Scorsese's masterpiece!
Based upon
the true story of Henry Hill, "Goodfellas" is
Martin Scorsese's "Shoulda won the Oscar" film.
I mean, really, think about it- I know he was a
sentimental favorite, but did he really deserve
the Oscar for "The Aviator?" The answer is a
resounding "No!" The same is true for his "Gangs
of New York," a sentimental favorite that was
well done but definitely not solid enough to
really earn the Best Director Oscar. "Goodfellas",
however, is another story. For "Goodfellas,"
Scorsese should have blown away that wolf
dancing Kevin Costner.
In the film, Henry (Ray Liotta) sole ambition
beginning in childhood is to be a "wise guy," a
member of the Mafia. He is in no way actually
connected to The Family, but he's single-minded
in his vision of a life as a mafioso. The film
is based upon the real life Hill's story, told
while in the Federal Witness Protection Program,
to Nicholas Pileggi.
One could easily look over at Francis Ford
Coppola and wonder why he wasn't given a crack
at this material, and yet, upon further thought
it becomes clear that Scorsese is truly the only
director who could possibly direct a film with
the authenticity and imagery of "Goodfellas."
Hill's wife notes in the book based on their
lives that she became so accustomed to living
the mob life that it became normal to her. She
was so deeply integrated into the circle that
any other sort of living felt foreign to her.
That's precisely the beauty of "Goodfellas."
While it is a dramatized account of Henry Hill's
rise into the Mafia ranks, it is done with such
complete research, such devotion to detail by
Scorsese that it simultaneously feels like
drama, documentary, and biopic combined with a
touch of urban poetry. "Goodfellas" isn't so
much about the events and actions of a mob
figure. These things are only the tools that
Scorsese uses to create what it truly feels like
to be a mob figure.
Scorsese taps not only into the Pileggi book,
but also his own life experiences sitting in his
home, watching the gangsters across the street.
He would sit in is window day after day after
day. In some ways, he could do nothing but he
could observe everything.
As in every Scorsese film, music is essential to
communicating the story and the feelings of the
film. Every transition is filled with music that
takes the audience to a new place from Hill's
early experiences to his rise through his ranks
and, finally, through his own paranoia as the
walls started closing in.
Liotta immerses himself in the role of Henry
Hill. Henry Hill is truly the performance of
Liotta's life, and his Oscar nomination was well
deserved as we follow him from determined young
man to rising star in the Mafia to fallen star
and ultimately to betrayal. Liotta sparkles
through this wide array of emotions, and his
scenes with Lorraine Bracco as his wife are
filled with passion and loyalty and romance and,
yes, more betrayal. Likewise, as The Don, Paul
Sorvino explodes on the screen along with Robert
DeNiro as Jimmy and Danny Devito as Tommy.
The miracle of "Goodfellas" is the regret we
feel for Henry Hill, who has been so consumed by
life in this Mafia family that when he
ultimately betrays himself and his family
everything he has ever wanted and dreamed of is
finished. Becoming part of the Federal Witness
Protection Program brings to an abrupt halt a
life for which he certainly feels guilt, but the
guilt is more about his own betrayal than it is
any wrongdoing. It is a life he loved living,
and there is literally no doubt he would choose
to do so again.
If Scorsese somehow dies without finally winning
his Oscar, hopefully he can rest in peace
knowing that in his career he has created films
that challenge, entertain, educate and inform
like virtually no other director. "Goodfellas"
is a brilliant film from a brilliant director,
and the failure of the Academy to recognize it
is a reflection only of their poor judgment.
In many ways, "Goodfellas" is Henry Hill's love
song to his life in a Mafia family. Like every
powerful love song, it is a song you will feel
long after you have watched the film. Indeed, "Goodfellas"
is Scorsese's "shoulda won the Oscar" film.
©
Written by Richard
Propes
TC Candler's Comment
This
sublime example of filmmaking is the best 'Mob
Movie' of all time. Ray Liotta delivers a
powerful turn in the role of a lifetime, as the
young man who works his way quickly up the ranks
of the New York mafia. The relationships,
friendships, loyalties, viciousness, danger,
excitement and pressure inherent in the business
takes its toll as we watch him sink into a life
of drugs and paranoia. It is a magnificent and
epic film about one life consumed by a world of
corruption and crime.
Jacob
Hall's Comment
n/a
