After some films you feel annoyed. Others invite you to jump for joy or make you cry uncontrollably. Once upon a time in America triggers all these emotions. Sergio Leone’s last work (Play Me the Song of Death), a mammoth mafia epic lasting almost four hours, simply changes lives. It’s on TV today.
On TV: Once upon a time in America is a clap of thunder that you will never forget
Once Upon a Time in America begins with a group of Jewish small-time gangsters in 1920s New York. Together they build a small empire between dirty poverty, brutal police and the breathless hustle and bustle of the streets. Until one of her decisions leads to a bloodbath.
After a long prison sentence, the leader of the troupe, Noodles (Robert De Niro), reunites with his former comrades-in-arms: Max (James Woods). He has now established a lucrative business involving robberies, prostitution and alcohol smuggling. Noodles gets on board and for a while there seems to be no limits. Then their friendship is put to the test, the consequences of which only become apparent Reveal decades later.
Check out the trailer for Once Upon a Time in America here:
Once upon a time in America – Trailer (German) HD
Once upon a time in America blows you away like a wind made of concrete: Friendship, greed, hatred and distorted love are enriched by Leone through a unique environment and then thrown into the mills of time from which there is no escape. A mafia story, a cruel love drama, the mystery thriller of friendship – you can find it all here.
But above all, the last film by Leone, who would die a few years after filming, an epic in the purest sense: More than its grandiose characters, its opulent settings, its shocking peaks of violence and its unique finale, it makes the passage of time noticeable. A time that robs all characters, whether good or bad, brutal or gentle, victim or perpetrator, of their dignity.
More about the film:
When is Once Upon a Time in America on TV?
Once Upon a Time in America is running this Wednesday, December October 9, 2024, at 11:15 p.m. on ZDFneo. If you missed the film, you can currently rent it on Apple TV+. In addition to Robert De Niro and James Woods, Joe Pesci (GoodFellas) can also be seen in front of the camera.