Netflix adds to its bulging title of Criticically-Acclaimed Films on January 27th with an American classic. Directed by Spaghetti Western icon, the Italian Sergio Leone, Once Upon A Time in America tells the chronological tale of a group of Jewish lads growing up in New York City, who go on to become, yes you've guessed it, gangsters. Robert De Niro plays Max, and heads a heavyweight cast that includes Joe Pesci (long before his famous turn as Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas), Jennifer Connelly, James Woods (who was cast ahead of Gerard Depardieu whose yankee accent was terrible) and the woman who just hung up her Downton Abbey earrings, Elizabeth McGovern. It was Leone's last Hollywood film, due largely to the fact his preferred runtime of 4 hours and 29 minutes was cut in half by Warner Brothers, while his classic crime drama was completely ignored by the Academy Awards panel. They're all fools. Watch Once Upon a Time in America as often as you can, and appreciate fully the film that, along with The Godfather, inspired nearly ever other gangster drama in your life.
