Reflections on a turbulent life

Rating: 6/10 (18 March 2017)

Stylish, perceptive and violent crime drama from director Sergio Leone, an epic-scaled adaptation of the book "The Hoods" by Herschel Goldberg (aka Harry Grey) about the lives of four gangsters in the years 1921, 1933 and 1968. Former street kids from the Jewish ghettos of Manhattan's lower East Side graduate from petty crimes and bootlegging to robbery and rape, to providing muscle for a union boss. Initially crippled by the film company's decision to hack the U.S. release print down to 2 hours and 15 minutes (the current extended director's cut runs 4 hours and 18 minutes), "Once Upon a Time in America" took many years to garner its now-sterling reputation among admirers of the gangster genre. Still, even in its mammoth original state, the wan subplots involving the ladies (Elizabeth McGovern as an actress and Tuesday Weld as a lascivious moll)--and a penchant for vulgarity and the exploitation of women in general--lessens the overall impact of the tale. The art direction, the score (from Ennio Morricone), the cinematography (by Tonino Delli Colli) and Leone's rhythm are each florid and outstanding in their individual respects, while the performances by Robert De Niro and James Woods (and, in a smaller dimension, Joe Pesci) are dynamic. **1/2 from ****