Once Upon A Time In Hollywood: Ranking Every Major Performance
1. Brad Pitt As Cliff Booth
While Margot Robbie achieves a greater thematic weight and cinematic synchrony through her performance, Leonardo DiCaprio gets more capital-A acting moments in his, and Butters and Sayuri are the film's most effectively brilliant scene-stealers, it is in fact Pitt's understated performance as Cliff Booth that ultimately takes the cake.
It's been a decade since Pitt last appeared in a Tarantino film (see: 2009's Inglourious Basterds) and even longer than that since he and long-time collaborator David Fincher worked together (see: 2008's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). In that intervening time, Pitt has given some interesting performances (see: Tree of Life, Killing Them Softly) but they've rarely reached the euphoric heights he had previously.
In this way, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a genuine return to form for Pitt. Looking even more like a reincarnated Robert Redford than ever before, Tarantino practically weaponizes Pitt's persona, legacy, and physicality for the role of Cliff. The result is a performance that is endlessly compelling to watch.
Whether he's speeding along the highway, eating Kraft's mac and cheese at home with Brandy, engaging in backstage fist-fights with Bruce Lee, or beating members of the Manson 'Family' to a pulp, Pitt imbues each aspect of his performance with such understated power and weight.