--- title: "Once Upon a Time in America" year: 1984 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-time-in-america" fi1m_id: "once-upon-a-time-in-america" imdb_id: "tt0087843" tmdb_id: 311 wikidata_id: "Q206388" fi1m_score: 81 critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 12 published: "2026-09-15" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:13.303042+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Once Upon a Time in America (1984) Directed by Sergio Leone · 2h 19m · MPA R · Drama, Crime ## Identity Once Upon a Time in America - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-time-in-america - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** once-upon-a-time-in-america - **IMDb ID:** tt0087843 - **TMDB ID:** 311 - **Wikidata ID:** Q206388 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087843/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/311, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q206388 **Fi1m score: 81** · Critics 78 from 12 reviews *In a sentence:* A lot of sorrow for men we would cross the street to avoid > Sergio Leone’s crime drama is absorbing and deeply sad, with Robert De Niro and Ennio Morricone giving it much of its feeling. The plotting can be arbitrary, and we wish Leone were less fond of his gangsters. ## Synopsis Noodles (Robert De Niro) and his friend, played by James Woods, are gangsters in New York’s Jewish underworld, bound by a friendship that extends across decades. Their criminal ambitions bring questions of loyalty and betrayal, while the passing years change the way their shared lives are understood. Sergio Leone’s drama moves between different periods, approaching their history through flashbacks and recollection. Elizabeth McGovern plays Deborah, Tuesday Weld plays Carol and Joe Pesci plays Frankie. Adapted from a novel by Harry Grey, the film follows men whose past continues to shape their present. ## Review *Once Upon a Time in America* asks us to spend a long time considering men we might prefer to dismiss. Sergio Leone follows the friendship of two New York gangsters across decades, allowing recollection and regret to slow the progress of their criminal story. The result is absorbing and often moving, though the plotting can be arbitrary and the affection for these men excessive. Leone wants us to feel the weight of the years they have spent together. Robert De Niro gives that ambition its strongest support as Noodles. His performance makes regret feel like something a man has lived with for years, and we keep watching him even when there is little reason to hope he has learnt anything. James Woods brings an abrasive force to their friendship that keeps it from settling into comfortable reminiscence. These are substantial performances, and they make the bond between the men worth following through the story’s less convincing turns. Nino Baragli’s editing gives the shifts through time an emotional purpose: an earlier period can change how we judge a man we thought we understood. The connections are more satisfying than some of the individual incidents, which do not always seem to follow convincingly from one another. We grew anxious at the recurring telephone ring, because each repetition made the prospect of an answer feel increasingly dreadful. We wanted the ringing to stop. Giovanni Natalucci’s production design makes the reconstructed period world feel solid, and the care is worth looking at in its own right. Tonino Delli Colli’s photography and Leone’s measured camera movement let us take in those settings instead of treating them as background to the next criminal transaction. The formality suits these theatrical gangsters. Some of the more intimate passages feel too carefully arranged, however, and we become conscious of the staging when we ought to be watching the actors. Ennio Morricone’s score is the other reason the film can hold us through its uncertain plotting. Its sorrow makes the long friendship feel painfully difficult to relinquish, lending weight even to passages where the men themselves offer little to admire. There are moments when it supplies more feeling than the writing has earned. Mostly, though, we are glad Leone gives it so much room. That does not excuse the film’s fondness for its gangsters. Leone and his fellow screenwriters can make their disappointments seem more important than the harm they do, and the characters do not always have the depth to sustain such attention. Within the crime genre, the emphasis on a friendship weathered by time is welcome, even when it loosens the storytelling. In a few passages, the insistence on their suffering becomes wearying. We recommend a quiet evening, with no expectation of a brisk gangster story. There will be stretches when the plot tests that patience, but De Niro and Woods deserve the attention. Put the phone in another room. *Fi1m score 81, published 15 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics admire it, and the admiration clusters in the same places: the scale of the thing, the four-decade flashback structure, Ennio Morricone’s score and the care of the period reconstruction. Robert De Niro and James