Review of Once Upon a Time in America (1984) by Mark W — 16 Mar 2010
Many good gangster films have been made over the years, notably The Godfather parts I & II, Goodfellas, Carlito's Way, Donnie Brasco and some would even say Scarface, but this is definately the classic of the genre by the great Sergio Leone.
Leone is better known for his spaghetti westerns and brings his same style to this.
Robert DeNiro is excellent as usual and James Woods gives his best performance yet as his on-edge friend and ambitious partner in crime.
The film spans several decades of Jewish mafia life told in present day and flashback. Once all the pieces begin to fit together it is quite heartbreaking in it's telling, with brilliant use of music from Ennio Moriconne.
Probably one of the beat films I've ever seen and sadly Leone's last.
Epic and Powerful. A definate *****. Mark.
This review of Once Upon a Time in America (1984) was written by Mark W on 16 Mar 2010.
Once Upon a Time in America has generally received very positive reviews.
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