Nostalgia and Melancholy.

Rating: 9/10 (5 April 2005)

This movie is not on par with The Godfather part 1 and 2. Nor is it as good as Goodfellas. I find that Leone's flawed masterpiece is to self indulged with it's epic status to be thought of in the same way as those three movies. Which is not to say it's bad - lets just say it has to settle for 4th place.
The story is a sprawling one, not to dissimilar to The Godfather part 2, where we see the account of Noodles, a hood in Prohibition New York. It is relatively simple to follow, the story flicking from child hood gangsters, to the sadness of old age, looking back on being young. Memories come flooding back to the characters, and the effect is astonishing. Leone creates layers slowly as the film goes on to make a deep insight into Noodles life. Much like the slow build up of Once Upon a Time In the West - where we learn why Charles Bronson was brooding for so long - the same effect is done here, but in a more subtle manner.
The movie is violent. Not like the Goodfellas violence, or the stylised killing of the Godfather, instead this film seems more immoral and brutal. Children having sex on the rooftops of New York, corrupt cops, rape scenes, shootings (the one through the eye being a good one) - this film really pushes it, but never gets too violent. Just play time for gangster film buffs! Running in at nearly 5 hours long, the film is surprisingly easy to watch - the story just flows by because it's told so well. The story does go off at a tangent sometimes, telling little tales of the kids when they were gangsters - sometimes mere padding for this "epic" tale. But damn it, is this the saddest gangster film I've seen! The acting is superb. De Niro is flawless as Noodles - his eyes carry with them the memories of old - it really adds great depth and ambiguity to the film. James Woods is charismatic as Max, being totally believable and at the same time, totally despicable (as a character!). The women are all on great form too, McGovern and Weld giving layered performances. The kids in the movie coped well with the material, but some of the lines they deliver were terrible - but hey, they're just kids, they kid a fantastic job otherwise!
This is so much more different than the other gangster films. It is much more of a sad film, concerned with nostalgia and the sadness of remembering times past. The violence is there, but is subdued by the epic story and sadness conveyed. Goodfellas and Godfather still stand supreme, but this movie is really unique.
A flawed masterpiece.