Once upon a Time...
3.5/4 stars

I often go into the viewing of a long film thinking that my patience may not hold out for long enough to see the creative scope and vision in full, that I might forget how the story began. However, having recently seen two movies of similar length - Das Boot and Seven Samurai - both of which I enjoyed, I was willing to put the effort in to see if this critic's favourite could justify it's seemingly endless supply of accolades. The short answer is, it does.

It all starts so inauspiciously. We see Noodles (De Niro at the pinnacle of his abilities) a broken, thoughtful man retreading his steps through the town he grew up in. At this start point we have no frame of reference with which to judge this man, no way of telling what his motivations are. Through longer and longer flashbacks we are able to piece together all the moments that define his life, and through those, get a feel for the man, to follow his triumphs and tribulations.

As we do so, everything feels smooth and well considered in all aspects of the picture. The pacing is relaxed but never unnecessarily so, and when it does suddenly jolt and change it still feels right, never forced and contrived. We see the way people change and grow in the same way the city around them does. Simple, honest motivations of childhood wealth are traded for conniving betrayals as Noodles and his mobsters reach adulthood. Through the excellent dialogue and subtle expressions and body language of the actors, we are able to see how Noodles and his friends make difficult, character-defining decisions that are often advantageous but always come at cost. The character development from children to successful adults through to the melancholy situation of later years, complete with the many strings attached, is entirely believable.

Leone has created a picture so compelling, so consistent, so beautiful and at times so very ugly, that it becomes it's own world. It mirrors aspects of our own life so perfectly that the three and a half hour length is of no consequence. It simply had to be that long in order for the rich fabric of the story to take hold effectively - so that the events of the first forty five minutes can be returned to with what we have learnt enabling us to make sense of it all.

Review by Wolfman