Greatest gangster film ever

Rating: Null/10 (8 May 1999)

According to Jack Nicholson the late Stanley Kubrick "gave new meaning to the word meticulous". If that is true then Leone must have redefined the concept of profundity. It is very easy to eulogise about the narrative structure of this epic masterpiece but that would be at the expense of noting the simple things. De Niro's subtle and expressive stares into the past particularly noticable during the 1968 sequences when he returns after his lengthy absence are aweinspiring. Within that shot Leone illustrates - through De Niro's gaze - the effect of all that he has been through in the 35 years since his departure. To have conveyed a feeling such as this once in a film is a great thing indeed but to produce this feeling twice is nothing short of phenomenal. Noodles responds to Fat Moe's query about what he has been doing for the last 3 decades: "Going to bed early". Here the gaps in Noodles story are filled with one simple exchange so whilst the grandeur and majesty of the story should not be overlooked there are equally great things which proliferate the film but are much less noticeable.