Review of Once Upon a Time in America (1984) by Ben M — 07 May 2010

I am going to say this in all seriousness, as a passionate fan of gangster movies, I liked this better than the Godfather... I know it is a sin but I will stand by my opinion I LOVE THIS MOVIE! Sergio Leone (most widely known for his spaghetti westerns) created his masterpiece only to have the bastards in the studio tamper and cut it down to "better suit the moviegoing audience"...yeah total BS. But now it can live and breathe in its original almost 4-hour span and BOY DOES IT BREATHE!

This movie takes the dramatic intensity and legendary cinematography of Godfather-like quality but also eminates a sort-of raw and street-level point of view you would see in a Scorsese picture. This movie follows a couple of Jewish hoodlums who rise to become some of the most powerful gangsters in all of New York. The first half of the movie takes you through the kids' rise beginning as pick-pockets and errand boys in the Jewish community. Compared to these kids, La Cosa Nostra looks like the boy scouts. These kids stab eachother and savagely beat competitors before they are 13. The movie is not for the faint of heart with graphic violence and sexual assaults galore the movie is sometimes hard to watch but for some reason is so enticing you can't look away.

As the second half culminates the childhood gangsters soon get into dirtier and more-profitable business including smuggling, theft, murder... I could go on. You really get a sense of the depth of the characters as "Noodles" ( a very underrated performance by Mr. DeNiro) and Max ( a very strong performance by James Woods) as their friendships are questioned when Noodles wants to keep up the usual business and turn out enough money to live comfortably and Max wants to move on to greater prospects. The last scenes as the bond is broken were heartbreaking to say the least as they drifted away with the lamenting and recurring pan flute playing in the back, I had to sit back and take it in.

Visually, the movie is restored beautifully with the colorful and vibrant city streets brought back to life. This is has become one of my favorite movies of all time and those who haven't seen it should take part in this epic and underrated American classic.