you". Rick then wipes away his tears and holds up the book and says to Trudi "You know something? You might be right about this book. It hits harder than I gave it credit for". 

Another good scene is when after Rick forgets his line while filming on the set of the Western TV show, Lancer, he storms back to his trailer and berates himself, yelling and crying at the same time. So, after he calms a little, he looks himself dead in the mirror and says "You show that little fucking girl. You're gonna show that goddamn Jim Stacy! You're gonna show them on that goddamn fucking set who the fuck Rick Dalton is, all right?! Let me tell you something. You don't get these lines right, I'm gonna blow your fucking brains out tonight! All right? Your brains are gonna be splattered all over your goddamn poo! I mean it, motherfucker! Get your shit together" and he steadies himself and leaves.

WARNING: BIG SPOILER COMING UP IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH!

Then later there is the scene where the Manson family members turn up to carry out their murders in an old smoking banger of a car, which grabs the attention of Rick, who storms out onto the street and right up to the driver, Tex.

So, Rick storms over to the car and yells at Tex "Hey you! Yeah, asshole! I'm talking to you! What the hell do you think you're doing bringing that noisy hunk of shit around here at midnight?! This is a private road, all right?!". So, Tex who is on the verge of taking out his gun and shooting Rick, restrains himself and says "I'm really sorry we disturbed you" but Rick yells back "Look, chief, you don't belong here. Now, take this mechanical asshole and get it off MY FUCKING STREET!".

And last of all is the final scene of the film where after Rick and Cliff have survived their ordeal with the hippies, Rick's neighbour, Jay Sebring finally says hello to Rick and asks him if everything is OK. So, Rick, still a little shaken tells him "Oh, th-these fucking hippie weirdos, they-they-they broke into my house. What do you mean, like, trying to rob you? We don't know what the fuck they wanted. Were they robbing me?  I don't know. Were they freaking out on some bummer trip? Who knows? But they tried to kill my wife and my buddy". Jay totally shocked asks "Are you serious?" and Rick says "Yeah I'm fucking serious. Now my buddy...killed two of them and then...well I torched the last one" and Jay asks "Torched?" and Ricky tells him "Yeah, I burned her ass to a crisp!". Jay then asks "So, is everyone OK?" and Rick responds with one of the film's best lines "Well, the fucking hippie aren't! That's for goddamn sure! But I'm fine. My wife's fine. We're all just a little shook up is all".

Brad Pitt next up is also excellent in his role as Cliff Boothe, Rick's good friend and stunt double to Rick throughout his career. Brad recently won the academy award for best supporting actor in the film and it certainly is a pretty good performance in his career although I would argue he has given even better performances in the past.


As for Brad's best scenes, well he has a few worth a mention starting with the one where Cliff has a flashback to when he was once on the set of a film where Bruce Lee is giving a speech about how felt martial arts is a dumbed down version of true combat and that he could make Muhammad Ali into a "cripple" if they ever fought, much to the amusement of Cliff.

So, in the scene as Bruce says the line re: Ali "I'd make him a cripple" Bruce, annoyed asks Cliff "Did I say something funny?" and Cliff with a smile says "Yeah, you kinda did!". So, Bruce pushes Cliff to answer "So, what's so funny?!" and Cliff sighs and says "Look man, I don't want any trouble, I'm just here to do a job". Bruce now really annoyed asks him again "But I'm not saying anything funny. So, what is so funny?" and Cliff finally says "What I think is...you're a little man with a big mouth and a big chip, and I think you should be embarrassed to suggest you'd be anything more than a stain on the seat of Cassius Clay's trunks!".

Bruce defensively then says to Cliff that if they were to get into a fight then he would kill Cliff as his hands are registered as "lethal weapons" to which Cliff replies "Anybody accidentally kills anybody in a fight, they go to jail. It's called manslaughter. And I think all that "lethal weapon" horseshit
is just an excuse so you dancers never have to get in a real fight!". So, Bruce then challenges Cliff to a friendly contest and no punching in the face to which Cliff accepts and says "That sounds like a great idea, Kato!".

Another good scene for Brad is when after Cliff eyes up Pussycat on the freeway a couple of times, trying to hitch a lift, he finally gives her a ride but she comes onto him pretty strong, something which he is suspicious of giving her young age.

