Once Upon A Time In Hollywood: Ranking Every Major Performance
10. Kurt Russell As Randy
In the later phase of Tarantino's career, Kurt Russell has become something of one of his regular players. After first appearing in Death Proof, Russell has gone on to have a starring role in The Hateful Eight and play a crucial role here in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
As the on-screen Randy, it's a ton of fun to see Russell get to chew some scenery alongside actors like Pitt and DiCaprio. His confrontation with Rick Dalton about how he's uncomfortable with using Cliff because of his checkered past is one of the film's subtlest moments and it is so affecting because of Russell's nuanced heel-turning performance.
Sadly, the film doesn't have a ton of time to allot to Randy (or his cameoing scene-stealing wife, played by ludicrously talented and endearing real-life stunt legend Zoë Bell). Tarantino goes the extra mile to make up for this by having Russell as the on-again/off-again narrator of the fairy tale narrative, which Russell is clearly having a lot of fun delivering.
Overall, Russell's just so godd*mn good in it that he leaves you wanting more from him, which is never a bad thing.