The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourhood gangsters at an early age and climbs the ranks of a Mafia family under the guidance of Jimmy C...
Goodfellas is hardly Scorsese's first venture into the world of organized crime, as this is an art form he has perfected better than any other director in his well established career. In my opinion this is the pinnacle of all his work. However, I also believe that Goodfellas is the greatest mafia movie ever made. How dare I say that? Have I not seen the Godfthaer movies? One might ask, and yes, it's true. The Godfather is perhaps the greatest mafia film we've seen(and possibly the best film period).However, Goodfellas is a completely different animal. While The Godfather is a complete story within the mafia world, Goodfellas manages to be an realistic and thoroughly thrilling ride through the underbelly of the crime family business. The movie can be simply summarized in its opening sequence. The film is gripping, which stays realistic, yet stunningly engaging with it's sudden, and exciting moments. It displays the gory violence that exists in this world in a disturbing, yet sensationally satisfying way that was unprecedented at the time. The movie manages to fuse drama,comedy,and violence in a completely fulfilling and balanced way. The performances are incredible from noteworthy individuals such as Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta, and also from stars such as Lorraine Bracco and Paul Sorvino. Most of all from Joe Pesci who won an Oscar for his work. The film has simply brilliant direction, as Scorcese manages to shoot brilliant conversational and action sequences. Not to mention the brilliant Copacabana shot which stands among his best directorial work to say the least. Where he really shows his directorial suave is with his sharp, yet, crisp tonal transitions throughout the film. As he manages to capture his character's change in personality and emotions brilliantly with a extraordinary level of realism. However, where this film really hit me when I first saw it was with its superb soundtrack. I don't say this lightly, the songs in this film are fantastic, and fit wonderfully with the different tones throughout the film. This is no accident, as Scorcese picked the songs specifically, and only if they added further nuance to the scenes. It's hard to summarize such a film that is simply perfection in my eyes, and I strongly urge you to see this film especially if you have a liking for mafia films. Stunning film and well worth a watch.