So, as the two drive together, Pussycat bluntly asks him "Do you want me to suck your cock while you drive?" and Cliff smiles and looks at her for a moment and asks her "How old are you?" which provokes surprise from Pussycat who says "Wow, that's the first time anybody's asked me that in a long time!". Cliff then asks "So, what's the answer?" and Pussycat answers "OK. We gonna play kiddies games? Eighteen. Feel better?" and Cliff asks "You got a driver's licence? You got some ID, you know?". Pussycat laughs and says "Are you joking?!" and Cliff says "No, I'm not! I need to see something officials that verifies that your 18, which you don't have because you're not".

So, Pussycat changes tack and moves her to sit in Cliff's lap an she tells him "Yeah. Obviously,
I'm not too young to fuck you. But obviously, you are too old to fuck me" and Cliff tells her "What I'm too old to do is to go to jail for poontang! Prison's been trying to get me my whole life. It ain't got me yet and when it does, it won't be cos of you. No offense" .

Then there is the scene where after Cliff drops off Pussycat at the ranch she stays at, he effectively barges his way into the house to chat with the owner, George Spahn, who is blind and is asleep only for Cliff to wake him up. So, after Cliff is brushed off by George he heads back out and he sees Pussycat angrily standing infront of him and he says to himself "Goddamn it!".

So, Pussycat angrily says to Cliff "You embarrassed me" and Cliff says to her "Yeah, sorry about that" and Pussycat asks him "How did your little talk with George go? Are we kidnapping him?!" and Cliff walks past her and says "Not the word I'd use". So, Pussycat asks Cliff "Now that you've talked to him, do you believe everything is all right?" and Cliff tells her "Not exactly" and Pussycat angrily tells him "This is a mistake! You should leave!" and Cliff says "Way ahead of you!".

And this is followed by the moment where Cliff finds that Rick's car tyres has a knife in it and one of the Manson family, Clem is nearby grinning at Cliff, who approaches him. So, Cliff asks "You do that?" and Clem laughs and Cliff tells him "You know that isn't my car. This is my boss's car! And if something were to happen to my boss's car, I'd get in trouble. Lucky for you I got a spare". So, Cliff opens the boot of the car and takes out a spare as well as the tools to replace it and he drops them on the ground and bluntly tells Clem "Fix it!". Clem, bemused laughs and says "Fuck you!" which prompts Cliff to deck him with a single punch and he grabs Clem by his hair and punches him again. So, the girls in the ranch move to run forward and Cliff shouts at them "Come one step closer and I will knock his teeth out!!". Cliff turns back to Clem and firmly says again "Fix it!" and Clem, gasping and with blood all over his mouth asks "Can I at least get a rag to wipe my face first?" and Cliff says "Nope! Tyre first!".  

Margot Robbie is also very good in her role as Sharon Tate, who was noted as something of a B-movie actress in her Hollywood career and married Roman Polanski, who around this time had great success with his horror film, Rosemary's Baby.

And Margot plays the part very well and with a kind of youthful innocence although I do kind of feel her role was somewhat marginalised a little next to the roles of the Leo and Brad's.

Margot however still does have some good moments in the film that include the scene where Sharon has wander around the town (in LA of course!) and she happens to see a cinema showing a film she is in, so she goes over to the girl at the box office.

So, Sharon says to person "How much?" and the girl says "75 cent" and Sharon has a thought and asks "What if I'm in the movie?" and the girl asks "What do you mean?" and Sharon replies "I mean I'm in the movie. I'm Sharon Tate". The girl seems a little surprised and asks "You're in this?" and Sharon nods and says "I play Miss Carlson, the klutz" and the girl looks at the film poster and says "But that's the girl from Valley of the Dolls" and Sharon smiles awkwardly says "Well, that's me! The girl from Valley of the Dolls".  

Of course the film has a pretty big cast, so it would be difficult to describe all the players in the movie, so I will mention just a few below for the supporting cast.

Margaret Qualley does pretty well in her role as the young hippie, "Pussycat" which Booth briefly befriends and turns out to be a member of the Manson family and she definitely portrays her character as a bit of an airhead but with a great deal of unpredictability about her. Qualley herself is infact the daughter of the actress, Andie MacDowell.

