Rated:
R
Runtime: 3 Hours
and 47 Minutes
Reviewer:
Dale
Grade: A+
Sergio Leone is a god. That's all there is to it. There is no disputing
this. It is a fact. He has taken a subject that has never really fascinated
me all that much (gangsters) and made it come alive. He has made it
live and breathe in a way that other filmmakers have not quite accomplished.
He has created the greatest mob epic that one could ever possibly
hope for.
"Once Upon A Time in America" is the story of four very
close friends. They grow up together in the same section of New York,
doing odd jobs for local hoods until one day they decide that it is
time for them to have their own gang. Why work for others when they
could be doing it on their own?
They start their own gang, and it becomes a great success. So much
so that the rival gangs try to dissuade them from business. Quite
forcefully, in fact. This does not work, and the boys grow to manhood,
only to learn that one of them has involved them with an Italian mobster
as well as some shady men who are with the Labor Union.
This movie is truly amazing. The sets are fantastic and beautiful.
The production designer should be commended. Ennio Morricone's music
is beautiful and adds poetry to the action, as does every Morricone
score. The camerawork is a sight to behold, taking a location we have
seen many times before (New York) and a subject we are not unfamiliar
with (the mob) and finding fresh angles and approaches to it. The
city has never looked so beautiful. It still looks a bit grimy, but
it is also beautiful.
But the transitions in this movie. Wow. I have never seen such a flawless
use of editing. This movie is exceptionally well-paced. It may be
close to four hours long but unless you have a clock close to your
television, you would never know. Half an hour of this movie moves
like ten minutes of any normal film. This film flows, secure with
its story, assured of its characters, and with a solid destination
in mind. Not a scrap of film is wasted.
And I have not even gotten to the performances yet! Robert Deniro
has played a gangster many times before, but never as well as he does
here. His roles may resemble one another on the surface, but he finds
a way to make each character distinctive. He finds a way to breathe
life into the people he plays every time, and he does it effortlessly.
James Woods also does a commendable job. He is great when given a
great role, and often just all right in a movie like "The Specialist".
Well, he has a great role here and he owns it. He stops being James
Woods and becomes this man. He is superb.
Another great thing? The tone of the film. Movies like "The
Godfather" often approach this subject with a sort of somberness
that just makes the whole affair too detached for my taste. Coppola
places the mob on a plateau above normal people (well, that's my impression,
at any rate) and makes it hard to relate to the people and situations
involved. But Leone does a remarkable job of showing the inalienable
humanity of his characters and letting us relate to them. We may not
agree with some or any of the things they are doing, but we can see
where they are coming from. We can see why they are the way that they
are and we can understand them. It would be impossible to stick with
this film for four hours, no matter how pretty it was or well it was
made, without that one vital spark.
In short, "Once Upon a Time in America" hooks you from the
very first frame and does not retract the hooks until four hours later.
It is a mesmerizing, poetic, haunting and all-around brilliant bit
of filmmaking.
And that is why Leone is a god.