What did Noodles' tip to the police change?
In Once Upon a Time in America, Noodles informs the police about a routine booze crime operation that the band was about to do. He does so to save Max from getting killed when doing another crime Max was longing to commit — robbing the Federal Reserve Bank — by getting him spend a year or two in jail (where he has never been yet) so that he could realize what it is, have time to think and change his mind about robbing the bank. Noodles is ready to go to jail with Max for that.
However, it turns out that Max has had his own plot already arranged. The police (on his payroll) have been arranged to ambush their vehicle, kill the other two guys (Patsy and Cockeye) and fake Max's death.
That is, when Noodles calls the police to give them the "tip", that is no news to them — they are already prepared to do what they have arranged with Max. Max then tries to convince Noodles not to go to the booze operation and stay home, and when Noodles refuses ("everywhere you go, I go too"), knocks him out.
So, what did the Noodles' "tip" actually change?
Presumably, the police would have later informed Max about Noodles calling them (which, in turn, could make Max decide to kill Noodles). Noodles will then live 35 years thinking how awry his tip to the police turned out when in fact it changed nothing perhaps apart from Max trying to kill Noodles in revenge which made him run away.
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Why did Noodles betray Max?
Noodles views himself as loyal and the better man so he refuses to even call him Max let alone kill him. There are many layers to this movie once you view it as Sergio Leone's idea of how these people at this time in America would behave in the circumstances he created.Why did Noodles tip the police?
Noodles visits Carol, who lives at a retirement home run by the Bailey Foundation. She tells him that Max planted the idea of Carol and Noodles tipping off the police because he wanted to die rather than go insane like his father who died in an asylum. He opened fire on the police to ensure his own death.Ramen Noodle Factory Tour!! Making 1 BILLION Noodles a Year!!
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