And Qualley has some good moments herself such as the one where Cliff gives Pussycat a lift to the ranch where she stays however she does try to come onto him during the drive. 

So, as the two drive together, Pussycat bluntly asks him "Do you want me to suck your cock while you drive?" and Cliff smiles and looks at her for a moment and asks her "How old are you?" which provokes surprise from Pussycat who says "Wow, that's the first time anybody's asked me that in a long time!". Cliff then asks "So, what's the answer?" and Pussycat answers "OK. We gonna play kiddies games? Eighteen. Feel better?" and Cliff asks "You got a driver's licence? You got some ID, you know?". Pussycat laughs and says "Are you joking?!" and Cliff says "No, I'm not! I need to see something officials that verifies that your 18, which you don't have because you're not".

So, Pussycat changes tack and moves her to sit in Cliff's lap an she tells him "Yeah. Obviously,
I'm not too young to fuck you. But obviously, you are too old to fuck me" and Cliff tells her "What I'm too old to do is to go to jail for poontang!".

And lastly there is the scene where Pussycat angrily confronts Cliff after he barges into the ranch owner's home to speak to him (as he knew him years back when filming Bounty Law). So, in the scene Pussycat angrily says to Cliff "You embarrassed me" and Cliff says to her "Yeah, sorry about that" and Pussycat asks him "How did your little talk with George go? Are we kidnapping him?!" and Cliff walks past her and says "Not the word I'd use". So, Pussycat asks Cliff "Now that you've talked to him, do you believe everything is all right?" and Cliff tells her "Not exactly" and Pussycat angrily tells him "This is a mistake! You should leave!" and Cliff says "Way ahead of you!". So, as Cliff walks off, Pussycat shouts after him "GEORGE ISN'T BLIND! YOU'RE THE BLIND ONE!!!".

Julie Butters also provides a nice little performance as the child actress, Trudi Fraser, who acts belong side Dalton in the TV show, Lancer. And Leo and Julie both share a charming scene together while both Dalton and Trudi are on their lunch break together and Dalton reflects on his failing career.

And I will mention some of the dialogue from this scene where Rick becomes emotional while telling Trudi about the book. So, she goes over and tries to comfort him and reassuringly pats Rick on the knee and tells him "Its OK, Caleb. Its OK. It sounds like a really sad book. I'm practically crying and I haven't even read it" and Rick tearfully says "In about 15 years, you'll be living it". Trudi then asks "What?" and Rick recovers himself and says "Nothing, pumpkin puss. I'm just...just teasing you". Trudi however appears a little annoyed by the nickname and tells Rick "I don't like names like "pumpkin puss," but since you're upset, we'll talk about that some other time".

And last of all is the scene where just after Rick finishes giving an impressive performance on the set of Lancer. So, in the scene Rick is supposed to throw Trudi to the floor and after the scene is finished he get's praise from the director, Sam Wanamaker and also from Trudi.

So, the scene sees Rick ask Trudi if she is ok after he pushed her to the floor and she tells him "Oh, I'm fine. I practice throwing myself to the floor all the time" and she points to her arms and says "I wear pads". So, after Sam finishes praising Rick for his performance, Trudi walks up to Rick and pays him a great compliment and whispers in his ear "That was the best acting I have ever seen" and she leaves Rick, who is moved by Trudi's words and says to himself "Rick fucking Dalton!". 

Mike Moh despite the controversy he faced with his performance, also does very well in his role as Bruce Lee and he even manages to sound almost exactly like Bruce, if not entirely look like him. It would be fair to say though that Moh does play Bruce somewhat arrogantly here and I can see why his portrayal might have offend some people, most notably actors and people that worked with Bruce back when he was alive.

Despite this though, Moh does a pretty good job with his main scene here as Bruce speaks to a film crew on a set that includes Cliff, who is dressed up for a stunt job and is amused by Bruce's arrogant claims.

