Gunsmoke and mirrors

Rating: 10/10 (22 November 2009)

To call Sergio Leone's opium-scented labyrinthine gangster epic 'a bit of a downer' would be both an understatement and an injustice to this remarkable, cinematic tone-poem, relating how organised crime played a role in shaping Modern America. It's true, this is a very long, very sad film encompassing child murder, prostitution, graphic rape, terrible betrayal, and the weary recollections of a pathetic, broken old man. It's also unmistakably, tremendously alive, and alert to the possibilities of narrative (non-linear) and form (pure artistry in every frame). Often, it makes The Godfather look like an episode of The Bill. And, at its close, contains a shot at something like redemption. Though, like the opium den to which Robert De Niro's mobster retreats, that too may all just be smoke and mirrors.