ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA

A kid buys a dessert for a girl. He goes up to the girl's door, and his mother answers. The girl will be out in just a moment, her mother says to the boy. And the door closes. So the boy sits on the steps of the apartment building, patiently waiting for the girl. He stares at the dessert for a while, probably with thoughts of the girl going through his head. Slowly, however, his thoughts turn to the tasty treat he has in front of him. Why not get a taste of the frosting at least? So he takes a dab at it. Pretty good. He sits there some more, patience wearing thin. Finally, his urges are too great, and he devours that dessert. With his face engulfed in frosting, the girl comes out. The boy missed his opportunity and now stands there searching for something to say.

I've just described a scene in Once Upon a Time in America, the brilliant swan song by Sergio Leone. It is this scene that defines the movie with an uncanny power. Although not particularly relevant to the main story of the film, the scene defines the character of Noodles. It is the story of Noodles that is the focus of this motion picture. It is the downfall of Noodles that is defined by this magical scene.

Sergio Leone begins Once Upon a Time in America with an endless montage of scene after scene. They don't make much sense at the time, but one by one the brief glimpses at the story to unfold gradually sweep the viewer away. It will be a four-hour journey that leaves one speechless, hypnotized by the engrossing drama shown on screen. Deep perspectives on greed, betrayal, and love will be presented. And then, when it seemed as if the movie told its story completely, bluntly, and honestly, Leone leaves a bitter taste of ambiguity in a wickedly calming smile.

Let's go back to the beginning of the film, though. The first half hour of the film has to be one of the most effective sequences in cinematic history. The first scene is that of a brutal murder of a woman named Eve (Darlanne Fluegel). The murder, although cold, is mysterious. We don't know why thugs broke into her apartment and killed her except that she may know where somebody is. The next scene involves the brutal torturing of a man by the nickname of Fat Moe (Larry Rapp). He eventually gives this man's location away. We then see Noodles (Robert De Niro), and he talks to Fat Moe for a little bit. Noodles then leaves saying that he will be all right. He shows Fat Moe a key, which seems to resonate as the main ingredient for his security. He goes to a locker, but it is empty.

Noodles goes to a Chinese opium den, as if to escape not only the thugs hunting for him but also the life he has had. But a phone rings, and this incessant ringing sparks a boatload of memories that seem to flood his mind. Scene after scene emerges, and we soon see the main players of the story. A particularly haunting scene is of a "cake coffin". But the phone continues to ring. When will it stop? Who will answer the phone? The question remains unanswered for seemingly minutes. It finally does stop, but it is not the phone that we first heard. Little do we know (although we suspect) this phone call is the one that sparks the tragic night.

Noodles wakes up from his memory launch and quickly leaves New York City. He leaves behind his life and goes into hiding for years. But mysteriously he's been called back into the city many years later. His age is apparent. He is quiet, sad, and weary. He has a face full of regret and eyes full of pain. De Niro portrays Noodles with amazing understatement. We see an anguished and wounded man. His life is one full of disappointment.

Noodles finds Fat Moe, himself a weary man. They discuss life. Fat Moe asks Noodles what he has been doing. "I've been going to bed early." Then we see a long shot at Noodles's eyes, which show the agony he has felt all this time. And, in one of Leone's brilliant examples of transition, we go to Noodles's childhood. We then see his eyes through a peep-hole, looking at the young Deborah (Jennifer Connelly). Here, his eyes are full of hope and desire.

The next three hours are the story of how Noodles's hopes and desires become lost. Each individual sequence through the rest of the film provides a critical piece of the puzzle surrounding the downfall of Noodles. As a youngster, Noodles is in a life of poverty and social disdain. At one point, Deborah calls him a roach, implying that even though there is a spark between them, Noodles would have to better himself to have her. In that respect, Noodles meets Max, an impetuous, somewhat gifted older boy. Max (to be played as an adult by James Woods) shows unexpected loyalty to Noodles in an incident involving a policeman. It is through this loyalty that Max and Noodles become inseparable. Soon, their desires for money and power overwhelm them, and through this desire they offer the underworld an ingenious way to retrieve smuggled goods via water. Max and Noodles soon gain wealth, and their status continues to climb.