So, Bruce starts his speech to the crew by saying "When Cassius Clay meets Sonny Liston in the ring, that's not two athletes posturing.That's combat. Two men trying to kill each other right now. If you don't beat him... he kills you. That's beyond athletics. That's beyond Wide World of Sports, you know? That's two warriors engaged in combat. That's what I admire". So, one of the crew asks Bruce "So, if you fought Cassius Clay, who would win?" and Bruce says "Well, that would never happen" and the crew person asks "But if you did, what do you think would happen?" and Bruce says "I would make him a cripple" which prompts Cliff to laugh.

So, as Bruce pushes Cliff to answer what he is saying is so funny to him, Cliff tells Bruce "I think you're a little man with a big mouth and a big chip and I think you should be embarrassed to say you would be anything other than a stain on Cassius Clay's trunks". Bruce angrily then tells Cliff "You're the one with the big mouth, and I would really enjoy closing it, especially in front of all my friends. But my hands are registered as lethal weapons. That means, we get into a fight, I accidentally kill you? I go to jail".

So, as Cliff tells Bruce he thinks all martial arts is just dancing around so you don't need to get into a proper fight, Bruce says "How about a friendly contest? No punching in the face. Two out of three. Who puts who on the ground first?Nobody tries to hurt nobody, just who ends up on their butt?" Cliff stands up and smiles saying "That's a great idea, Kato!".

Dakota Fanning also has a notable albeit small role in the film as the real life Manson family member, "Squeaky" Fromme and she plays the part with a rather sinister and abrupt manner that makes hers one of the memorable performances in the movie. Fromme in real life as one of the Manson family, later attempted to assassinate US President, Gerald Ford in 1975 and went on to serve a life sentence and was released in 2009.

So, Fanning's main scene involves Cliff wanting to enter the house to speak to the ranch owner, George Spahn to see if he is OK. So, as Cliff stands at the closed door, Squeaky asks him "What's your name?" and Cliff says "Cliff" and Squeaky asks "How do you know George?" and Cliff tells her "I used to shoot westerns here at the ranch about eight years ago". So, Squeaky says "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realise you and George were so close. Well, when he wakes up, I'll tell you stopped by". However Cliff insists "I'd like to say hello now. Came a long way out here and don't know when I'll be back out this way again". Squeaky however insists "Oh, I understand but I'm afraid that's impossible" and Cliff asks "Why is that impossible?" and Squeaky tells him rather firmly "Me and George liketo watch TV on Sunday night F.B.I. and Bonanza. But George finds it hard to keep awake, so I make him nap so I don't get gypped out of my TV time!".

However, Cliff insists that he is coming in to see George and the door screen with a latch on it isn't going to stop him, so Squeaky finally gives in and says "Fine. Suit yourself!" and she opens the latch to let Cliff in. So, Cliff enters slowly as Squeaky returns to her seat to watch TV and Cliff asks her "He back there?" and Squeaky indicates with her leg "Door at the end of the hallway. You might have to shake him awake, I fucked his brains out this morning! He might be tired".  

Austin Butler does very well also in his part as the real life Manson family member, "Tex" who was one of the killers involved in the Manson murders and Butler certainly shows Tex to be a very unsettling character as the film becomes pretty intense toward the end.

And this is one of two scenes I will mention for Austin and after Tex is scolded by Rick for arriving on his street in a loud old banger of a car, Tex and his three other family member decide what to do but one of them recognises who Rick was and how he was once the star of "Bounty Law".

So, in this scene, Tex grins and says "I can't believe that asshole in the robe was Jake Cahill. When I was a kid, I had a Bounty Law lunch box! That was my favorite of all my lunch boxes!". And one of the family members comes up with the idea to kill Rick and whoever is in his house instead as a way of teaching a lesson to actors like Rick for creating shows that taught them how to kill growing up. So, Tex is impressed by the idea and he says to the others "That's a great idea, Sadie!" and to the other two girls "You two ready to kill some piggies?!" and they get out the car and head on foot towards Rick's house.

However one of the family members chickens out and flees in the car leaving Tex and the others stranded without means to get back home. So, one of the members asks Tex "What do we do now?!" and Tex says "We do what we came to do! And when we're done, we split up and hitch home. Any more questions? Hm? Okay, pig killers, let's kill some piggies!".

