Review of Once Upon a Time in America (1984) by Michael S — 03 Sep 2014

Coming of age tale, all boys' adventure, tragic romance and gangland fairytale all rolled into one, Sergio Leone's mafia epic has it all. Sure, the running time will have you feeling as if you've literally been with these characters their whole lives, but when said characters are genuinely fascinating, who cares?

Leone treats every frame with precision and squeezes every last drop of emotion from his scenes, perfecting moments of sustained tragedy and blissful sanguinity. In short, it's a multi-faceted masterpiece with a double dose of rape and misogyny on the side. Event cinema not for the faint of heart or weary of eyes.