Robert De Niro’s Forgotten Crime Masterpiece Finds a New Streaming Home

Robert De Niro and gangster epics are closely linked, and one of his more under-the-radar New York–centered films, Once Upon a Time in America, arrives on the free streamer Tubi on March 1.

Directed by Sergio Leone in what would become his final feature, the epic is set in 1918 and follows a group of friends who assemble a Jewish gang as they try to rise in New York’s organized crime world. The film focuses on friendship, love, grief and the betrayals that follow.

De Niro stars alongside James Woods, Joe Pesci, Elizabeth McGovern, Burt Young and Jennifer Connelly. Once Upon a Time in America was released on June 1, 1984, and runs 229 minutes.

The movie represents a crossover between De Niro’s tough-guy persona—seen across his career in films such as The Godfather Part II, Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, A Bronx Tale and The Irishman—and Leone’s distinctive filmmaking, offering a notable entry in both artists’ bodies of work.

United States, New York

de niro, sergio leone, tubi, once upon, new york, organized crime, joe pesci, james woods, jennifer connelly, 1984