So, in the second scene, Tex and the others break into Rick's house and find a spaced out Cliff, who had not long ago smoked a cigarette laced with LSD and as Tex points his gun at him, Cliff says slowly "Can I help you?". And as Cliff asks a crazed looking Tex "Are you real?" Tex replies "I'm as real as a doughnut, motherfucker!" which prompts Cliff to give a crazed laugh himself and Tex laughs along with him. And Cliff asks Tex what his name and Tex crazily answers "I am the devil and I'm here to do the devil's business!". 

WARNING: BIG SPOILER COMING UP IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPHS!

Emile Hirsch also provides a good performance in the film as Jay Sebring, who was the former boyfriend of Sharon Tate and was also one of the murder victims in the Manson family killings. Sebring himself was a hair stylist who had befriended Sharon Tate and went on to become good friends with both Tate after they split and Roman Polanski.

And I will mention Hirsch's last scene where after Rick and Cliff have their encounter with the hippies, Jay asks Rick if he is OK.

So, Jay asks Rick "I'm Jay Sebring. I'm a friend of the Polanskis. You're Rick Dalton, right?" and Rick says "Yeah, I'm Rick Dalton". Jay then jokes "I tease Sharon that she lives next door to Jake Cahill. If she ever wants to put a bounty on Roman, she just has to go next door, right?" and Rick smiles and says "No shit!". Jay then asks incredulously "What the fuck happened?" and Rick explains how the hippies broke into their home and Cliff killed two of them and he torched the other one with his flamethrower. So, Jay asks him "How did you do that?" and Rick says "Well, believe it or not, I've got a flamethrower in my tool shed!" and Jay clicks that Rick kept it from a movie he once did "Oh, from the Fourteen Fists of McCluskey, right?" and Rick smiles and says "Yeah, that's the one".

Al Pacino does pretty well too in his brief role as Marvin Schwarz, a casting agent who convinces Dalton to make Spaghetti westerns. Again this is no more than a cameo role with Pacino and given its a pretty big cast, I guess Pacino had to be squeezed in there somewhere even if he doesn't headline the film himself.

So, I will quickly mention Pacino's main scene at the start of the film when Schwarz meets with Rick who tells he now just plays a bunch of heavies in TV shows. And Schwarz asks Rick "So Rick, who's gonna kick the shit out of you next week? Mannix? The Man from U.N.C.L.E.? The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.? How about Batman and Robin? Ping! Pow! Choom! Zoom! Down goes you, down goes your career as a leading man". 

And last of all is Kurt Russell, who plays the part of Randy, a fictional character who works at Hollywood and had a serious dispute with Cliff Booth as he suspected him of murdering his wife (i.e. Cliff's not Randy's!). Russell also acts as the film's narrator but his narration doesn't come into the film until much later on.

And I will mention Russell's main scene where Randy expresses his disapproval of Cliff to Rick of having him work on set as a stunt double due to the reputation he claimed after rumours of Cliff having killed his wife.

So, Randy says to Rick "Rick, I don't dig him and I don't dig the vibe he brings to a set" and Rick asks "Come on, what? Is there some old beef between the two of you?" and Randy bluntly says "Oh come on! The dude killed his fucking wife!". So, Rick says to Randy "Oh come on! You don't believe that old shit, do you?" and Randy tells him "Yes, Rick, I do. And I work with my wife, and she believes it. She doesn't want his creepy ass around". However Rick manages to persuade Randy to take Cliff back on as a stunt double.

So, after this Randy goes out to Cliff and says to him "Okay, you fucking horse's ass. Let's get you over to wardrobe!" and Cliff grins and get's up from the trolley he was sitting in. So, as they walk together, Randy says to Cliff "Now, I'll put you in wardrobe, but you don't stunt, I don't pay you" and Cliff thanks him for the opportunity and that he won't let him down and Randy asks him "You remember my wife, don't you?" and Cliff says wearily "Yep!" and Randy tells him "Yeah, well steer clear of her". 

DIRECTOR 

As for the writer/director, Quentin Tarantino does an excellent job overall although I do admit I think he has over-stuffed the film with some unnecessary moments here and there that I will mention a bit more in the flaws section. Tarantino of course isn't afraid when it comes to history to embellish on certain things, so if you think you are going into this one expecting a slice of real life then you are sure to be disappointed!