Woods are singled out repeatedly. Several reviews make the same distinction, that the film barely works as a gangster picture and succeeds instead as an elegy about a man broken by time, with recurring images doing the work the plot does not. The reservations are consistent too. The plotting is called arbitrary or shaky, the central characters thuggish and hard to care about, and the quieter scenes over-choreographed. The spread is wide, and it splits by date: the two negative notices, from Variety and The New York Times, come from the original release and find the film sprawling and unfocused, while later critics writing about the full-length version, Ebert and Kael among them, argue that the shortened American cut did the damage. ## Straight answers **Is Once Upon a Time in America worth watching?** *Once Upon a Time in America* is worth watching for anyone prepared to give a slow, sorrowful crime drama a quiet evening, and we scored it 81. Robert De Niro and James Woods carry a friendship across decades, and Ennio Morricone's score supplies much of the feeling. The plotting can be arbitrary, and Leone is too fond of his gangsters, so do not expect a brisk story. **How long is Once Upon a Time in America, and what is it rated?** *Once Upon a Time in America* runs 2h 19m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and crime film. **Where can I watch Once Upon a Time in America in the US?** *Once Upon a Time in America* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Once Upon a Time in America, and is it suitable for children?** *Once Upon a Time in America* carries an 18 certificate in the UK and an R in the US, and it is not suitable for children. It is a gangster drama about men who do real harm, and the certificate implies adult violence and adult themes throughout. Its dread builds slowly, as with a telephone that will not stop ringing, so the squeamish should expect unease as much as shocks. **How does Once Upon a Time in America compare to The Godfather Part II?** *Once Upon a Time in America* is the sadder and looser of the two, while [*The Godfather Part II*](https://film.one/film/the-godfather-part-ii) is the more tightly made. Both move through time to make criminal success look wretched, and Robert De Niro appears in each. Leone's film asks more patience and rewards it with regret and Morricone's score; Coppola's is the safer choice for a viewer who wants the story to hold. **Is Once Upon a Time in America based on a true story or a book?** *Once Upon a Time in America* is adapted from a novel by Harry Grey, and the film is not presented as a true story. Leone reshapes the material into a drama of recollection, moving between periods through flashback. You do not need to know the book: the friendship between De Niro's Noodles and James Woods's character is explained entirely on screen. **What should I watch after Once Upon a Time in America?** After *Once Upon a Time in America*, try [*The Godfather Part II*](https://film.one/film/the-godfather-part-ii) (1974, Fi1m 92): Another crime story whose movement through time makes success look increasingly wretched. Then [*Le Trou*](https://film.one/film/le-trou) (1960, Fi1m 88): Criminal companionship examined through patient physical detail and the hard business of trust; and [*A Brighter Summer Day*](https://film.one/film/a-brighter-summer-day) (1991, Fi1m 90): Youth, gangs and accumulated detail, with more concern for lives outside the violence. ### Reviews we read (12) - **Radio Times**, Adrian Turner (5/5): Leone's final film is an extraordinary, massive-scale crime drama chronicling two New York gangsters across four decades in flashback. The critic praises the immaculate period reconstruction, Ennio Morricone score and epic sweep while noting the arbitrary plotting and shocking content. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-vzzvto/once-upon-a-time-in-america/) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (4/4): Ebert praises the full 227-minute version as an epic poem of violence and greed with complex, compelling flashbacks and emotional depth. He singles out the poetic structure and recurring motifs like the ringing telephone for praise while condemning the shortened U.S. theatrical cut as a travesty. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/once-upon-a-time-in-america-1984) - **The Times**, Ed Potton (★★★★★): The critic praises Leone's ambitious final film as a sweeping story of friendship and betrayal spanning decades, noting its strong performances by De Niro and Woods along with Morricone's score. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/once-upon-a-time-in-america-1984-review-gjhqnr6pd) - **Empire**, Adam Smith (85/100, inferred): The critic argues that Leone's film surpasses The Godfather by favoring ambiguity and symbolism over melodrama, exploring themes of time, identity, and memory with masterful visuals. It resists easy interpretation, leaving a profound mystery that lingers in the mind. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/upon-time-america-review/) - **The AV Club**, Keith Phipps (80/100, inferred): The film succeeds brilliantly as epic poetry despite barely working as a gangster film. It combines theatrical gangsters, Western-honed style, and deep melancholy in a grand-scale work of ambiguities and oversized passions. