A masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (4 November 2018)

It's a film that is an epic gangster and friendship story all in one. Sergio interweaves timelines with the finesse of a master and all the acting is superb.
The film starts in earnest with the cast as children. The friendship built up at the start makes the developments throughout the film that come all the more heartbreaking. It also shows both a real and gritty side to New York and the adolescents themselves. These are children from effectively the ghetto and it doesn't hold back on showing that.
What's also brilliantly done is the rivalry between the two leads Deniro and Woods, but also the great friendship and love each of them has for each other.
This film though is also a gangster film and what's so well done here is it shows the whole spectrum of a gangster's life. So you see the consequences of their choices which you rarely see in one film.
Then there's the actors themselves. This us one of Deniro's best films as noodles is a very flawed and human character. He is both a monster and relatable in the same breath.
James Woods is also exceptional. He is the best friend and protagonist all in the same breath. Theirs very much a sibling vibe to his and Deniro's relationship.
Then there's McGovern who is the escape for and potential downfall of Deniro's character all at once.
The child versions of all these characters are also brilliant especially the young Jennifer Connelly.
The final main character is the music. It sets the scene so well and conveys some of heartbreak and the joy just as well as the actors.
Overall the film is epic in every way and deserves any plaudits it gets. One of the greatest films of all time.