MUSIC

As for the film's soundtrack, again its a mixture of popular tracks of the time during the 60's from artists and bands such as Deep Purple's "Hush", Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs Robinson", Vanilla Fudges's "You keep me hanging on", Neil Diamond's "Brother's Love Travling Salvation Show" and Jose Feliciano's "California Dreamin". Its pretty much what you would expect from Tarantino in his period films, so its a decent mix of tracks that fit the period.

FLAWS (This section may contain spoilers!)

As for the film's flaws...well yep it does have some however I won't really go into them in any detail given that it is a new film.

So, for starters what I would say is that the film's running time at 2 hours and 40 minutes is just a bit too long and the film certainly does feel a bit flabby and on first viewing it did take me a while to get more into it. And by that I mean there are scenes such as Brad Pitt making dinner for himself and his dog and later on where he goes up onto the roof to fix Dalton's TV aerial but this scene in itself is just an excuse for Brad to take his top off, so Tarantino could presumably have Brad show off his abs for the ladies!

I also felt that the film does take quite a few liberties with the truths and facts surrounding the Manson family murders but again I don't really want to go into this one just now but suffice to say you won't walk out of the cinema thinking you saw a fully accurate account of those events! What I will say is that Tarantino is no stranger to embellishing certain things and he is certainly guilt of that here just like he did in Inglorious Basterds (that film is the truth of what happened! Really! ;-)).

I also felt that some of the film's characters were pretty annoying at times such as Pussycat, who is just an over excitable airhead for the most part, who is more than eager to try and get into Cliff's pants (almost literally at one point!).  However that doesn't take away from Margaret Qualley's fine performance as Pussycat and she at times maybe unfairly got more attention in the film for showing her unshaven hairy armpits than anything else!

And further to this there are also some pretty naff exchanges going on between certain characters in the film later on that kind of made me a cringe a bit especially the exchanges between the Manson family members as they discuss their plan to kill Rick. And this is especially noted in the moment where one of the members comes up with the idea and says "Woaaa! Dig this!" as it just comes across as being really cringing and nerdy as they briefly have a fan-nerd moment over seeing Rick before deciding they should kill him instead.  

I also found the film's use of narration somewhat strange as it appears closer to the end of the film as we suddenly hear Kurt Russell's voice come out of nowhere! I mean, if they wanted to include narration why not keep it a bit more consistent in the film rather than just slap it on near the end, which to me made little sense why it was even needed in this case. It also highlights the false events that took place the night of the supposed Manson murders and as the film takes liberties with what happened, the narration just feels that bit more pointless.

I also have to say I found it a bit silly how Cliff was able to go toe to toe with Bruce Lee in a martial arts contest as he expertly blocks all of Bruce's hits like he was a martial artist himself! So, yeah that part really didn't ring true to me at all however you could maybe argue that as a flashback perhaps this is how Cliff remembers events that happened than what actually happened. But then again I do also find it a bit incredible to think that Bruce Lee could possibly have made Cassius Clay a cripple! 

And last of all just what is it with Tarantino and his fetish showing people's feet?! I mean the guy has quite a few of the cast members throw their feet up throughout the film such as Sharon Tate in the cinema and the Manson family at the ranch while watching TV. Hell even Squeaky indicates to Cliff where George Spahn is with her foot! So, yeah its a bit annoying the way in which Tarantino insists on keeping his foot fetish going in this film as its not like he's done it enough already! 

Anyway that's it for the flaws.

SUM UP

So in summing up and on having seen the film several times since its release, Once upon a time in Hollywood for me is a real return to form for Quentin Tarantino and one of his best films in years after the somewhat lackluster Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight (well imho anyway). The cast are all on top form and the film is filled with plenty of 60's nostalgia and Quentin's love of the period obviously comes through here as well. Tarantino also expertly raises the tension throughout the storyline involving the Manson family, which gives the viewer a sense of unease over what might happen as it progresses.

And yeah OK perhaps the film is a bit overlong and slow paced in places and yes of course it does take liberties with the truth as well and yep it does make out Bruce Lee to be like an arrogant a-hole but if you can look past all that this is still a film that I would highly recommend checking out.

Right, that's it for now and I will return hopefully soon with another post.

Till then its bye fer now!