Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

Trailer

I like the stink of the streets. It makes me feel good. And I like the smell of it, it opens up my lungs. And it gives me a hard-on.
So basically: In early 20th century New York City, a small group of young Jewish gangsters rise to power during Prohibition. Dave "Noodles" Aaronson, after almost 60 years, reflects back on his childhood and his life during the 20's.

I really can't sum up this movie well. It's very long and it covers a lot of ground. I remember not hating this movie, but even still, I wasn't looking forward to watching it this time because of the length. In actuality, this movie is pretty good - Sergio Leone is a brilliant director, after all. Some of the elements were generic and not very well done - if you've seen the other movies with De Niro, or sagas about men growing to power, you know what I'm talking about - but the rest of the film makes up for it. I did, however, watch this movie over two days, because of the length, but I think it helped with the feel of the film; the flashbacks, as memories, had a very nostalgic feel to them.

This movie isn't one of my favourites, but it does deserve to be on the list.

Ziggi seal of approval!