Once Upon a Time in America

Starring: Robert De Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Joe Pesci, Burt Young, Tuesday Weld, Treat Williams, Danny Aiello, William Forsythe, Jennifer Connelly
Directed by: Sergio Leone
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
1984

Times Seen:
Tim: 1


Summary: An aging Jewish gangster (Robert De Niro) reflects back on his violent, troubled life and the close friends he lost along the way.

Review:

Tim: I understand why so many people love Once Upon a Time in America- it is a massive, sprawling epic of gangster life throughout a turbulent time in American history. It is a movie created by Sergio Leone, the master of the spaghetti western, and he brings quite a few of those characteristics to this film. This is definitely a unique gangster movie, while also paying tribute to the many that came before it. There is definitely a lot to like about this movie- however, I disagree about the film's greatness. I think it has some fatal flaws that pull it down.

I feel bad for this movie, because of its difficult past. Sergio Leone created a 227 minute movie that received rave reviews at the Cannes Film Festival. However, it was chopped to pieces and rearranged chronologically for U.S. audiences, clocking in at 139 minutes. This is absolutely absurd, and it is no wonder that this movie was critically maligned. It is unfortunate, because this movie cost it any chance of being nominated for Academy Awards. I can't imagine why anyone would want to watch the 139 minute version- the 227 minute director's cut is the only one to see.

That being said, I think the longer version is still flawed. While I wouldn't dream of cutting 80+ minutes, at nearly four hours long, this movie is a bear to get through. While Leone keeps the film moving for the most part, there are still some major areas where the film dragged. Leone includes all these seemingly inconsequential scenes that just drag on and on, and ultimately impact the movie very little. I hated the telephone ringing for nearly four straight minutes at the start of the movie. This was annoying and pointless, in my opinion. I also could have done with less of the De Niro coffee stirring scene, although I understand the intent (on the other hand, I absolutely don't believe the cupcake scene should have been cut- this was a beautiful, unforgettable scene and I loved it). Leone let this film become bloated and self-indulgent. I am all for nearly four-hour movies- if the time is used wisely. This film oftentimes wastes our time by prolonging itself for no good reason.

One of this film's strengths is the cast. Robert De Niro is always good in gangster movies, and he was the right choice to play the lead here. I thought he mostly did a good job, but I was bothered by his tendency to sit staring straight ahead, statue-like, while other people are talking to him. It was almost comedic how he wouldn't answer, but just sat, lost in his own world. This might have been making a point about his character, but it didn't exactly make for good entertainment. James Woods is good because he is so over-the-top and enjoyable in his own crazy way. I thought Woods and De Niro worked well together. Elizabeth McGovern was fine, but I firmly believe there were dozens of other actresses in Hollywood who would have been better. I also liked seeing Joe Pesci, but I wish he had more to do.

Pesci brings up another flaw of this film. Sergio Leone's original movie length was over six hours, which he understandably cut down to the 227 minute version. This absolutely had to happen, but a number of those cut scenes were probably important to the overall movie. There are still some noticeable gaps in the story. Near the end, the camera pauses on Pesci, as if foreshadowing some important event coming up- and then, we never see Pesci again. This isn't a major flaw, but it is an example of the gaps that made this feel like a slightly uneven, unfinished movie.

Perhaps my favorite part of the movie was the hour long flashback scene to when De Niro and friends were young children, growing up in the Lower East side. This is when the movie comes alive, and these moments are nothing short of brilliant. Had the entire film contained the energy, beauty, and power of these scenes, this would have been one of my all-time favorite movies. I have to believe this extended scene is one of the greatest flashback scenes ever filmed. I truly loved it. It was nice seeing Jennifer Connelly in her feature film debut, but all of the child actors did impressive work. This was my favorite part of the movie, as there are so many classic, unforgettable moments. Unfortunately, the scenes of the middle aged characters and the old ones didn't have nearly the same amount of effectiveness. This is where Leone tripped up in trying to create his masterpiece.

Another reason I struggled with this movie is because I know that Sergio Leone was trying to out-Godfather The Godfather. It is no secret that Leone regretted passing up the chance to direct The Godfather, so a few years later, we was determined to create his own gangster movie. Knowing that makes you look at this film differently, and although Leone created a massive epic, it doesn't have nearly the same amount of passion or expert movie-making that defined those movies. This one just does not compare.

I know that many people love Once Upon a Time in America, and I know they have their reasons. There were certain parts of this movie that I felt were truly an honor and a privilege for me to watch. However, the movie as a whole has some serious flaws, and its impressive scope and length does not make up for these. I am amazed at what Sergio Leone created here, but I can't love it. There were many parts of this movie that people loved that I simply didn't get. Plus, the whole "is it really all an opium dream?" twist is stupid and I won't even acknowledge it as a valid argument. So, in the end, Leone definitely created something here, but I believe it falls far short of what he was aiming for, and as a movie, I think this is a good one- but you don't spend four hours watching a good movie. You needed greatness here.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Godfather trilogy, Goodfellas