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Goodfellas 10 out of 10
Running time: 2:26 MPAA rating: R (Strong, graphic violence, language and some drug use.) Peruvian rating: Mayores de 18
Cast:
Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci,
Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino, Frank Sivero, Tony Darrow, Mike Starr,
Frank Vincent.
Photography:
Michael Ballhaus |
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I consider Martin Scorsese one of the best and most talented filmmakers in history. The man has many great features in his resume, and four masterpieces which would make any modern-day director proud: Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, (the subject of this review) and, more recently, The Departed. The third film is one of the most entertaining and astoundingly-made Mafia motion pictures ever made. It may not be as masterful as my favorite film of all times, The Godfather, but there's no use in denying that Goodfellas is Scorsese's most accomplished picture. The performances are amazing, cinematography is top-notch, the screenplay is smart, tight and witty, and Scorsese's directorial style is superb. With patience, care and dedication, the filmmaker has been capable of creating many moviemaking classics, but Goodfellas definitely ranks as his major and most entertaining accomplishment.
The film tells the story of Henry Hill (played by Christopher Serrone as a teen and Ray Liotta as an adult), our narrator. The movie beings during the 50s in New York City, and shows 13-year old Henry becoming a member of the mob. These men have everything the kid wants or would ever want: friends, girls, cars, money, and respect. Henry pursues his aim and becomes a gofer for Paul Cicero's (Paul Sorvino) - the neighborhood boss - brother. By 1970, Henry has become an important person in the organisation. He and his two closest "partners", Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) and Jimmy Conway (De Niro), are dealing with areas not everybody in the mob agrees with, especially drug dealing. Henry, now married to a nice Jewish girl named Karen (Lorraine Bracco), starts to live a more dangerous and risky life, having mistresses, becoming involved in Tommy's murder of a "made" mobster, and spending time in jail. But when Henry returns to the outside world, he starts to notice that old alliances are changing and that his life may be in danger from his "old friends."
Goodfellas is one of the most successfully compelling crime dramas I have ever seen. Scorsese's style of directing makes the film amazingly enjoyable, and I'm pretty sure that it enhances the viewing experience. He refuses to show any static shots during the entire movie, and makes extensive use of long pans, flourishes and, overall, a very smooth camerawork. All these techniques never call attention to themselves, and instead make the viewer feel as if he/she is "in" the action. There is one famous scene in which Henry and Jimmy are facing each other across a table, and appear to remain in the same place while the background slowly recedes. One doesn't focus on the effect itself, but on what's actually happening and what the characters are saying, but it nevertheless makes the scene both memorable and effective. Additionally, Michael Ballhaus' photography is superb, making Goodfellas a really beautifully and expertly-composed motion picture to look at.
But since this film is focus on its characters and situations, the performances are what make the movie memorable and successful. Joe Pesci, who has the most memorable and attention-grabbing performance is superb as Tommy. He won an Academy Award for his work in here, and it's pretty obvious why. His acting can emotive at times and extremely violent at others, and it's just amazing to see him work as he turns from one emotion to another without flinching. Had the screenplay been a lackluster one, this character could have ended up as a caricature with limited personality, but Goodfellas' writing makes sure Tommy - and all characters - are well-developed and attain a three-dimensionality to avoid any stereotypes or unnecessary over-the-top performances. Robert DeNiro is both suave and potentially dangerous as Jimmy, and has absolutely no problems in submerging into the role. On the other hand, I haven't watched many Ray Liotta movies - especially since his most recent ones are pretty bad... Wild Hogs anyone? - but based on his work in here, I can say he's a pretty talented guy. His role is the most tranquil and "normal", I guess, but it's also pretty effective and convincing. Supporting performances by Lorraine Bracco - who was nominated for a Supporting Actress Oscar - and Paul Sorvino are also really great, and add a lot of credibility and strength to their parts.
The characters in Goodfellas aren't divided between good guys and bad guys, and that's what makes it really interesting. For all we know, we're actually rooting for the bad guys in this movie, but since the performances by the cast are superb, we don't really care. The fact that these characters are so well-developed and three-dimensional makes them credible, and since they're all capable of both emotional and "nice" things and "evil" stuff and killings, they are more interesting than watching an "all-good" superhero incapable of doing nasty things. There's no black and whites in this film... everything's on shades of gray, and Scorsese treats of all this moral confusion with delicacy and expertise.
Ultimately, it can be said that Goodfellas is one of the most effective, compelling, masterful, interesting and entertaining Mafia movies ever released. Yes, it's pretty violent - the movie starts calmly but by the end a lot of blood has been shed and a lot of swearwords have been uttered - but for people who don't mind a little realism in their movies, this one's perfect. I like virtually all of Martin Scorsese's films, and recognize that each of his four masterpiece can be viewed individually as great accomplishments, but for some reason the one that I enjoy the most is the mob picture. With its amazing and powerful performances, expert direction, great cinematography, amazing use of pop music, interesting and well-developed characters and incredible story, Goodfellas ranks as the second-greatest mob movie ever made, being only behind The Godfather, and represents one of the greatest accomplishments coming from Martin Scorsese. Go see it now!
©2007 Sebastián Zavala - GG site