Just as the bond between Max and Noodles becomes stronger, Noodles and Deborah begin to drift apart. In a scene that proves to be a signal of Noodles's downfall, Noodles goes to Max rather than following Deborah. Deborah closes the door and will never look back. There is an interesting dynamic between Max and Deborah in the film. Both see the other as a threat. They each have visions of Noodles's future, and this drives a bitter, generally silent relationship among them. They have little screen time together, but when they do, the hostility is prevalent.

With Noodles's choice made, the tragedy begins. It first begins with a violent close to his youth. One of his friends (Dominic) is gunned down, and in a moment of rage, Noodles stabs Dominic's killer to death. The police soon arrive and arrest Noodles. He is sent to prison for several years. This spawns a transition forward to his old age. After visiting the tombs of his dead friends, he finds the key to the locker they shared. He goes back to the locker and finds a suitcase there. It is a moment of ominous melancholy. Noodles holds the suitcase as if it is a load of bricks. He walks slowly and cautiously with the suitcase in hand. The tension seems to mount. And soon, in a moment of brilliant transition, we see a frisbee fly above Noodles's head. And then we see the face of a young-adult Max. He has come to pick up Noodles.

The difference in personalities becomes very obvious. Max has found his way to the riches; his ambition is endless. Meanwhile, Noodles has become much more cautious. This difference in personality becomes clear when they meet with Frankie (Joe Pesci), who has a job for them involving his relative Joe (Burt Young). Max is eager to get in Frankie's circle while Noodles is very hesitant. After they retrieve the diamonds that Joe is searching for, Max's gang then murders Joe and his gang. Events like these are what eventually drive a wedge between Max and the more cautious Noodles.

Meanwhile, the sexual tension Noodles has is exploited in numerous ways. Noodles rapes a woman during the diamond heist. But his frustration becomes more monumental because of Deborah's distant behavior. After he expresses his feelings for her, Deborah coldly says she is leaving for Hollywood the following day. The damage shown in Noodles's face is undeniable. Once again in a moment of extreme rage, he rapes her in the back of a limo. The scene is disturbing, powerful, and depressing. The final nail in Noodles's coffin is in place. Both of their lives are damaged forever. And in a scene of amazing power, Noodles watches as Deborah boards the train. When Deborah sees Noodles, she is (of course) visibly angry and closes the shades of the train car. This ends the first act.

The second act is the story that prompts the fateful night when Noodles flees to the opium den. We find that Noodles has found a girl named Eve, although their relationship is much less emotional than between Noodles and Deborah. When prohibition ends, Max and Noodles must find a new way to make money. Max's ambition begins to blind his common sense. When he plans a dangerous robbery, Noodles is prodded into getting Max caught with the still-illegal alcohol he is selling. He makes a phone call. The phone call.

The last part of the film I will not describe. It's just too good to talk about. It involves an extended sequence between two actors of extreme grace. It features some of the best acting and dialogue I have heard on film. Sergio Leone's masterful storytelling completes itself here. With astonishing subtlety and haunting quiet, Leone's film brings about a most tragic and amazing conclusion.

The last scene of the movie has been in dispute for many, many years. We return to Noodles in the opium den. He awakens, and via a piercing overhead projection, we see Noodles smile. Was this just an elaborate future that Noodles concocted? Was it real? Was it his hope? Was it his dread? Whatever the case, the scene is haunting because no matter what the explanation, the conclusion of the film ensures the tragedy that has befallen Noodles. His greed for power, his desire for Deborah, and his loyalty to Max combined to make the ultimate failure of his American dream. What was never said about the American dream is that the pursuit of the dream had consequences. Unfortunately for Noodles, those consequences damaged the very thing he hoped for.