A cold masterpiece to warm your heart.

Rating: 10/10 (1 August 2004)

This is one of the greatest stories ever told. Every time I see this wonderful movie I enjoy its special blend of melancholic romanticism and bitter, ruthless violence.
Once upon a Time in America is neither fast-paced nor impeccably plotted, and it doesn't make you feel good, right then and there. The hero wins nothing, only grows old. This movie isn't easy to love. You see it once and you start asking yourself why Noodles doesn't make it back to New York before the late Sixties. How come he doesn't care about his money enough to track down his enemies. If it's really possible never to hear about Deborah becoming a famous actress and a star. These are the plot's shortcomings, the creases that should be ironed out. On the other hand, some character contradictions can be explained. You know Noodles dug a deep hole and buried himself in it for 35 years, because he tells you and you also get it from the tone of his voice and the way he moves. Then you see him young again, rejected by the only woman he's passionately loved. His woman, as Max still calls her in their final conversation. You see Noodles lose the friends who shaped his entire world and his very existence, and bear that responsibility upon his shoulders. He's alone and weary. He feels he can't shake off his ghosts with a gun in his hand, having had his fill of killing.
Max always surprises Noodles. He soon learns what makes him tick and is secretly in competition with his partner in crime. Max's feelings haven't been straightforward since the day the two met. He terribly needs to put his life as a gangster behind him, to find success in the legitimate world. On the contrary, Noodles couldn't care less about all that. Our romantic hero is reasonably happy with what he's got or, better yet, he doesn't think there's a lot more out there for him to take. He's only aware that he can't have Deborah, the girl who never ages in his loving eyes. Nothing would ease that pain. Then he's cheated out of the money by Max, the sad, sad traitor. When the two guys meet for the last time, it's hard to say which one is the loser. Max has suffered more. He's horribly missed his old friend and now needs to show him his guilt and accept his penance. At that point, though, Noodles cannot be forced to rewrite his life history. He doesn't believe another version of the truth will help him. "We're old men, Senator Bailey, all we have is our memories. If we lose that, we'll have nothing left."
We just learned a hard lesson. As our past poisons our present, truth doesn't have roots on firm ground. We'll live with sorrow and there's not a lot we can do about it. Are we ready to accept it?