Review of Once Upon a Time in America (1984) by Hardeep P — 12 May 2012

A marathon masterpiece. Different from the typical Leone-style of western films, this is a novel-esque, visually bold & non-linear narration of the lives of two gang members spanning over decades. The transitions during the time travel are superb and neat. The movie slows down at various intervals just to instill blatant entertainment with intrinsic awe.

After redefining the western genre through his earlier flicks, Leone now redefines the gangster-flick genre. And manages so easily to leave you mesmerized. Epic in terms of length and direction.Leone's direction is visionary as always and hypnotic and so is De Niro's acting. Jennifer Connelly looks so beautiful as a 14 year old in her debut movie. James Woods gives a career-defining performance too. Do not dare to ignore the movie only because of the length.