Once Upon A Time In Hollywood: Ranking Every Major Performance

Tarantino has always had something of a gift for crafting suspenseful sequences. While people rarely think of him as a horror director, some of his greatest films (see: Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Death Proof, The Hateful Eight) have been thoroughly rooted in Hitchcockian suspense-and-tension-building filmmaking.

Seeing as Once Upon a Time in Hollywood frequently feels like a Great Movie Ride of sorts through Tarantino's catalog and various influences (this is very much a compliment, it fits the film's glitteringly nostalgic tone perfectly), it's only fitting that it features a standout suspense sequence that may very well do down as one of his very best, in the form of the Spahn Ranch setpiece.

It is here that Dakota Fanning shows up in a reserved performance that kind of steals the entire sequence. As Cliff Booth investigates the ranch and it's Manson Family inhabitants, growing increasingly suspicious, Fanning's Squeaky is the titular bomb under the table. Even before we see her face, she is the dominating force of the scene (introduced via feet because of course, she is). By the time Cliff makes his way to her and Squeaky is officially introduced on-screen, Fanning has already built up an immense amount of tension and anticipation through her vocal performance alone.

Her scene with Pitt features a chilling and calculated performance from her which sees her raising the hairs on the back of your neck without ever having to move a muscle. It is extremely impressive.