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Directed by: Martin Scorsese Starring: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Lorrane Bracco If you've not already seen this film, go out of your way to do so. Assigning a genre for Goodfellas was hard; part mob drama, part dark comedy, part crime film, it's all Scorsese. I had seen it years ago on VHS, and recently checked out the Special Edition from Netflix (It's not that special, but it does have a commentary track featuring the actual Henry Hill). Ray Liotta (Henry Hill) gives a now classic performance that's referenced and parodied in media and the like for two good reasons: the writing is stellar and the acting lives up to it. Robert DeNiro (Jimmy Conway), as always, delivers an amazing performance as the role that set his typecast, and Joe Pesci (Tommy DeVito) does what Joe Pesci does best with loads of frantic, completely insane energy. You'll hate Henry Hill. You'll sympathise with Henry Hill. You'll laugh at his jokes, you'll cringe at his actions. You'll breathe a sigh of relief when he dodges a bullet, and you'll cheer inwardly when he gets a face full of poo poo. There are very few films with such complex characterization, and it's an interesting ride. It is over two hours long, but I never felt bored by it. Though I wasn't really hit with a craving of wanting 'more, more, more!' out of my story, I did enjoy every minute of Goodfellas, and I hope you will, too. RATING: 5.5 PROS: Captivating Plot, Engaging Characters, Great Use Of Music CONS: It's a bit long; not that it drags on and you're bored, but some scenes are maybe juuuust slightly longer than they should be. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099685/
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Dec 19, 2004 04:52
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 00:04 |
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What can I say? One of the finest mafia movies ever made. See it immediately if you like the mob. No...see it immediately if you just like movies. This is one of the greats.
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Dec 19, 2004 09:15
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The way music is used to show the passing of time is clever, but the rest of the film doesn't seem to be able to keep up. The mafia is probably my least favorite subject for a film, and while Goodfellas doesn't give in to cliche and romanticism as much as other movies like it, it's still the same old song and dance to a certain extent. The presentation of drugs in mob life was accurate and honest, but I'm just sick to death of organized crime in American films. The execution of the film is exceptional, but I still feel it's one of Scorsese's lesser and least imaginative works. 3.
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Dec 19, 2004 17:02
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Scorsese is a true genius. You can't argue that at all. The acting in this movie is superb. The script is perfect, it is thoroughly entertaining....so many of the lines stick with you, and all the elements are there for a good movie, be it action, drama, whatever. I am a fan of mobster movies, and I rank this only second to Godfather II and ahead of Godfather I This film is a true cinematic masterpiece. 5.5/5
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Dec 19, 2004 21:35
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Excellent cast, direction, and (true) story. Henry Hill led an interesting life, and it was great to see it well executed on the silver screen. My favorite movies are mob movies, and this is my favorite mob movie. If you're a fan of the crime genre, you'll love it. 5.5/5
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Dec 19, 2004 22:51
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An equal and worthy ally to the greatest mob movie, The Godfather. This film is so superbly executed. PROS: Acting is top rate, Ray Liotta is excellent as well as Deniro and Pesci; the film is brutally honest in its premise; Excellent soundtrack (it IS a Scorsese film); so many classic scenes (what, I'm a clown? I'm here to amuse you? etc.) CONS: Joe Pesci is a little over the top at times (do you think there would be NO repurcussions for what happened to Spider?) Bottom Line: This movie is an instant classic for a reason. If you haven't seen this, please do. 5.5/5
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Dec 20, 2004 04:15
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Scorcese's work is largely hit-or-miss. Technically, he's a brilliant director - nobody could argue that - but his career works have been checkered at best. He's made three great films, though, and along with "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull", "GoodFellas" is one of them. Scorcese's direction and use of music is impeccable. All of his signature techniques - slow motion to accentuate a character's perception, music that both comments on the action and sets the tone, and a constantly moving camera (among other things) - come together in this film. The biggest "new" technique that Scorcese masters in this film is his use of voice-over narration. Yes, "Taxi Driver" had a few segments, but "GoodFellas" really does it perfectly. At times, especially during the opening twelve minutes, he combines it wonderfully with freeze frame. During other scenes, he uses it to bring the audience "into" the world of Henry Hill. There's a fantastic long-take that takes us through the interior of The Bamboo Lounge and introduces us to a number of Henry's associates with voice-over throughout. This is the movie that Frank Darabont says that he watched while he was writing "The Shawshank Redemption" to see how he should use Red's voice-over. The acting is fantastic. Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, and especially Robert DeNiro all turn in great performances, and even the supporting cast is drat-near faultless. In terms of direction, this is really Scorcese at his best. Many of his shots are simply artful. The intro to the Bamboo Lounge, the 3-minute and 2second shot that follows Henry and Karen from the street and into the Copacabana is just great (and the film's most famous shot). You don't even notice it when you're watching the film unless someone points it out and says: "notice that there are no cuts here". There's also the shot near the end of Henry and Jimmy sitting in the diner: they remain the same size, but the background grows -- it's and eerie effect that he does by tracking back and zooming in simultaneously. It's the sort of thing that nobody else but Scorcese would think to do these days - especially not in a subtle manner such as this. The plot builds and falls wonderfully. There is never really a slow moment: most of the film is incredibly intense. Violence comes surprisingly and immediately. After it's release, a lot of people shouted and cried that this film glamorized crime, but it really doesn't -- it simply doesn't make any moral judgements. Scorcese said that he wanted it to feel like a documentary and he achieved this feel with astounding accuracy. Pros: Great acting, gripping story, terrific soundtrack, flawless direction Cons: None. It is fair to note, however, that anyone who is especially sensitive to violence may want to look eslewhere - the movie opens with a brutal killing and the violence is almost always present after the first twenty minutes. The Bottom Line: This is a classic, one of the top five films of the '90s, and will be in the history books as one of the great films. [Note: that this is not one of my "favorite" films, but it's so flawlessly made that I cannot help but be utterly impressed] 5.5
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Dec 20, 2004 07:39
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Yeah, nothing more to say except that the tracking shot of Henry and Karen entering the club through the back entrance, saying "hi" to everyone, going into the kitchen, tipping everyone he meets and then finally sitting down in the best table in the place is one of the longest unbroken cuts ever commited to screen. Not sure of the time, but it is about 8 minutes or so, and the longest that I have ever heard of is about 11 minutes, in Hitchcock's Rope. These are the type of shots that make film-geeks cream in their pants and even non-film-geeks can appreciate how hard it would be to co-ordinate all of the different actors and props. Cool, watch it if you haven't seen it and revel in the best movie Scorsese has ever made.
