Stunning in Every Way

Rating: 10/10 (5 June 2003)

Rating * * * 1/2

Sergio Leone made no movies from 1975 until this film came out... and it was his final classic. Before, he had virtually created the Spaghetti Western-- along with Clint Eastwood and composer Ennio Morricone. In fact, Leone turned down the chance to direct "The Godfather" in order to make this.
And he made a true masterpiece.
The plot is, as usual for Leone's films, extremely complex. It starts in 1933, flashes forward to 1968, then back to the earliest days of the 1900s. It concerns four Jewish friends who are involved in crime even as children. They stay friends until adulthood, when two of them, Noodles (Robert de Niro) and psychotic Max (James Woods) begin to have differences, though they were the closest as children.
It's hard to think of anything wrong with this film. There is one, however. It goes on for 227 minutes. Not that it's ever boring. It just has too much of a few things. Example: was all the stuff with prostitutes absolutely necessary? Still, the fact that you can still respect Noodles after he rapes a woman is one show of Leone's brilliance.
Other than too much sex and violence, there really isn't much wrong with this film. It did certainly deserve its R rating (for more than just those reasons), but it is still a classic.
The performances are outstanding. De Niro and Woods are two of the best film actors alive today. De Niro matched Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in "The Godfather Part II," was incredible in "The Score," and was absolutely hilarious in "Meet the Parents." These are only three of his best. But Once Upon a Time is America is his best. Ditto for Woods, who actually saved one of Sylvester Stallone's worst films, "The Specialist," with an incredible performance. And this here is his best.
Some of the scenes are truly touching, others horrifying. The final half-hour, where an aged Noodles tries to find out who ruined his life thirty-five years earlier. The final meeting between Noodles and Max is one of the best filmed scenes ever.
Still, it would not be a classic without Ennio Morricone's score. He is probably the best one out there, and this is probably his best. It is absolutely beautiful and one of the greatest film scores ever.
Also helping is the incredible production design. It really captures the period, nearly as well as the score.
This crime drama is stunning in every way. Every way.
How this did not sweep the '84 Oscars is beyond me.
This is a true masterpiece, and Leone's last.
You have to see this film.