Review of Once Upon a Time in America (1984) by James F — 26 Apr 2010

I suppose the easiest way to describe Once Upon A Time in America would to be to perhaps call it a Jewish version of the Godfather, but that comparison would be to do it a dis-service. Its an apt comparison, similar in both its epic scope and vision but its far a more self contained story than The Godfather Trilogy.

Once Upon A Time In America tells the tale of four tough young street kids growing up in old New York, told through a series of flashbacks as seen through the eyes of David 'Noodles' Aaronson, played excellently by Robert DeNiro. An old man now, he returns to the roots of his old life, taking the viewer on a journey through Prohibition era NY as the four youngsters grow up making money through smuggling, speak easy's and various other heinous crimes.

James Woods plays Noodles best friend Maximilian 'Max' Bercovicz in this world of the roaring 20's. A driven guy, Max seems desperate to make his mark on the world, Noodles however, is intent on protecting him and keeping him in check, reigning him in until when the Volstead act passes, and the gang realise the money made from ilegal liquor is going to disappear, Max plots a scheme to make them all richer than they ever dreamt.

Much like the Godfather part 2, Once Upon A Time flashes back and forth between the timelines of present day and 20's America, blending together to make the story whole. What turns out to be Noodles simple attempt to come to terms with his past life snowballs as he makes a discovery that reveals a huge part of what he believed to have taken place many years ago, is nothing more than a hollow fallacy. To say any more would be to rob you of the twists and turns the film takes you on and that would be unfair.

It surprises me that Once Upon A Time In America isn't mentioned in the same breath as some of cinema's other great crime/gangster masterpieces. At nearly four hours long and over 10 years in the making, its certainly not a film for those with short attention spans however. But its a compelling movie, with a strong cast (including Joe Pesci, Jennifer Connelly), twisting plot and great musical score.

Apparently there are 3 different cuts of this movie. From what I understand, the studio took the final cut out of director Sergio Leone's hands and put it all in to chronological order, disrupting it spectacularly. The real version, now officially known as the directors cut, plays out as Leone wanted however, and this is the version that needs to be watched as the way it unfolds makes far more sense.

If you're a fan of gangster flicks and you've got the time on your hands, check this one out, its not up to the standard of The Godfather or Goodfellas and it is long but it's certainly worth the time you'll invest. I don't think its really been given the respect it deserves and as Sergio Leon's final film, it may even be his best.