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Dec 21, 2004 21:00
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Wow, never noticed that the tracking shot was uncut. Can't really praise this movie enough, Scorsese is a loving genius. 5/5
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Jan 4, 2005 15:27
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The best film Scorsese has ever done and also the best mobster movie ever made. The performances by the entire ensemble were astounding and it is incredibly rare for me to enjoy such a film as this. If you haven't seen Goodfellas, you're missing out on one of the best film's ever made. The only con possible was the romance subplot between Henry and his wife. It's slightly boring, but it's quick to get over with. 5/5
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Jan 5, 2005 06:25
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This is my favorite movie ever. It has so many parts that just fill me with glee, like the freezeframe on Henry, as a kid, running away from the exploding cars. The narration goes: "Some kids from the neighborhood carried my mother's groceries all the way home. You know why? It was outta respect." 5.5/5
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Jan 5, 2005 07:57
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This movie is great. It may seem a bit cliché to people today, but that's because all the clichés are BASED on it. It's incredibly influential, not only with the mob content but cinematically, as others have mentioned with things like the entrance to the bamboo lounge. It's no Godfather, but the characters are fantastic and the story is so engaging it could be two hours longer and you'd still wish it wouldn't end. 5/5
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Jan 6, 2005 02:44
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It was because of this movie that I don't publicly bust Scorcese's balls for the Aviator (internet, social situations, etc.) I don't know, making Gangs of New York, The Taxidriver, Raging Bull, and finally THIS in less than thirty years may have left the genius bo a tad dry Really though, what a movie, especially for a guy that grew up watching the Goodpigeons on the animaniacs without a clue (I got it within the first two minutes of catching this movie on TV.) In his average style of being completely awesome without restraint, Scorcese paints a picture of the rise and failings of the mob, or maybe just how mobsters live and pay for their crimes (that's how I saw it, anyhow.) This is the kind of film that if it didn't win an Oscar, (Scorcese has never won an Oscar) you can say without doubt that the Oscars are silly. 5.5/5, This movie goes the extra .5.
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Jan 9, 2005 01:16
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What can be said about Martin Scorsese? People argue he is the most influential director since Hitchcock or Orson Welles, other may argue he congeals the worst of his ethnicity's sterotypes into cinematic epics. Whatever you may say about the man, it's truly his work onscreen that places him in the top filmmakers of all time. GoodFellas is a watershed classic that still shows its heavy influence today. There would be no Sopranos. Sure, it deals with the mob, but not in a way like The Godfather which really tells the story of the mob itself and its actions. This is a film about the people in the mob. Ordinary people that you would not be able to pick out on the street. All the performances are tremendous, with Ray Liotta as Henry Hill. His character always keeps the shine of the highs and lows of life in the mafia in his eye, best exemplified in a closeup at the beginning of the film as Henry watches and admires the old greaseballs playing cards at late hours at the taxi stand. Scorsese is a master magician with film, his touch clear when he wants it to be the most powerful, like the gloriously stylish freezeframes at the beginning of the film, to more subtle, yet equally artistic decisions in the second and third act. The famous Copacabana walkthrough with Henry and Karen looks and feels so natural, that most don't realize it is one continuous shot without interruption. Truly one of the great showcase long-take shots, much like the opening to Orson Welles' Touch of Evil. But for me as a film student, I don't always like to wax solely about the artful execution of the film in a masturbatory fashion like some of my classmates do about Fellini or Kurosawa. Scorsese is simply my favorite director because he has produced the most entertaining, rewarding, and fresh films of the last 30 years. There is a small list of films that if I were to walk in a room and see it playing, I could sit and watch all the way through, and GoodFellas is near the top of that list. Have you ever seen a film that gives more of what we want to see when we go to the movies than GoodFellas? 5.5
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Jan 9, 2005 06:55
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