Goodfellas

1990 gangsta movie

Rating: 19/20

Plot: Henry Hill rises up the gangster ranks and marries his sweetheart.

I don't think gangsters are very good influences. Just look at all the curse words in this movie! I do like the influence that I think this had on movies that followed it. Sure it's got some impersonators that pale in comparison, attempts at carbon copies that lack the distinctive voice that Goodfellas has. But for the most part, I think this did more good than harm in Hollywood. Minor quibble though: Shouldn't it be Good Fellows? This movie is electric from start to finish--from the in medias res buffoonery dealing with the contents of car's trunk to a conclusion where Henry's selfishness is more depressing to me than surprising. Electric. Most electric is Joe Pesci's off-kilter performance. That guy's best when he's completely losing control, and he gets plenty of chances to show off here and help create these iconic moments that become those movie moments that everybody remembers. Everybody else--and I mean everybody else--is also great. DeNiro's performance is as flawless in this as in those Fockers movies, but it's that kind of performance where he doesn't even look like he's doing anything special, deceptively so. The other guy on the cover, wide-eyed Liotta with his aw-shucks face makes a likable enough protagonist but he really works more like a straight man to a lot of wackily-inflated caricatures. And then there's the periphery characters, each adding a little shading or color to this consistently entertaining look at the [under]world of gangsters. I never realized how funny gangsters were. Technically, Scorsese's a master. The guy knows how to tell a story visually without getting in the way of things, but there are some standout scenes where his camera maneuvers in ways that shouldn't be logistically possible, like during Henry's first date when the camera follows them from their car to the table or a scene from Henry's point of view where he walks through a restaurant and we're introduced to all these colorful figures, including the guy who says everything twice. I also really like how this is all humanized a bit, or maybe softened, by focusing a little on the female characters including Pesci's mother (the one with an awesome painting that I'd love to hang in my house) and Mrs. Hill. The duo-narrators really give this story another dimension about 1/3 of the way into the film. This is one of those movies that seems about half as long as it actually is.

Note: "Beyond the Sea" is in this. For those of you who care about the numbers, that's the 27th movie I've watched this year with that song in it somewhere. This movie has a big soundtrack, by the way.

Another note: When I am beaten to death by a guy with crazy eyes, I don't want it to happen a while a Donovan song plays in the background, especially a wussy lame one like "Atlantis". Well, wait a second. That song does kind of rule. I'd prefer being beaten to death during a playing of "Atlantis" than "Mellow Yellow," I guess.

If I got to pick a song to be beaten to death to, I think I'd go with Sammy Davis Jr.'s version of "MacArthur Park" or something by Sonny Terry. How about you?

5 comments:

Barry said...

As you should know, Joe Pesci's mother in this film is actually Martin Scorsese's mother in real life.


I would agree with your review...I think pretty much anyone who watches movies would agree with your review. I love this movie, and could sit down and watch it now, without being bored. Its probably a 20 for me, instead of a 19. I dont like Lorraine Bracco at all in this or any other movie, and I have to blame Scorsese for giving her a career, but outside of that this is pretty much a flawless film.

When I heard that Scorsese was doing the George Harrison documentary, I traced it back to this movie. His use of "What is Life" is perfectly situated in this film, and it brought me to more than one George Harrison solo work phases, when I get obsessed with music to put on the Ipod.


Yeah...lets go ahead and give this one a 20.


Oh and for Cory? Dances With Wolves, my friend. Dances With Wolves.

cory said...

Barry is just trying to piss me off because "Dances With Wolves" beat the brilliant "Goodfellas" for Best Picture.

Electric is the perfect word, and along with "Pulp Fiction" a few years later, this stands as a perfect example of story, acting, direction, and soundtrack blending seamlessly to creat a masterpiece (love how the music reflects Henry's increasing paranoia).

I saw this in a theatre as part of a double feature with "Reversal of Fortune", and it blew me away from the opening scene. It is Scorcese's best work and one of the greatest films I have seen. A 20.

Shane said...

'Dances with Wolves' sucks. But I'm saying that having not seen it since high school. I almost watched it on the Urine Couch, but my shift is only 8 hours, so I would have missed half the movie.

Unknown said...

I'm completely with you on this movie. What did it for me (and still does EVERY time I rewatch it) is the directing and dialogue. The script is absolutely brilliant. It is right up there with the novel on which this was based. The performances given are all top notch and seem effortless. When accepting his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, Joe Pesci simply said, "It was my pleasure. Thank you." I think Pesci had to work harder in "Home Alone" and the "Lethal Weapon" movies.

As for Loraine Bracco, I think she does her part in this operatic tale. Before this movie, she was asked to pose nude by Salvador Dali for one of his paintings.

Great review for a great movie. This is my #1, all-time favorite. It's influence on subsequent films is monolithic and everyone from the actors (large role to the extras), director, producers, screenwriter, editor, and music supervisor did their part with superb excellence. They make one hell of a memorable movie.

I could put this movie down for it's abundance of continuity mistakes and washed-out ending, but it more than makes up for itself by completely surpassing every other movie of it's genre and generation.

Shane said...

If I had to do it all over again, I'd give it an extra point. Not sure what my problem was with that 19.

Poor Joe Pesci...