Sergio Leone's grand ambition.

Rating: 10/10 (26 February 2006)

After so many years of westerns, Sergio Leone made "Once Upon a Time in America", about several friends forced to abandon their loyalty as they age. This is one of those movies that's too hard to simply describe; you really have to see it to understand it. And you may be disappointed if you expect something exactly like "The Godfather"; they are gangsters, but they're Jewish, so that changes things a little.
If absolutely nothing else, this disproves the notion that we have nowadays that historical epics are always pieces of drudgery (blame "Alexander" for that stereotype). "OUATIA" is the sort of movie that could only star people like Robert DeNiro. It also stars James Woods, Joe Pesci, Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams, and Jennifer Connelly (in her debut), and they all do a great job. This movie is a masterpiece in every way. But don't take my word for it; see for yourself.