"Once Upon a Time in America" DVD Review

I was mesmerized by the visual flow and haunting music of “Once Upon a Time in America.” I think the movie occasionally goes too far over the top, but it packs one whale of an emotional wallop.

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I was mesmerized by the visual flow and haunting music of “Once Upon a Time in America” as it tells the absorbing tale of a Jewish gangster named Noodles Aaronson (De Niro). In 1968, Noodles is about 62 when he tries to come to terms with events that occurred in 1933, including the disappearance of a million dollars and the deaths of three pals. But Noodles’ reminiscing leads him back to his heady teenage days when he befriended those pals, particularly Max Bercovicz (Woods), and they embarked on lives of crime. I love the dream-like way the film interleaves sequences from 1968, 1933, and circa 1921. I think the movie occasionally goes too far over the top, but it packs one whale of an emotional wallop.