[Once Upon A Time In America] I'm in support of the dream theory, however one thing doesn't add up...

Theory Briefing

• The film opens with hitmen beating Eve and Moe before Noodles ever touches the pipe, meaning at least that violence must be real, not dreamed.
• The two den scenes differ in key details — no massage, no newspaper in the final one — raising the question of whether they're set at different points in time.
• If Max is dead in the pre-dream reality, the fan theory can't easily explain who sent the hitmen or why anyone would still be hunting Noodles for the betrayal.
• The poster argues the dream and literal readings both hold together, but only if you accept that the film's framing is itself deliberately ambiguous rather than solved.