Leone Doing What He Does Best

Rating: 8/10 (8 May 2019)

Leone helms a virtuous epic film in the crime / drama genre. This film has excellent direction, screenplay, editing, cinematography, score and acting. There are many famous artists involved in this film and they deliver superlative and realistic performances. De Niro and Woods in particular are superb. The plot revolves around a former gangster, Noodles, who returns to New York after disappearing four decades earlier to start a new life and for other reasons. The plot initially hints as to why Noodles left New York, but after his return we learn the entire story as seen through his own flashbacks. We see Noodles and his friends growing up in a Jewish slum in New York's Lower East Side. Noodles, a natural leader, rises to bootlegger and ultimately a Mafia boss. This does not come without violence, betrayal and remorse. The film does a magnificent job examining all of the characters and what makes them tick. The plot is gripping, intense, violent, gritty, bloody, duplicitous and has a cathartic ending. This is a sprawling story and thus turns into a lengthy and entertaining film which Leone is known for to begin with. It is a masterful work of art, memorable, timeless and a classic. This film takes a different path, as far as the storyline, than most traditional gangster films which is refreshing. This viewer has revisited this film many times and in my opinion it is bravura in it's genre and holds it's own with the other celebrated gangster / mob films.