Film Analysis - Once upon a time in America (1984)

(Right) A poster advertising the film when it was released.

Once upon a time in America was made in the year 1984 and directed by Sergio Leoni. This movie consists of intense violence and greed, The film is about the rise and fall of Jewish-American gangsters in New York at the beginning of the century through the 1960's. The movie tells the story of five decades in the lives of four gangsters from New York City - childhood friends who are merciless criminals almost from the first, but who have a special bond of loyalty to each other. One of them breaks their bond, or at least thinks he does and he carries the guilt with him until later on in his life, when he finds out that he wasn't the one who broke the bond, he didnt betray them, he got betrayed. It's an astounding tale of friendship through a lifestyle of crime, betrayal, lust, and greed that spans over half a century.

The film has the femme fatale, both glamourous and beautiful and it all starts with noir lighting. Very effective and generic.

Then it goes onto the three hats and overcoats of the men, standing behind a close up of the dead lady. It was wet and raining and they came across three dead bodies, wrapped in black labelled bin bags. There's jazz music in the background which could be associated with Mafia. You see the man in the left shaft and there is an amazing worms eye view shot and point of view shot of man on the floor.

(Below)The trailer for the film.