KMC Forums - Review: Goodfellas

Haven't seen any new movies worth reviewing for a while, so I'll stick with a classic. Long winded post at 6 o'clock.

The story: Henry Hill is a young Irish-Italian living in Chicago. His only ambition in life is to become a gangster; a ‘wise guy’. He idolizes local kingpin Paulie, and is in awe of the respect everyone pays him. As a fresh-faced teen, Henry gets his first taste of organized crime when he becomes an errand-boy for Paulie’s posse, who treat him almost like an adopted son. However, his days as a quick job kid end suddenly, as he is introduced to Jimmy ‘The Gent’ Conway, the most feared man in the city. Henry, along with fellow aspiring wise guy Tommy DeVito, are taken under Jimmy’s wing, and so begins the three decades of life in the mafia the movie slogan promises, [SPOILER - highlight to read]: ending with Henry’s eventual ‘demise’ (any other person would be glad of the second chance in life he is given) as a failed drug dealer, an unfaithful husband, and a traitor.

The story-telling in this movie is fairly simple and linear, but very powerful all the same. Henry narrates, calmly explaining away the shocking acts of violence and infidelity, acknowledging them as every day events. Despite this, seeing the story through Henry’s eyes does make what could’ve been a cold and distant movie very personal, and the viewer does come to sympathize with him.

Goodfellas has one of the greatest casts ever assembled, no doubt about that. While not all of them are mega-stars as such, every actor contributes a strong performance, some more than others. Robert De Niro and Paul Sorvino lend the movie real weight with their colossal screen presence, and both are utterly convincing as veteran criminals Jimmy and Paulie. Joe Pesci deservedly won an Oscar for his role as Tommy, one of the most frightening and detestable characters in movie history, and Lorraine Bracco plays an excellent female lead as Henry’s downtrodden but movingly loyal wife Karen Hill. However, Ray Liotta, who I believe to be one of the most underrated and underused actors of our time, turns in my favorite performance of the film. As the lead character Henry Hill, he is magnificently complex, stuck between family responsibilities and his love affair with the glamour of the gangster lifestyle. [SPOILER - highlight to read]: It’s his own flaws (disobedience, infidelity, hot headedness and an eventual cocaine addiction) that lead him to the pale, sweating emotional wreck status he finds himself in by the end of the movie, but no matter how far he goes, you can’t help but sympathize with and even like him. Making such an immoral character so likable is of course a testament to Liotta’s huge ability as an actor.

Perhaps the most startling thing about this movie is the closeness it brings between the innocence of family life and the savage backstabbing world of the mafia. The best example of this is when Henry, Tommy and Jimmy [SPOILER - highlight to read]: beat an enemy half to death in a bar, then throw him in the trunk of the car. They drive to Tommy’s house and attempt to sneak in and pick up a kitchen carving knife to finish off their victim, without waking Tommy’s mother. However, she catches them immediately and the kindly old lady insists that they stay and she make them something to eat. This fragile, goodhearted woman could represent everyone’s grandma, and in her eyes these three men about to commit a brutal murder are just ‘those boys’. It’s moments like this that can prove far more disturbing than any violent scene in my view.

Goodfellas has been one of my favorite movies for many years now, it’s one of those films you can watch over and over and never get tired of, it's just as compelling every time. There have been a string of great mafia movies over the years, and this is as good as they come (next to The Godfather). Please, if you haven’t yet seen it, take the time and go watch it. I first saw it when I was 12, you have no excuse!

Second best movie of the 90's

10/10

Am I right or am I right? big grin