I invested three hours and forty-nine minutes of my life to this film of most epic proportions. Almost four hours. And it ends in complete ambiguity, taunting and mocking me for being completely riveted all the way through it. Sergio Leone's final film is my first exposure to his direction, and if his other pictures are anywhere near as good I will be adding him to my list of favourite directors in short time.
I'd love to see the six-hour cut if it ever turns up.
I'm giving this the same rating as I gave The Sting, but while that film was a lot of fun and a great story, watching a movie as thoughtful and engaging as Once Upon a Time in America is something quite different.
(I skipped The Bicycle Thief because that DVD hasn't turned up yet. If I don't get it this week I'll move onto 2001: A Space Odyssey and others.)