Sergio Leone directed this epic 1984 crime film starring Robert De Niro and James Woods, chronicling the lives of Jewish gangsters in New York City over several decades, marked by its non-linear storytelling and extensive runtime. What is this film called?

The film described is Sergio Leone's epic crime drama, Once Upon a Time in America (Review), released in 1984. This cinematic masterpiece perfectly matches the details provided, featuring Robert De Niro and James Woods in leading roles as Jewish gangsters whose lives unfold across several decades in New York City. The film is renowned for its distinctive non-linear narrative, which weaves together different time periods, often through flashbacks and flashforwards, creating a complex and dreamlike exploration of memory and regret.

Sergio Leone, a legendary director known for his "Spaghetti Westerns," dedicated over a decade to bringing this passion project to the screen, even famously turning down the opportunity to direct The Godfather (Review) to focus on it. Based on Harry Grey's semi-autobiographical novel "The Hoods," the film delves deep into themes of childhood friendships, love, betrayal, loss, and the rise of mobsters in American society. Ennio Morricone, Leone's frequent collaborator, composed the haunting and iconic musical score, which is integral to the film's emotional depth.

Upon its initial release, Once Upon a Time in America faced a troubled reception in the United States. While the 229-minute version premiered to a 15-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival and was highly praised in Europe, American distributors drastically cut it to 139 minutes and reordered the scenes chronologically, completely undermining Leone's artistic vision. This heavily edited version was a critical and commercial failure in the U.S. However, over time, the original, longer cut of the film has been rightfully recognized as a sprawling gangster epic and a cinematic classic, celebrated for its visual splendor, bold style, and emotionally profound storytelling.