Once Upon a Time in America Review: Leone's Sprawling Gangster Elegy
9/10 — Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Pros
- Morricone's score
- Epic scope and design
- Strong De Niro and Woods
Cons
- Disturbing assault scenes
- Demanding structure
Robert De Niro plays Noodles, a Jewish gangster returning to New York decades after betraying his friends, with the story moving between three time periods. Sergio Leone spent years on the project.
What works
The scope is vast, the period recreation is exquisite, and Ennio Morricone’s score is heartbreaking. De Niro and James Woods are superb, and the dreamy structure turns the story into a meditation on memory and regret.
Where it falters
There are a couple of deeply uncomfortable scenes of sexual violence, and the long cut is dense. The non-linear structure takes effort.
Verdict
Ambitious, sad and beautiful, though difficult in places.
