Great Ending, Great Acting, Great Pace

Rating: 8/10 (18 November 2005)

If Noodles had killed Max, I would take it as an epic; but he didn't, so I took it as a life-story which happened tens of years ago.
I saw the movie on last Saturday. If I have seen this movie 5 years ago, I will be very excited. But now not. People seeing too many movie are readily to be sick of movies which are designed deliberately. Just not so easy to be excited.
If it has a dramatic ending, I guess, I will throw the movie into garbage can, and never mention it again. But it ends quietly, just as I wished. Whatever ever happened, let it go when it is gone. That is life, not just a story,
So the ending changed my review of the movie. It touched me. It hit the sad half of my heart.
I love the acting of Robert De Niro in this movie. I have never realized more that he's such a great actor. Also love the pace of the movie. You may hate it, but it is great. It is that kind of pace that makes you feel sad, but not heartbroken.
I read some introduction about this movie before. I knew there was a turnover in the movie. So I was guessing who was the bad guy since the start and made the right choice. 'Max'! Other guys were not very strong here, and Max was ambitious. Ambitious people tend to be bad.
Though not surprised, I still feel sad for Noodles. He was a great guy, but he spent almost ten years in the jail for revenging for his friend, and more than 30 years in regret for protecting his friend. I was happy at last he didn't kill 'Max', otherwise he would lose the last years in his life. I still feel sad when thinking of what he said at the start, 'you can always tell who is the winner, who is the loser.'
BTW, the little girl was acted by Jennifer Connelly, he-he, I recognized her at first sight. Such a lovely little girl.