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I've seen this movie many times, including at the movies in 1990 when I was 19 years old. I know it very well, but I watched it again for this Hall of Fame anyway. I didn't watch it again to see if I still felt the same way; I watched it again to enjoy it, and that's exactly what I did.
This movie has one of the most remarkable casts I've ever seen. It's not that they're talented, although obviously they are, but it's their chemistry and how they work together.
This is not one of Robert De Niro's standout performances like in Taxi Driver or Raging Bull, but that's because it doesn't have to be. I see his character as the glue that holds the cast together. He plays sort of a mentor to Henry and Tommy, and his character is held in high esteem by them through his reputation. Jimmy Conway commands respect in the movie, much in the same way that De Niro as an actor commands respect from the audience as they're watching. Thankfully, Al Pacino turned down the role, because De Niro's performance is absolute perfection.
Joe Pesci in playing the hot tempered and unpredictable Tommy Devito, gives us one of the most memorable characters in screen history. He would later play basically the exact same character in Scorsese's great, yet inferior, Las Vegas gangster flick, Casino. This is Pesci's career defining role, and for his efforts, he won the Academy Award for best supporting actor. Joe Pesci is responsible for some of the film's most memorable moments.
While De Niro is the glue and Pesci the scene stealer, Ray Liotta's portrayal of Henry Hill is the centerpiece of this movie. The Casting of Liotta falls squarely on the shoulders of Martin Scorsese. With a major release like this, casting a relative unknown like Liotta in this type of role was a huge gamble. Scorsese had seen Liotta star as Melanie Griffith's psychotic ex-boyfriend in 1986's Something Wild, a movie I had also seen and really liked. Based on that performance, Scorsese pushed for and secured Liotta, bypassing , among others, Sean Penn for the role. It was a gamble that paid off big time. It's such an important performance, not only because Henry Hill is the central character, but also because he narrates much of the film. Ray Liotta was Henry Hill, in that he was a young up and comer hungry for the spotlight and out to make his mark. Liotta would listen to the real Henry Hill in FBI wiretap tapes in order to get into character. He would give his career best performance perfectly utilizing his strength at treading the line between charming and menacing.
One thing that I've always given Scorsese credit for is that, even though many of his movies are male dominated, he often provides juicy roles for women. This has never been more evident than in the casting and performance of Lorraine Bracco as Karen Hill. If Henry Hill is the central figure of the movie, then his wife Karen is 1A. While much of the movie is told from Henry's point of view, the rest of the movie is told from her point of view, in how someone marrying into this situation would see things. She also does some of the narration. Like Liotta, Bracco was another relative unknown, and a big risk that paid off. She gives her career performance, holding her own and then some, in the type of movie in which a female character would normally be an afterthought.
Paul Sorvino plays the other major character in the film, Paulie. By all accounts, Sorvino is a soft spoken Teddy bear of a man, but in Goodfellas, he's the boss who can make you weak in the knees with just a stare. Despite a strong reputation and a long list of acting credits, Sorvino is yet another actor who gives a career defining performance in the film.
Martin Scorsese is easily my favorite director. He is widely regarded as one of the all time greats, and his reputation is well earned. Like a lot of great directors, Scorsese is a fan and student of many types of classic film. His direction in Goodfellas was inspired by the French new wave. He's not just a man with a camera either; as I noted earlier, he was heavily involved with the casting decisions. He also played Layla on the piano in order to match up the right notes with the exact right moments in the scene the song was used in. Scorsese is not only talented and creative, he loves his work, and it shows. Speaking of Layla, Goodfellas has one of the greatest soundtracks in film history. It's a fantastic mix of era specific classics that add gravitas to every scene they are used in. Since I first saw the movie, I have never listened to the second half of Layla without seeing the frozen Frankie Carbone in the back of a meat truck. Scorsese gets all the details right, from the mob wedding to small things like a man trying to make his wife think she's crazy when she suspects him of cheating on her. The characters even age correctly during the movie. Goodfellas is not just a gangster movie, it's a 2 1/2 hour gangster epic that covers several years. It is skillfully made and entertaining as hell. I can understand somebody not being a fan of Goodfellas if they're not a fan of crime films, but I wouldn't be able to understand someone not being able to appreciate it from an artistic standpoint.
