Once Upon a Time in America

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Once Upon a Time in America

R

1984

2h 19m

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

Tomatometer

55 Reviews

93%

Popcornmeter

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.

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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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Pauline Kael

The 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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Stacey L

I've lost count of how many times I've seen this movie, and the first time was a badly dubbed french version that was broadcast on late night TV when I was a teenager. Even without understanding the language, I was pulled into the story immediately. Eventually I was able to find it on VHS, and this was one of the first movies I owned. From the kids who play the young gangsters, to the adults who take their place in the second chapter, the cast of characters from the stars to the background players will completely have you captivated. Trust me it's worth the watch.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/07/25

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Tom F

Sergio Leone takes 220 minutes to roll out his mythic vision of American crime. Preteen Jennifer Connelly is particularly compelling.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/31/25

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Audience Member

Movie was way too long, almost 4 hours long even the story is very boring too...

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

05/19/25

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Stephen C

2 hours and 19 minutes of awesome cinema!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL, ROFL & YOLO.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/13/25

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Audience Member

The plot gets confusing but mostly because you don't care enough to follow it. Honestly the character development is a failure and the story just does not interest you. The most overrated and stretched movie ever made. Thank God I got to finish it.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/10/25

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Toby S

My favourite movie of all time. A story of friendship, love, brutality, violence, betrayal, dreams and mystery.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/07/25

Full Review

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Sergio Leone

Director

Robert De Niro

David 'Noodles' Aaronson

James Woods

Maximilian 'Max' Bercovicz

Elizabeth McGovern

Deborah Gelly

Treat Williams

James Conway O'Donnell

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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
Producer: Arnon Milchan
Screenwriter: Harry Grey, Piero De Bernardi, Leonardo Benvenuti, Enrico Medioli, Franco Arcalli, Franco Ferrini, Sergio Leone
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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