This might be the best movie ever.

Rating: 9/10 (29 October 2004)

Of course it's very hard to make up the minds of someone else. That's why there are always some rough discussions being held about the rating of a movie. Everyone has a personal opinion, and you have to respect that. Besides that it IS possible to rate a movie on technical aspects. You may not like a film, but in a good movie there are always things you do like.
Once upon a time in America is a fantastic movie. At least that's my opinion. The story is fantastic, because you're following three different threads, which in a way has much to do with each other. The Godfather Part II, another favorite of mine, tried to amuse the audience with two threads, and it succeeded very well. The huge difference of the Godfather II is it's speed, it's rhythm. I know a couple of people that don't like it, and that's because it's too slow. But not by far as slow as Once upon a time in America. That's probably one of the main reasons it's not being loved as much as other great films.
You have to like Leone's style, but his Westerns are admired, although they're very slow too. But in a way I think people didn't expect it in a Mafia film, and did in a Western. Leone plays with switching to another storyline in this movie, and he does a fantastic job. The way some remarkable objects (the missing brick, the wall at the station) are used to remark a flashback is extraordinary.
Another good aspect of Leone is that his scores are composed by Ennio Morricone since A Fistful of Dollars. Good music is the thing that gives a movie more weight, and makes you remember it. And again in Once upon a time in America Morricone succeeded compose one of the best scores ever made for a movie.
Unfortunately this movie was way too long for theaters, so they made the biggest mistake possible. Instead of dividing it in two pieces, they deleted an amazing amount of scenes, what raped this movie. The latest DVD release will hopefully give some of it's beauty back, because this movie is a masterpiece. The only movie I've seen that could compare with this is The Godfather Part II, in style and supremacy. If you don't like slow movies, it's a pity, because a movie like this will not be made anymore. And perhaps that's good, as almost every succeeded movie has an equivalent or remake. Once upon a time in America still is a unique performance.