I will preface this by saying that I think The Godfather is one of the greatest movies of all time. I'm not criticizing The Godfather when I say that many of the comparisons between the two films that I have heard over the years are baffling to me. I have heard many times that The Godfather is a true mafia film, while Goodfellas is sensationalism. I believe the opposite to be true. The Godfather romanticizes honor and family, but the fact is that these men are ruthless criminals. Goodfellas shows the sensationalism that draws these men into the life, but it also shows how it's a life that will end badly for most. "As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster." This is the quote from Goodfellas that tells it all. Slowly over time, this has become a look at me world. All you have to do is look at Facebook, Twitter, or athletes mugging for the camera after individual accomplishments in a team sport. It seems more and more like people want to show off. These guys want the women, the money, the clothes, and the power. They want to be respected and feared, and they will do almost anything to achieve their goals. This is why there are no big organized mob groups anymore; people are in it for themselves. It's all about "do you know who I am?" and "do you know who I know?" Goodfellas is reality, and for all the doubters, remember, it is largely a true story. Henry Hill is real, Jimmy the Gent is real, Tommy is a real guy, and even Stacks is a real guy, yes Stacks, the guy who got high and didn't get rid of the truck that ended up being found by the police. That actually happened after the Luftansa heist, which also actually happened. All the bodies that started popping up after that, yes, that happened too. The real Henry Hill was so excited about this movie that his incessant bragging led to the FBI taking him out of the witness protection program. He even went on The Howard Stern show! They don't care about honor or family any more than anyone else. That bitch who was on the run with Whitey Bulger was with him even though he was responsible for the murders of some of her family members. These are people who just don't care, and Goodfellas accurately depicts that. It is shown in Goodfellas that most of these guys end up dead or in jail. The movie also shows how drugs can lead to anybody's downfall. Drugs have been a major problem for the mob as well as organizations like it, such as The Hell's Angels. The message is clear: crime does not pay!
Another reason I love this movie, and it may seem odd, is that I relate to it. Because I used to spend a lot of time in bars and had a serious gambling problem, I knew a lot of characters like the ones portrayed in the movie. I have quite a story for another time, but I will say that at one point in my life not so long ago, I at least felt like my life was in danger. I was in for an awful lot of money to multiple bookies and loansharks, and it appeared to be an absolutely hopeless situation. The way I got out of it was nothing short of a miracle, and I didn't do it by selling lemonade. Every day, I thank God for movieforums.com, because that was the replacement for the behavior that got me into trouble. Much like the movie, when Karen talks of the people not associating with anyone else, I get it because that's the way I've had to be for a few years. It's not fun. To this day, I get scared when there's a helicopter near my house. Would that be the case if not for it happening to Henry in Goodfellas? It's also one of my wife's favorite movies, and a few years ago, she suspected me of renting an apartment for a girlfriend, or having a separate family. Would she have thought that way if it wasn't for the movie? I don't know, but the movie has apparently made an impact on my life. In short, I think Goodfellas is as close to perfect as a movie can be, and it is without a doubt my all time favorite.
Goodfellas
I've seen this movie many times, including at the movies in 1990 when I was 19 years old. I know it very well, but I watched it again for this Hall of Fame anyway. I didn't watch it again to see if I still felt the same way; I watched it again to enjoy it, and that's exactly what I did.
This movie has one of the most remarkable casts I've ever seen. It's not that they're talented, although obviously they are, but it's their chemistry and how they work together.
This is not one of Robert De Niro's standout performances like in Taxi Driver or Raging Bull, but that's because it doesn't have to be. I see his character as the glue that holds the cast together. He plays sort of a mentor to Henry and Tommy, and his character is held in high esteem by them through his reputation. Jimmy Conway commands respect in the movie, much in the same way that De Niro as an actor commands respect from the audience as they're watching. Thankfully, Al Pacino turned down the role, because De Niro's performance is absolute perfection.
Joe Pesci in playing the hot tempered and unpredictable Tommy Devito, gives us one of the most memorable characters in screen history. He would later play basically the exact same character in Scorsese's great, yet inferior, Las Vegas gangster flick, Casino. This is Pesci's career defining role, and for his efforts, he won the Academy Award for best supporting actor. Joe Pesci is responsible for some of the film's most memorable moments.
While De Niro is the glue and Pesci the scene stealer, Ray Liotta's portrayal of Henry Hill is the centerpiece of this movie. The Casting of Liotta falls squarely on the shoulders of Martin Scorsese. With a major release like this, casting a relative unknown like Liotta in this type of role was a huge gamble. Scorsese had seen Liotta star as Melanie Griffith's psychotic ex-boyfriend in 1986's Something Wild, a movie I had also seen and really liked. Based on that performance, Scorsese pushed for and secured Liotta, bypassing , among others, Sean Penn for the role. It was a gamble that paid off big time. It's such an important performance, not only because Henry Hill is the central character, but also because he narrates much of the film. Ray Liotta was Henry Hill, in that he was a young up and comer hungry for the spotlight and out to make his mark. Liotta would listen to the real Henry Hill in FBI wiretap tapes in order to get into character. He would give his career best performance perfectly utilizing his strength at treading the line between charming and menacing.
