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Once Upon a Time in America

R 1984 2h 19m Crime Drama List
86% Tomatometer 56 Reviews 93% Audience Score 50,000+ Ratings
In 1968, the elderly David "Noodles" Aaronson (Robert De Niro) returns to New York, where he had a career in the criminal underground in the '20s and '30s. Most of his old friends, like longtime partner Max (James Woods), are long gone, yet he feels his past is unresolved. Told in flashbacks, the film follows Noodles from a tough kid in a Jewish slum in New York's Lower East Side, through his rise to bootlegger and then Mafia boss -- a journey marked by violence, betrayal and remorse. Read More Read Less
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Once Upon a Time in America

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Critics Consensus

Sergio Leone's epic crime drama is visually stunning, stylistically bold, and emotionally haunting, and filled with great performances from the likes of Robert De Niro and James Woods.

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Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael New Yorker It isn’t just the echoing moments that keep you absorbed. It’s those reverberant dreamland settings and Leone’s majestic, billowing sense of film movement; the images seem to come at you in waves of feeling. Sep 13, 2023 Full Review Paul Attanasio Washington Post The movie's four hours long, but no one had the time to write a single real character. Jan 4, 2018 Full Review Gary Arnold Washington Post This would-be epic schlep, dragging almost 50 years of chronology over a sluggish 140 minutes, is far too slight of text and ponderous of presentation to sustain more than nodding-off dramatic interest. May 5, 2017 Full Review Dennis Harvey 48 Hills A bad movie at any length, swimming in the syrup of Morricone's score. But hey, some call it a masterpiece. Jul 12, 2024 Full Review Toussaint Egan Polygon Once Upon a Time in America is a tremendous work that captures the animating ambition and sorrow at the heart of the American Dream. Oct 22, 2021 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...sprawling subject matter that's employed to admittedly erratic yet often striking effect by Leone... Rated: 3/4 Feb 16, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Bahad j In my opinion, I felt that the movie was very good, behind all this, the filmmaker was able to come up with the right festive details to congratulate the members of the behind-the-scenes team. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/11/24 Full Review Audience Member Great epic American story during the prohibition told along personal stories of the gangsters of the time. Such a treat to see so many great actors working together in their prime. Well worth watching if you can manage the time. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/16/24 Full Review Tibor F 12 minutes into the film and literally nothing is happening. So... skipped the film. Long, mega boring films might have been good ages ago, when you were stuck in a film theater with your girlfriend/boyfriend, but seriously, who is going to waste his/her time when there are literally 20 other films just a click away? Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 05/03/24 Full Review Christian K Incredible score (goat) and production design, I have never in my life seen a film that lingers on shots and dialogue more than this one. I'm overall mixed on this while remembering the good more than the bad. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/20/24 Full Review Alec C This is a story of the pursuit of the American dream and the fallout that happens because of it! A group of young friends get involved in organized crime and slowly rise up the ranks, only for it to all come crumbling down after a massive betrayal leaves only one of them alive to deal with the aftermath. Sergio Leone crafts a crime epic that portrays itself as a Shakespearean tragedy with a memorable cast of unknown greats that maintains its legacy long after it's done! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/02/24 Full Review Giorgos A The Greatest Movie Of All Time! Period! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/16/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Once Upon a Time in America

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Movie Info

Synopsis In 1968, the elderly David "Noodles" Aaronson (Robert De Niro) returns to New York, where he had a career in the criminal underground in the '20s and '30s. Most of his old friends, like longtime partner Max (James Woods), are long gone, yet he feels his past is unresolved. Told in flashbacks, the film follows Noodles from a tough kid in a Jewish slum in New York's Lower East Side, through his rise to bootlegger and then Mafia boss -- a journey marked by violence, betrayal and remorse.
Director
Sergio Leone
Screenwriter
Harry Grey
Production Co
Warner Brothers, Embassy International Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 12, 2015
Runtime
2h 19m
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