Once Upon a Time in America

A drawn-out macho mafia saga that gets old as the characters become sparser and the dialogue becomes shallower. There are flashes of Leone's brilliance, of course, but the film is generally similar to Morricone's music. It's quite impressive, but too familiar; the Pan almost kills even the phenomenal Picnic at Hanging Rock. It turns this festival of plaintive glances by human exclamation marks into a nostalgic museum exhibit of a film world that fortunately belongs to yesterday. (01/02/2023)

Once Upon a Time in America is a capriciously simple and fragmented film. And yet I was greatly impressed by it. Whenever I think of Morricone’s central motif, a feeling of warmth washes over me joined by visions of the silhouette of the greying Robert De Niro, the young and beautiful Jennifer Connelly and the enormous Brooklyn Bridge. Once Upon a Time in America is both tough and tender, but is primarily a beautifully poetic film that will slowly unfold in your thoughts and take on greater importance with each passing day. (07/04/2004)

Once Upon a Time in America was a film that Sergio Leone had been preparing for many years and was supposed to be the culmination of his work. In reality, it turned out to be a major disaster and probably shortened Leone's life by a few years. Finding a producer was already extremely difficult because, with Leone's well-known meticulousness, the costs were dangerously high. Moreover, the film was incredibly long, especially for the standards of the early 80s. The producer simply couldn't imagine that a four-hour epic would be acceptable to the audience, and since in the United States the producer is practically the owner of the film, he dealt with it in his own way. He cut it in half and released this butchered version in movie theaters. Because Leone's story takes place in multiple time frames, the crude interventions resulted in a debacle that the critics tore apart and the audience jeered. The film became one of the worst flops of the decade and, considering the high costs, it meant the actual end of Leone's directing career. He never experienced rehabilitation until his death, which came six years later with the release of the original director's cut. Yes, it is very long, but at the same time, it is very captivating, professionally shot, and grandiose. Over time, film fans and professional critics have evaluated Leone's film as one of the most significant in American cinema. For many actors, it was the pinnacle of their film careers, although in some cases, admittedly, somewhat premature (Elizabeth McGovern). Overall impression: 90%. (01/08/2008)

Although many comments try to do it, Leone's gems with the poetic "Once upon a Time" in the title are completely incomparable. In his masterpiece, the Master has included almost every genre. I found classic crime schemes, tough gangster action, heart-wrenching drama, and despite its harshness, also a strong and sincere romance, all with a subtle veil of social criticism. When watching the director's cut, I cannot imagine a single scene that I could miss. I am listing the individual aspects here, but the power of this monument cannot be described with words. (04/13/2006)

Sergio Leone breathtaking again. I don't know if it’s true that the script took 12 years to develop, but looking at the final quality and refinement of this film, I could easily believe it. The 220 minutes run like a well-oiled machine, the actors perform like clockwork, and Ennio Morricone contributes another unforgettable soundtrack. All this accompanied by a monumental story that manages to grip the viewer so tightly that there is no chance of release before the closing credits. Leone weaves the three storylines very nicely, giving the viewer space to become as attached to the characters as possible and to take in the atmosphere of the prohibition era in which much of the action takes place. But it’s only at the very end that we realize how beautifully all of that has worked all along, and what a wonderfully compelling and thoughtful work we have just had the privilege of seeing. And that’s where I see the greatest magic of Once Upon a Time in America. (07/31/2012)