A great film. A true classic.

Rating: 10/10 (6 March 2011)

Once Upon a Time in America is a great film. A true classic.
Once Upon a Time in America is a great film. A true classic. A grim and sometimes confusing fairytale with gangsters. The film can be ugly and (deliberately) confusing, but is also mesmerizing and beautiful.
Avoid if you want to see a traditional gangster film or a fast paced action film. See it if you are willing to view a film that offers no definite answers, features ambivalent characters and has a dreamlike representation of time and memory.
The movie is full of historical detail, but at the same time an interpretation of the myth of this period in American history (20's and 30's of the 20th century). Likewise, the story is not always realistic but an interpretation of what has happened, of what might have happened and perhaps of what is going to happen.
Some scenes are very unpleasant, but necessary to explain the true nature of the characters and the world they live in.