Review of Once Upon a Time in America (1984) by Anthony M — 12 Jun 2009
As opposed to The Godfather making three movies to show the whole saga from beginning to end, Once Upon a Time in America attempts to do this in a single film. That is a very risky move. There is a shorter version but that is nothing compared to the complete version so please try to watch the latter.
It is the story of several Jewish childhood friends living in New York and their ascent into the mafia. The movie works in flashbacks that DeNiro has later in life. Since the film tries to cram in five decades of material, the story is extremely complex and every decade there is a new story.
These characters change with age as they start as kids and become adults. It really can be pretty hard to follow but even if you don't fully understaand one part, you will probably find yourself deep into the story of the next part.
There are tons of characters and subplots so you really have to keep track of all these things to make the ending payoff. This was Sergio Leone's final project and you can tell that he put all of his heart into this movie.
It may even be his best. It is surely his most ambitious. Please ignore the length of this film and try it out.
This review of Once Upon a Time in America (1984) was written by Anthony M on 12 Jun 2009.
Once Upon a Time in America has generally received very positive reviews.
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