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@tvnerdaran
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Once Upon a Time in America is one of my favourite films of all time. It’s a deeply moving, elegiac and boldly poetic yet brutal tale of crime, gangsters, politics and history, as it tells the tale of two childhood friends David “Noodles” Aaronson (played by Robert De Niro), and Maximilian “Max” Bercovicz (played by James Woods) who rise to power during the Prohibition era and amidst the rise of gangsters and organised crime in America.
The film has everything that a great film should have. It has amazing writing, directing, acting, music, cinematography, editing, production design... the film has it all. But most importantly, it has deep and underlying themes of life, death, love, lust, friendship, betrayal, loss, grief, regret, mourning, greed and violence.
I love gangster films, with many classics of the genre such as The Godfather, The Godfather Part II and Goodfellas being amongst my all time favourite films. But this film is different from all of them. Unlike the former three, this film does not seek to glorify gangsters or sugarcoat their behaviour in any way. Whereas The Godfather films depicted them as respectful, almost aristocratic men of honour, and Goodfellas glamourised their lifestyle as cool, Once Upon a Time in America on the other hand, is a bleak, mournful and haunting tale of the true ugliness of these people and their lifestyle. In this film, gangsters are depicted as vicious and violent scumbags, killing people and abusing women as they please without a second thought. This film is the only gangster film I know of that shows them and their lifestyle for what they truly are, and in all of its sheer ugliness and brutality.
This film also examines morality and regret, as the evil deeds that these gangsters commit haunt their conscience and result in them living in pain and torment for the rest of their lives. It’s one of the few gangster films that associate regret and mourning with this wretched lifestyle. It is perhaps the most honest gangster film I’ve ever seen.
There is something truly special about this film. It has career-best performances from both Robert De Niro and James Woods, stunning direction from Sergio Leone, a poetic and haunting score from Ennio Morricone, and gorgeous and lush cinematography from Tonino Delli Colli. It is one of the most moving and powerful films I’ve ever seen. It uses all elements of the cinematic language to create a stunning masterpiece, and because of that, Once Upon a Time in America is in my opinion, one of the greatest pieces of cinematic art ever produced.
By @tvnerdaran
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