In his final outing behind the camera, spaghetti Western director Sergio Leone branches out in this 1984 American crime drama...
In his final outing behind the camera, spaghetti Western director Sergio Leone branches out in this 1984 American crime drama starring Robert De Niro and James Woods. Based on Harry Grey's novel The Hoods, it chronicles the lives of Jewish ghetto youths who rise to prominence in New York City's world of organized crime.
In 1968, the elderly David 'Noodles' Aaronson (De Niro) returns to New York, his stamping ground of the '20s and '30s. Most of his old friends, like long-time partner Max (Woods), are long gone, yet he feels his past is unresolved. Told in flashbacks, the film follows Noodles as he climbs the ranks in the Lower East Side, eventually becoming a powerful mafia boss - a journey of violence, betrayal and remorse.
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Where to watch Once Upon A Time in America
87 %55 reviewsRotten Tomatoes® rating
93 %75,341 reviewsAudience score rating
"A disappointment of considerable proportions."
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Variety
Variety"Sergio Leone's languid, lovely and lengthy ode to Lower East Side mobsters (more specifically, mobster films) ..."
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Time Out
Time Out"A lazily haullucinatory epic that means to encapsulate approximately 50 years of American social history into a single film."
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The New York Times
The New York Times"There are times when we don't understand exactly what is happening, but never a time when we don't feel confidence in the film's narrative."
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Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert"As one would expect from Leone, the film is a brilliant stylistic accomplishment."
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Hollywood Reporter
Hollywood Reporter"Melancholy gangster film, expertly played and heartbreakingly rendered."
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Empire Magazine
Empire MagazineOnce Upon A Time in America | Details
Award winner- Winner of Best Costume Design and Best Score, BAFTA Awards 1985.
- Rating
- R18, Medium level violence, Medium level sex scenes
- Runtime
- 229
- Genre
- Drama
- Country of origin
- USA, Italy
