Number 80 on the top 1000 greatest films of all time is Sergio Leone's epic crime-thriller Once Upon a Time in America.
Leone's sprawling venture into the mobster genre encompasses three separate narratives centring on David "Noodles" Aaronson (Robert De Niro) leader of a group of Jewish gangsters during Prohibition era. The first narrative is set during Noodles' childhood, as he and his friend rise up the ranks to form a small gang of their own. After Noodle goes to jail, for avenging the murder of one of his friends, the rest of his friends form a business to boot-leg alcohol, which Noodle joins when he is released from prison in 1930. The final narrative takes place in 1968, where Noodle returns to his old neighbourhood after decades of being away.
Sergio Leone originally wanted to release this film in two three hour long installments, but after the studio denied his request, he instead release one three and a half hour film. This is the version that I watched. There also exists a two hour European cut, but as this was a critical and commercial flop, I decided to stay clear of it. For a three and a half long film, it was surprisingly easy to follow. Sure at 210 minutes, the pacing wasn't entirely even and I did get bored at moments, but these moments were few and far between. I felt that the three and a half hour run time gave this film a chance to breathe. It delved deeply into each character's backstory and developed them into something other than the Corleone-esque gangster figure. It was really interesting seeing the growth of these young boys and the loyalty that they demonstrated towards each other.
Once Upon a Time in America is the third in Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time trilogy after Once Upon a Time in the West and Once Upon a Time...A Revolution. Whilst I haven't seen the latter, I found Once Upon a Time in America far easier to follow than Once Upon a Time in The West. The first two narratives dovetailed each other nicely and it was easy to see how the second narrative is a continuation of the first one. Although, the third narrative was a little more difficult to follow, as there were thirty year , rather than twelve, separating this storyline from the previous one. This caused a big disconnect and make it a little harder to follow what was happening.
Once Upon a Time in America also felt painstakingly accurate. From the costumes to the location to the dialogue and props, everything seemed authentic. This added to the brilliant realism of the film and helped to bring everything to life.
One of the best aspects of the film was how it objectively portrayed the life of Noodles and the other gangsters. It doesn't romanticise their actions, like the The Godfather does, but rather allows the audience to come to their own decisions. From the outset, it is obvious that Noodles and his cronies are bad men. They're cheats, thieves, rapists and murderers. Their actions aren't celebrated, but documented. It is left to the audience to make up their own minds. Are Noodles and his men parasitical, murdering criminals? Or are they emasculated, alienated men to survive in the only way they know how? I'll leave you to think about that.
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