One thing that I've always given Scorsese credit for is that, even though many of his movies are male dominated, he often provides juicy roles for women. This has never been more evident than in the casting and performance of Lorraine Bracco as Karen Hill. If Henry Hill is the central figure of the movie, then his wife Karen is 1A. While much of the movie is told from Henry's point of view, the rest of the movie is told from her point of view, in how someone marrying into this situation would see things. She also does some of the narration. Like Liotta, Bracco was another relative unknown, and a big risk that paid off. She gives her career performance, holding her own and then some, in the type of movie in which a female character would normally be an afterthought.
Paul Sorvino plays the other major character in the film, Paulie. By all accounts, Sorvino is a soft spoken Teddy bear of a man, but in Goodfellas, he's the boss who can make you weak in the knees with just a stare. Despite a strong reputation and a long list of acting credits, Sorvino is yet another actor who gives a career defining performance in the film.
Martin Scorsese is easily my favorite director. He is widely regarded as one of the all time greats, and his reputation is well earned. Like a lot of great directors, Scorsese is a fan and student of many types of classic film. His direction in Goodfellas was inspired by the French new wave. He's not just a man with a camera either; as I noted earlier, he was heavily involved with the casting decisions. He also played Layla on the piano in order to match up the right notes with the exact right moments in the scene the song was used in. Scorsese is not only talented and creative, he loves his work, and it shows. Speaking of Layla, Goodfellas has one of the greatest soundtracks in film history. It's a fantastic mix of era specific classics that add gravitas to every scene they are used in. Since I first saw the movie, I have never listened to the second half of Layla without seeing the frozen Frankie Carbone in the back of a meat truck. Scorsese gets all the details right, from the mob wedding to small things like a man trying to make his wife think she's crazy when she suspects him of cheating on her. The characters even age correctly during the movie. Goodfellas is not just a gangster movie, it's a 2 1/2 hour gangster epic that covers several years. It is skillfully made and entertaining as hell. I can understand somebody not being a fan of Goodfellas if they're not a fan of crime films, but I wouldn't be able to understand someone not being able to appreciate it from an artistic standpoint.
I will preface this by saying that I think The Godfather is one of the greatest movies of all time. I'm not criticizing The Godfather when I say that many of the comparisons between the two films that I have heard over the years are baffling to me. I have heard many times that The Godfather is a true mafia film, while Goodfellas is sensationalism. I believe the opposite to be true. The Godfather romanticizes honor and family, but the fact is that these men are ruthless criminals. Goodfellas shows the sensationalism that draws these men into the life, but it also shows how it's a life that will end badly for most. "As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster." This is the quote from Goodfellas that tells it all. Slowly over time, this has become a look at me world. All you have to do is look at Facebook, Twitter, or athletes mugging for the camera after individual accomplishments in a team sport. It seems more and more like people want to show off. These guys want the women, the money, the clothes, and the power. They want to be respected and feared, and they will do almost anything to achieve their goals. This is why there are no big organized mob groups anymore; people are in it for themselves. It's all about "do you know who I am?" and "do you know who I know?" Goodfellas is reality, and for all the doubters, remember, it is largely a true story. Henry Hill is real, Jimmy the Gent is real, Tommy is a real guy, and even Stacks is a real guy, yes Stacks, the guy who got high and didn't get rid of the truck that ended up being found by the police. That actually happened after the Luftansa heist, which also actually happened. All the bodies that started popping up after that, yes, that happened too. The real Henry Hill was so excited about this movie that his incessant bragging led to the FBI taking him out of the witness protection program. He even went on The Howard Stern show! They don't care about honor or family any more than anyone else. That bitch who was on the run with Whitey Bulger was with him even though he was responsible for the murders of some of her family members. These are people who just don't care, and Goodfellas accurately depicts that. It is shown in Goodfellas that most of these guys end up dead or in jail. The movie also shows how drugs can lead to anybody's downfall. Drugs have been a major problem for the mob as well as organizations like it, such as The Hell's Angels. The message is clear: crime does not pay!
Another reason I love this movie, and it may seem odd, is that I relate to it. Because I used to spend a lot of time in bars and had a serious gambling problem, I knew a lot of characters like the ones portrayed in the movie. I have quite a story for another time, but I will say that at one point in my life not so long ago, I at least felt like my life was in danger. I was in for an awful lot of money to multiple bookies and loansharks, and it appeared to be an absolutely hopeless situation. The way I got out of it was nothing short of a miracle, and I didn't do it by selling lemonade. Every day, I thank God for movieforums.com, because that was the replacement for the behavior that got me into trouble. Much like the movie, when Karen talks of the people not associating with anyone else, I get it because that's the way I've had to be for a few years. It's not fun. To this day, I get scared when there's a helicopter near my house. Would that be the case if not for it happening to Henry in Goodfellas? It's also one of my wife's favorite movies, and a few years ago, she suspected me of renting an apartment for a girlfriend, or having a separate family. Would she have thought that way if it wasn't for the movie? I don't know, but the movie has apparently made an impact on my life. In short, I think Goodfellas is as close to perfect as a movie can be, and it is without a doubt my all time favorite.
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