Leone's epic, breathtaking, tragic masterpiece - one of the greatest films ever made

Rating: 10/10 (11 December 2007)

Once Upon A Time In America (1984)
Top 2 - 1984
Top 10 - 1980s
Top 100 - All Time
Sergio Leone's 'Once Upon A Time In America' is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. A beautifully crafted film following the lives of a gang of friends who grew up together in the Jewish Ghetto of Lower East Side in 1920s New York and gradually become involved in organised crime.
The film, in its full glorious cut of 220 minutes is a vast and intense experience; graphic in nature but powerful and heartbreaking in its deep and profound message. I have not seen the 139 minute cut, which is the slaughtered American version, but I cannot imagine 80 or so minutes of this cinematic masterwork being removed or altered.
1921. 1933. 1968 - Those are the main dates that the film flashes back and forth from.
1921 - The year that the friends meet and start their petty illegalities. It is also the year in which 'Noodles' goes to prison for killing a gangster who shot his friend and a policeman who was violently beating him.
1933 - 'Noodles' ends his 12 year sentence and is warmly greeted by his old friends, who have established a solid business in the underworld, mainly with the import and sale of alcohol, which was illegal at the time of the Prohibition. It is also the year where three of the friends die.
1968 - 'Noodles' comes back from hiding after 35 years in Buffalo he returns to New York to find out what happened and what is going on, until he realises a shocking truth that changes the whole direction of the film...
Director Sergio Leone's one main weakness was the ability to wrap up a picture of average length. The film is an astonishing 3 hours and 40 minutes, but for once, Leone's persistence in making long films pays off. Each second of the film is important. This is an enormous achievement.
FRIENDSHIP. LOVE. HONESTY, TRUST. BETRAYAL. DEATH The film seems to follow a route similar to the one above; from the early years to the late ones, nothing seems to end on a positive note. Ironically 'Once Upon A Time' does not end with 'They All Lived Happily Ever After'. We do not seek this. This is no little film that aims to entertain, sadden and then make the audience leave satisfied at the end. This film is a grand tragedy, a powerful journey, a harrowing study of humanity.
The film starts and ends in an Opium Den of a Chinese Theatre, where 'Noodles' is in hiding from the Mafia. There is a theory that David 'Noodles' Aaronson is just revisiting his past and visualising his future as he spirals into a dream like state from the opium. I myself doubt that this is the truth, since such discards all the elements of the film, its psychology, relationships and destructive characters.
This is definitely a cinematic treasure an important film that is powerful and personal, tragic and beautiful - it is no surprise that Sergio Leone is so highly respected among many critics and filmmakers. In my opinion his best film and one of the top 100 films of all time.
10/10