Despite being nearly four hours long (it was nearly eight hours for me, I watch this behemoth twice in a row), this is an incredibly unboring and beautiful film that compares the lives of some yankee hoodlums and the professional gangsters they grow up to become (through wonderful transistions between timelines). This is a masterpiece of the cinema if I ever saw one, and I just have to mention the sublime score of Morricone. Better than the Godfather films? You betcha!

This rarely seen gem was to cut to ribbons when first released back in 1984. It was released on dvd restored to its full length, and can now be seen as a minor masterpiece of the gangster genre. Albeit a confusing one.

Leone breaks away from the western genre to direct this crime film masterpiece. The cinematography is stunning, the pacing is ace, and the cast provides more solid performances than you can shake a stick at. Coupled with an absolutely mesmerizing score from Morricone, Once Upon a Time in America makes four hours of film fly by.

Once upon a time in America is a genius piece in a line of other great movies from Leone. Leone spends a lot more time on character developement than in his previous movies. The atmosphere he created in combination with the music of Morricone is captivating. The brilliance of this movie made me wonder what Leone could have done if he didnt die so soon.

Mistake - An extra is seen placing herself on the floor when a frenzy of bullets are fired.

Incredible film. At nearly 4 hours you would expect it to be boring but it never is, in fact the time passes by very quickly. Regret has never been done better before and I love all the themes that Leone touched on. That ending was great, almost started applauding, you could interpret it a million different ways. Cinematography is incredible and to the people that complain about the misogyny: do you not realize it was set in the 1930's? And ps, the men aren't exactly saints either.

As romantic as epics come. Everything is seen through a thick haze of nostalgia, with Leone's photography and Morricone's wistful score giving it a grand quality. I'd complain - it's the very picture of excess - if I wasn't so enthralled by it. You can feel Leone's passion and care for the material in every frame. It's far more character study - an examination of friendship and betrayal - than gangster film. Makes four hours seem like a drop in the bucket.

Beautifully shot, scored, and acted. Yes, it's long, but it's well worth the watch. The story are characters are given a lot of development and it really pays off in the end.