Rating: 
Summary: A truly sprawling and layered film.
Review: "Once Upon a Time in America" is an epic tale of friendship and loss. A group of young hoodlums operates in New York City. They grow into professional gangsters during the Prohibition era. Their life of crime inevitably leads to tragedy. While not as wildly entertaining as Director Sergio Leone's bold and brawny "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly", Leone is to be commended for having the will to make a crime drama as patient and contemplative as "Once Upon a Time in America". Those expecting a pulse-pounding action film, like "The Untouchables", will be sorely disappointed. "Once Upon a Time in America" is explosively violent and harsh at times, but it is generally a quiet, meditative, and reflective film. The period detail is exquisite and is nicely complimented by the very moving musical score. Leone utilizes his impressive vision and scope to really bring the various time periods to life. Every member of the cast turns in a solid performance. Robert DeNiro's character is one of great ambiguity and mystery. DeNiro effectively plays him with quiet strength and emotion. Elizabeth McGovern and James Woods give strong supporting performances as the two key people in DeNiro's life. The scenes that depict the main characters as children offer great emotional resonance in the sequences when the main characters are adults and make the decay of their friendship all the more powerful. "Once Upon a Time in America" is a truly sprawling film which demands several viewings to unearth its many layers.
Rating:
Summary: Once Upon A Time in America
Review: There's lots of action for the men, and a love story for the women.......but don't let the children watch. Lots of violence and sex. I really enjoyed the music score. Excellent acting and beautiful music. The reason for 4 stars and not 5?.....the excessive use of flash backs made it confusing.
Rating: 
Summary: The Best Cast but the Worst Movie. Dull,Slow,and Useless.
Review: I saw a preview for this movie and I went out and bought it the next day. I had never heard of it before. I heard Robert De Niro, James Woods, and Joe Pesci were in it and I said this movie will be great. I own all the classics like Godfather, Goodfellas, Casino, and more. The performances from the actors were great but it was not worth sitting through. I think this movie was one of the worst movies I've seen. I only give it credit for the acting. I don't know why the hell everyone raves about this moive and says this is better than Godfather. Every scene is exaggerated and some scenes don't even make sense. There were two rape scenes that went way to much into detail and was not needed in the plot. Pesci's role should be called a cameo. They say him and Burt Young are in the starring roles but they have maybe five minutes tops. I really hope you take my advice because I thought this movie was a classic film that I would treasure. It is totally misleading. I am Big, Very Big, De Niro fan but this movie was so dull. The director also wasted way too much time focusing on the charcters as children. I should have never just assumed this film was good because I was dead wrong. This film is way too long and maybe has 90 minutes total of significant scences that affect the plot. I don't know why they evn realeased this film on DVD. It should have been thrown into a vault and burned in hot, burning lava. This film was a total waste of money and time. I am still grieving over the four hours of my life I wasted. I was so dissapointed and upset by this movie I had to watch The Godfather three times to cheer me up. Please take it from me if you like De Niro like I do check out some of his better films, which means everything else hes ever done.
Rating: 
Summary: Work of Genius
Review: This is by far one of the greatest movies of all time. It is bloody, dirty, sad, depressing, sexual, funny, clever, and just wonderful to watch. It feels like you are actually in New York in the 20's and early 30's. It is long, but it does not seem so since there is so much going on. I am so pleased I bought this dvd.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT STORY - CUTS TO THE BONE
Review: SHOULD HAVE WON BEST PICTURE - ONE OF THE TOP TEN MOVIES OF ALL TIME
Rating:
Summary: An Art Form On Film.
Review: No film made on the subject of gangsters can possibly match this one in terms of pure artistic quality.It has to be the finest of the genre.Sergio Leone has offered us a very rare and wonderful portrait of what it must have been like to live on 1920s New York,not in rich and elite circles but in poor and underpriveleged Jewish underclass circles.The film is replete with humour as well,who will ever forget the baby exchange and who cannot identify with the lad waiting to see the young lady being unable to resist the wonderful cake he had bought her ? Robert De Niro is fantastic as the unhappy and strangly moral "Noodles" and one cannot imagine better casting for the role of "Rebecca" than Elizabeth McGovern,a breathtakingly beautiful woman.Once Upon A Time In America is a film steeped in moral principle,it underlines the essential poverty and loneliness that must lie at the root of criminal activity.There is the possibility that it could be the greatest film made in the twentieth century,at least in America ! The DVD production is supurb ! Do yourself a favour and see this film,nothing better will surface for many a long year.
