Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

• Year: 1984
• Released: 01 Jun 1984
• Country: Italy, United States
• Adwords: Won 2 BAFTA 12 wins & 12 nominations total
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087843/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/Once_Upon_a_Time_in_America
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/once-upon-a-time-in-america
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English, Italian, French, Yiddish, Hebrew
• MPA Rating: R
• Genre: Crime, Drama
• Runtime: 229 min
• Writer: Harry Grey, Leonardo Benvenuti, Piero De Bernardi
• Director: Sergio Leone
• Cast: Robert De Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern
• Keywords: murder, new york city, rape, gangster, 1960s,

	8.3/10
	75/100
	87% – Critics
	93% – Audience

Once Upon a Time in America Storyline

With the vivid memory of his long-gone childhood friends Max, Patsy, and Cockeye etched in his mind, his ferociously loyal partners-in-crime during their rise to prominence in New York’s Prohibition-era Lower East Side, the defeated, penniless, and guilt-ridden former gangster David “Noodles” Aaronson returns to Manhattan. Not knowing what to expect on his mission to shed light on his opaque past, grizzled Noodles reunites with his only living friend Fat Moe after 35 haunted years of self-exile. However, the relentless, piercing sound of culpability stands in the way of finding closure, as the inscrutable content of a well-worn leather suitcase further complicates matters. And now, against the backdrop of a torn conscience, the sad, bittersweet recollections of more than 50 years of love, death, and everything in-between become inextricably intertwined, leading to even more puzzling questions. But what are a man’s options when he is left with nothing?

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Once Upon a Time in America Movie Reviews

A sprawling, deliberately paced, and generally a superbly crafted piece of work

It’s been said that when one watches a “spaghetti” western (one of the “Man with no name” films with Clint Eastwood) filmmaker Sergio Leone’s trademark cinema style and flair for clear storytelling is instantly recognizable. This is no truer than in his most ambitious effort, Once Upon a Time in America, in which his usage of close-ups, concise camera movement, sound transitions and syncs, and the sudden change in some scenes from tenderness to violence. And, he pulls it off without making the viewer feel dis-interested. Of course, it’s hard to feel that way when watching the cast he has put together; even the child actors (one of which a young Jennifer Connelly as the young Deborah) are believable. Robert De Niro projects his subtitles like a pro, with his occasional outburst in the right place; James Woods gives one of his first great performances as Max; Elizabeth McGovern is the heart of the film; and Joe Pesci should’ve had more than just a one scene appearance, thought it’s still good.

It’s a story of life-long friends, in the tradition of the Godfather movies with obvious differences, and the story cuts back and forth to Noodles (De Niro) in his old age returning from exile, looking back on his childhood in Brooklyn, his rise to power with his partners, and the twists come quite unexpectedly. The pace is slow, but not detrimental, and it gives the viewer time to let the emotions sink in. The story is also non-linear, and yet doesn’t give away facts to the viewer- this is something that more than likely influenced Tarantino (and many others) in style. By the end, every detail that has mounted up makes the whole experience rather fulfilling, if not perfect. Finally, I’d like to point out the exceptional musical score. Ennio Morricone, as it says on this site, has scored over four hundred films in forty years, including Leone’s movies. This would have to be, arguably, one of his ten best works- his score is equally lively, saddened, intense, and perhaps majestic for a gangster epic. Overall, it’s filled with the same spirit Leone had in directing the picture, and it corresponds beautifully- there are some scenes in this film that would simply not work without the strings. Grade: A

Once Upon A Time In Schmaltz Land

De Niro plays himself in a laughably amateur rendition of Godmother or something. The plot is too asinine to describe but be sure the hero saves the day against all odds and despite numerous fatal injuries .. for himself. Bad acting, horrid scripting, a dog-tired plot and a dramatic cliché waiting to jump you like a ninja, every 5 minutes.

The film was histrionic, continuously looping, cluelessly slow/long and generally speaking so utterly drab, I’m honestly baffled the project ever got off the ground.

I gave it an hour (and that was for the nubile chicks).

I noticed several compared this to “The Godfather”….though I think this is a bit of hyperbole.

Before I get to talking about the film overall, I think I should point out to anyone who wants to see “Once Upon a Time in America” that it is a very graphic movie. While it’s rated R, it’s a ‘hard R’–and I could almost see it getting an NC-17 if shown today–especially when much more benign films like “A Dirty Shame” was recently given the NC-17 distinction. In the film, you’ll see closeups of a guy peeing, lots of blood, a kid on toilet, lots of teen sex, a very, very explicit rape, and a closeup of a guy getting shot in the eye. This is not necessarily meant as a criticism (after all, this is a gangster film) but you cannot ignore this when you discuss the film.

This film is a long and VERY deliberately paced epic film about a small group of men in the Jewish mob. I say deliberately paced, as the famed director, Sergio Leone, took a very, very slow approach to the film. To me, this was a good and bad thing. On one hand, it was beautiful– the camera-work was great and the look of the film was striking. On the other, the film was nearly four hours long YET most of the characters seemed underdeveloped and vague. In many ways, this makes it reminiscent of Leone’s “Once Upon a Time in the West”–but I think “West” had a tighter story and more clearly understood characters. The film also was much like this earlier Leone film due to its musical score by Ennio Morricone–though the extensive use of Zamfir’s panpipes did set the film apart. For me, I loved and disliked the film at the same time. I sure can respect it–but also was depressed that the film never seemed to completely gel.

One aspect of the film I would like to talk about and that is the rape scene. If you see the film, you’ll know exactly which scene I am talking about. Part of me liked it because it tended to say that although DiNero’s character seemed nice compared to the other thugs, he STILL was a vile thug down deep. And, making the rape so intensely realistic further clarified that this was NOT a sex act or sexy–it was violent and vile. On the other hand, I sure felt uneasy seeing such a super-violent scene begin portrayed THIS vividly–it could easily shake you up or cause strong reactions in rape victims viewing the film.

By the way, early in the film, Jennifer Connelly says ‘Pesach’. This is the Jewish word for ‘Passover’.

Also by the way, the makeup was often brilliant. DiNero was aged magnificently by the makeup artists. On the other hand, Elizabeth McGovern’s makeup late in the film was pathetic–especially when they slapped on harlequin-like makeup to try to hide the fact that she STILL looked very young. This was sad–especially because in this same scene, DiNero looked 30 years older than her.

Overall, I think there’s a lot to like and a bit not to like about the film. I think that it is a bit overrated–and reviewers that say it’s just as good or better than “The Godfather” should maybe back off a bit on the hyperbole. It is NOT another “Godfather”….and the only film that MIGHT get away with that claim is “The Godfather II”. “Once Upon a Time in America” is worth seeing but is also very flawed–and a bit confusing, most likely due to the studio hacking out major portions of the film.