Once Upon a Time in America

Taking over a decade to make after his previous film, Leone adapted The Hoods by Harry Grey into a six-hour film that he needed to cut down to four. The luxurious running time allows Leone to explore moments in similar ways as he had always done, but there’s a greater focus on storytelling, character, and an overall sense of melancholy at times long gone that gives Once Upon a Time in America a maturity, confidence, and depth of feeling that Leone never matched in his career.

It’s the sto...