Rating:
Summary: Masterwork from the founder of modern cinema
Review: Let me start by suggesting to criticise any aspect of Leone's vision is a churlish unworthy exercise. I wouldn't care if you were Orson Welles or D. W Griffith this is Sergio Leone's take on the 'birth of a nation', that nation being modern day America and the corrupting influences that have brought about that transition. His corruscating take may indeed have led to the initial hostility towards it in the States. Naturally the movie was given masterpiece status on it's first showing at Cannes. In terms of the DVD the transfer is a wonder to behold. It is Leone's original cut. Naturally due to the length of the movie the special features are limited. The leone documentary is interesting, particularly the recollections of the screenwriters and the amazing meticulous leone work ethic. The contribution of producer milchin was less warranted due to his part in the movies chequered past. At least he has the decency to admit he was out of his depth. Woods is as passionate as usual which brings me to the commentary which is frankly sub standard and a big big disappointment. Surely the powers that be could have provided better than a seemingly comotose Richard Schickel. When I compare it to the superb commentary on The Wicker man for instance when the main actors, director and a critic were brought in. Why couldn't Woods have added his voice. Why couldn't Tarrantino or Scorcese or Millius been brought in. In addition I am disappointed Di Niro couldn't have given time to at least appeared on the documentary. His indifference is a little disrespectful to leone's memory frankly. In conclusion this is a must buy and deserves 5 stars just for the movie which is without doubt one of world cinemas great masterpieces. Just don't expect a diffinitive DVD experience.
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Summary: WSU "1 OF THE BEST CRIME DRAMAS"
Review: THIS MOVIE IS ONE OF THE BEST CRIME DRAMAS I HAVE EVER SEEN.
ROBERT DENIRO AND JAMES WOODS AT ONE OF THEIR BEST.
SURGIO LEON THE ITALIAN-AMERICAN DERICTOR HAS DERICTED ON OF THE BEST ORGANIZED CRIME "MAFIA" MOVIE EVER.
FROM 6 JEWISH KIDS GROWING UP IN THE LOWER EAST SIDE OF MANHATTAN 2 FIVE WISE GUYS WHO RUNNIN A MAJOR ORGANIZED CRIME OPPERATION.THIS MOVIE IS ON TOP OF THE CRIME DRAMA MOVIEZ ALONG WITH THE GODFATHER FILMS AND GOODFELLAS.A MOVIE WORTH BUYING.
5 STARS.
Rating:
Summary: WEST UNION CITY 510
Review: THIS MOVIE IS A TIGHT ASZ MOVIE. ROBERT DE NIRO AND JAMES WOODS AT ON OF THEIR BEST.FROM 6 LIL JEWISH KIDS GROWIN UP IN THE LOWER EASTSIDE OF MANHATTAN IN THE EARLY 1900'S TO ALL AROUND NEW YORK IN THE 1930s AND 40s. THIS MOVIE IS ONE OF MY BEST MAFIA MOVIEZ OF ALL TIME.RENT IT,BUY IT,OR WATCH IT. ITS A GREAT MOVIE!AND ONE OF THE BEST SURGIO LEON FILMS IVE SEEN.
Rating:
Summary: You will never forget it
Review: I have seen "Once upon a time in America" 9 times. This is the movie of a lifetime and it would deserve a sixth star. The reason for this: the beauty of the images (particularly the shots of New-York bridges), the emotion conveyed by the music (by Ennio Morricone), but above all, the very particular construction of its story, made of constant flashes-back which, far from disturbing you, makes its nostalgia extremely touching.
Some major scenes, like the one where De Niro comes back, after years of hiding, to New-York, old and tired but still the same man, will stay in your head forever.
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