FAQ for
Once Upon a Time in America (1984) Plus avec IMDbPro »

The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags have been used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.

For detailed information about the amounts and types of (a) sex and nudity, (b) violence and gore, (c) profanity, (d) alcohol, drugs, and smoking, and (e) frightening and intense scenes in this movie, consult the IMDb Parents Guide for this movie. The Parents Guide for Once Upon a Time in America can be found here.

Once Upon a Time in America is based on the 1953 autobiographical novel The Hoods by Harry Grey, a pen name for Harry Goldberg, a former gangster-turned informant. It is the third movie in a Sergio Leone trilogy, preceded by Once Upon a Time in the West [C'era una volta il West] (1968) and A Fistful of Dynamite [Giù la testa] (1971).

Mr Bailey was actually "Max", Noodles' best friend and criminal business partner. Max faked his own death, disappeared into the vastness of America, took a new identity (Bailey), made it big in business in California, then got into big-time politics, becoming a US Senator. Bailey also had a romantic relationship with Noodles' long time love interest, Deborah, with whom he had a son, David. Bailey essentially stole Noodles' life. After seeing his friends massacred during the liquor run he reported to the police, Noodles felt remorse but also knew he'd be hunted (shown at the opening of the film), so he fled the city & stayed away for 35 years in obscurity. Max/Bailey knew he was going to be knocked off anyway, so he thought it appropriate that Noodles do the honors since he betrayed Max. It also speaks to the bonds of friendship that developed between Max and Noodles over the years, despite Noodle's betrayal. Max feels that he can still trust Noodles to kill him, not strictly out of anger over stealing Deborah and the money in the briefcase, but also because their loyalty to each other is still very strong.

Martin Eden by Jack London. Why he has to retrieve it from a hook hanging outside the bathroom window is not fully explained but chances are he was trying to hide it from his parents & the other adults on his floor (the bathrooms of poor NYC tenements were communal in the early 1900s) who may have thought the book was objectionable. The book is about a sailor from a working class background who is infatuated with a woman from an upper middle class family. The book's theme is significant because Noodles' himself comes from a very poor background while the girl he loves comes from a slightly more privileged family, IE, he's a street kid who joins his friend in committing crimes while she's the daughter of a successful Jewish delicatessen owner.

No, they were making a last liquor run before Prohibition would be repealed. When Prohibition is finally repealed Max & Noodles realize that running illegal liquor won't make them any money, so Max decides to rob the Federal Reserve, a suicidal idea. When the gang are going to make a last liquor run the night of the big party, Noodles tips the police about the run, partly at Carol's (Max' girlfriend) request so that Max can rethink the idea. Everyone is killed by the police when Max bursts out of the truck & begins shooting at the police, which is not shown on screen but is told to Max by Carol years later.

Noodles took notice to the garbage truck parked at on a residential street in the middle of the night, as it was strange. After Noodles refuses to kill Mr. Bailey/Max, he leaves the house and the garbage truck starts up. Noodles freezes, moments later Max appears outside and the garbage truck drives away, Noodles stands fixated at the back of the garbage truck as it pulls away. This is because he suspected the garbage truck contained hitmen who would have killed him and stuffed him in the back. This was heavily supported by the appearance by Max. It was likely Max ordered the hitmen to kill Noodles once he had killed Max and exited the building, however if Max appeared outside it's obvious that Noodles didn't kill him. Therefore, the hitmen wouldn't need to kill Noodles.