Overview
A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan over thirty years later, where he once again must confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.
If I were to tell you that there was an epic movie that starred some of Hollywood’s biggest actors (Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, James Woods) and directed by a famed director (Sergio Leone) and you didn’t hear of it, would you believe me? Probably not.
So if this movie was so good, how come you’ve never heard of it. The answer is simple: Sony screwed up. This movie was made in 1983 and it was a movie that Leone (director of such classics as The Good, The Bad and the Ugly and Fistful of Dollars) had tried to make since he started makinig movies. The problem is that he wanted to make it his way and that originally meant a 6 hour movie. The finished producted ended up being just shy of four hours and this is where Sony stepped in. It seems that even way back then we were a country full of dolts and Sony gambled that we wouldn’t sit through four hours of goodness. I probably agree with that, but if that were the case they should have either put it out in its entirety or cut bait. Instead, they cut out the middle of the movie. Hey, what movie needs a middle? That’s fine for an NBA game or a NASCAR race but not so good for movies.
The result must have been a disaster. As you may have guessed, the movie was a commercial failure in this country while simultaneously being regarded as a masterpiece in other countries. In fact, I read one review where the reviewer dubbed it worst movie of 1984 and best movie of the 80’s (after he saw the whole film) – how is that for impressive?
I only saw the finished product and I thought it was brilliant. It was almost four hours long and I wish it had been eight. Those of you that have seen Leone’s other works will recognize his signature style. His ability to paint a picture without words (the end of “Ugly” and the beginning of “Dollars”) never ceases to amaze me. It was also nice to see De Niro in a role that he was born to play and before he became a caricature of himself (see Pacino, Al).
IHATEBadMovies.com reviews Once Upon a Time in America
Movie title: Once Upon a Time in America
Movie description: A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan over thirty years later, where he once again must confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.
Date published: 2008-03-28
Director(s): Sergio Leone
Actor(s): Robert De Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Joe Pesci, Burt Young, Tuesday Weld, Treat Williams, Danny Aiello, Richard Bright, James Hayden, William Forsythe, Darlanne Fluegel, Larry Rapp, Olga Karlatos, Frank Gio, Jennifer Connelly, Scott Schutzman Tiler, Rusty Jacobs, Brian Bloom, Mike Monetti, Adrian Curran, Julie Cohen, Noah Moazezi, James Russo, Clem Caserta, Frank Sisto, Jerry Strivelli, Mike Gendel, Sandra Solberg, Margherita Pace, Louise Fletcher, Paul Herman, Bruno Iannone, Bruno Bilotta, Ray Dittrich, Richard Foronjy, Mario Brega, Angelo Florio, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Salvatore Billa, Gerard Murphy, Scott Coffey
Genre: Drama, Crime
My Review
If I were to tell you that there was an epic movie that starred some of Hollywood’s biggest actors (Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, James Woods) and directed by a famed director (Sergio Leone) and you didn’t hear of it, would you believe me? Probably not.
So if this movie was so good, how come you’ve never heard of it. The answer is simple: Sony screwed up. This movie was made in 1983 and it was a movie that Leone (director of such classics as The Good, The Bad and the Ugly and Fistful of Dollars) had tried to make since he started makinig movies. The problem is that he wanted to make it his way and that originally meant a 6 hour movie. The finished producted ended up being just shy of four hours and this is where Sony stepped in. It seems that even way back then we were a country full of dolts and Sony gambled that we wouldn’t sit through four hours of goodness. I probably agree with that, but if that were the case they should have either put it out in its entirety or cut bait. Instead, they cut out the middle of the movie. Hey, what movie needs a middle? That’s fine for an NBA game or a NASCAR race but not so good for movies.
The result must have been a disaster. As you may have guessed, the movie was a commercial failure in this country while simultaneously being regarded as a masterpiece in other countries. In fact, I read one review where the reviewer dubbed it worst movie of 1984 and best movie of the 80’s (after he saw the whole film) – how is that for impressive?
I only saw the finished product and I thought it was brilliant. It was almost four hours long and I wish it had been eight. Those of you that have seen Leone’s other works will recognize his signature style. His ability to paint a picture without words (the end of “Ugly” and the beginning of “Dollars”) never ceases to amaze me. It was also nice to see De Niro in a role that he was born to play and before he became a caricature of himself (see Pacino, Al).
-
My Review - 9/10
9/10