Once Upon a Time in America is a 1984 epic crime drama film co-written and directed by Sergio Leone and starring Robert De Niro, James Woods, and Elizabeth McGovern. The film is an adaptation of Harry Grey's novel The Hoods and follows the lives of Jewish gangsters in New York City from the early 20th century to the 1960s.
Once Upon a Time in America was a critical and commercial success and is considered a classic of the gangster genre. It was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and received praise for its performances, direction, screenplay, and cinematography. However, the film's nearly four-hour runtime and nonlinear narrative structure divided some critics and may be off-putting to some viewers. Despite these criticisms, the film has a devoted following and is regarded as one of Leone's greatest works.