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/once-upon-a-time-in-america-dvd-1798198644) - **Time Out**, CPea (80/100, inferred): Leone's vision retains magnificent sweep in this epic of friendship, betrayal, love and death among the Jewish Mafia. The film subsides to a sombre, elegiac emotional core centred on a man bent and broken by time. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/once-upon-a-time-in-america) - **The New Yorker**, Pauline Kael (75/100, inferred): Kael finds the full version a vast improvement over the butchered cut, with a dreamy obsessiveness and Robert De Niro's performance taking hold. She praises the reverberant dreamland settings and Leone’s majestic sense of film movement while noting the plot's shakiness and miscasting. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1985/05/27/tidal) - **Slant Magazine**, Steve Macfarlane (65/100, inferred): As a magnum opus it falls just a few points shy of greatness, remaining a basic Italian melodrama despite its lush details and mood. Leone's introspective scenes reveal weaknesses with overly choreographed maneuvers and soapy music. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/once-upon-a-time-in-america/) - **The New York Times**, Vincent Canby (40/100, inferred): Canby describes the film as a lazily hallucinatory epic attempting to encapsulate 50 years of American social history. He notes the coherent early Brooklyn prologue but criticizes the overall restlessness and lack of focus in the sprawling narrative. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/01/movies/film-once-upon-a-time-inamerica.html) - **Variety** (35/100, inferred): The review calls the sprawling saga a disappointment deficient in clarity, purpose, excitement, and narrative involvement. It notes effective poetic echoes from the time-jumping structure but criticizes the arbitrary feel and unpalatable central character. [Read](https://variety.com/1983/film/reviews/once-upon-a-time-in-america-1200426021/) - **Collider**, William Fischer (A-): The critic praises the film's ambitious nonlinear structure, epic scale, and technical mastery but finds the central characters unsympathetic run-of-the-mill thugs whose story feels mismatched to their limited depth. [Read](https://collider.com/once-upon-a-time-in-america-review-sergio-leone/) - **Den of Geek**, Tony Sokol (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a gangster masterpiece on par with The Godfather, praising its epic scope, unflinching portrayal of crime and betrayal, and the iconic performances by Robert De Niro and James Woods. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/once-upon-a-time-in-america-every-bit-as-great-the-godfather/) ## Details - **Director:** Sergio Leone - **Director:** Sergio Leone - **Screenplay:** Sergio Leone, Franco Arcalli, Leonardo Benvenuti, Enrico Medioli, Piero De Bernardi, Franco Ferrini - **Novel:** Harry Grey - **Cinematography:** Tonino Delli Colli - **Editor:** Nino Baragli - **Music:** Ennio Morricone - **Production design:** Giovanni Natalucci - **Costume design:** Gabriella Pescucci - **Producer:** Arnon Milchan - **Cast:** Robert De Niro as Noodles; James Woods as Max; Elizabeth McGovern as Deborah; Joe Pesci as Frankie; Burt Young as Joe; Tuesday Weld as Carol; Treat Williams as Jimmy O'Donnell; Danny Aiello as Police Chief Aiello - **Runtime:** 2h 19m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 1 June 1984 - **Genres:** Drama, Crime - **Budget:** $30 million - **Box office:** $6 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vrbUpDihxs ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $9.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-15.* Also available in: AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, DE, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IT, NL, NZ, PL, PT, SE, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Silver nugget for the best foreign film 1985: Silver nugget for the best foreign film (won) ## If you liked this - *The Godfather Part II* (1974), Fi1m 92: Another crime story whose movement through time makes success look increasingly wretched. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-godfather-part-ii.md) - *Le Trou* (1960), Fi1m 88: Criminal companionship examined through patient physical detail and the hard business of trust. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/le-trou.md) - *A Brighter Summer Day* (1991), Fi1m 90: Youth, gangs and accumulated detail, with more concern for lives outside the violence. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-brighter-summer-day.md) - *Election* (2005): Gangster loyalties turn poisonous, with considerably less patience for the men involved. - *The Irishman* (2019), Fi1m 86: Old gangsters consider their lives, with fewer opportunities to mistake loneliness for grandeur. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-irishman.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-time-in-america