Ridley Scott's Goodfellas

Rating: 10/10 (20 November 2007)

I'd been looking at the reviews for this film recently and I was quite surprised. It was touted to be one of the biggest films of this month, if not the biggest. I mean it has Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe in it and it's directed by Ridley "Alien" Scott. What's not to like? Well quite a bit apparently. There have been many good reviews but none have been what I was expecting with a creative team of this calibre. I was expecting greatness, comparing it favourably to recent gangster movies like The Departed. But it was met averagely, many critics saying it is good but it brings little to an already established genre.
I disagree. This is better than The Departed. It was only after looking at it's average reviews that I found that the general public seemed to love it. It seems as though the critics were out of touch with the public. This is a masterful film that keeps the viewer enthralled. It is 156 minutes long but it never seems boring, always keeping you on your toes as we move from the mob to the police to the corrupt cops and innocent bystanders that get caught (literally) in the cross fire.
It tells the true story of Frank Lucas, an African American mobster during the late 60's/early 70's who tries to take over the New York drug trade. He travels to Vietnam and finds a way to transport pure heroin via the American Military as they fly back from the war. The result brings him a stronger product that he sells for a discount price. He makes millions and slowly but surely, he takes of the streets of the city.
Hot on his tail is Narcotics Officer Ricky Roberts , dead set on bringing down organised crime and police corruption. He is a failure as a husband and a father and has links to mob members who give him the occasional snippet of info when he needs it. Then he stumbles across the path of Frank Lucas and from there on in, things get messy This is a fairly graphic film. There is violence from the start and very hard drug use. I was personally astounded at the detail they were allowed to show with the shooting up scenes and not in a good way. Graphic depictions of drug use have always made me feel more uncomfortable than violence and here is no exception. We see needles enter infected wounds as the users lean their heads back and gasp, loving the sensation it gives them. It's a sad sight of a sad time, where evil prays on the desperate without any feelings or remorse. In one particularly harrowing moment we see scenes of Lucas celebrating Thanksgiving with his family inter cut with images of his users lying dead, OD'd off his "product".
One thing we learn about Frank Lucas is that he was smart, calculated, very charming and totally evil. At one point we see him chatting casually with his brothers in a local diner before walking out and shooting a rival gang member in the head, in broad daylight, in the middle of the street. He walks back to where he was sitting before casually asking "what was I saying?". His brothers, much like the audience, are in shock.
In terms of what makes this film good, the main thing is the different direction Ridley "Alien" Scott has taken. He is a director renowned his focus on visuals, creating a perfect pallet of depth and meaning from a single image. In this film though he decides to ditch his trade mark style for something, ultimately, more gritty, down and dirty. Traces of his trademark still exist, for example: the Thanksgiving montage. When we see Lucas and his family the colours are light and vibrant, reminiscent of their mood. When we cut to the dead junkies, however, everything is dark and saturated of colour, with blues, blacks and greys being prominent. But this is not the primary aspect of the image and become more of a background detail. Very unlike Ridley Scott.
But this is only there for those who have either studied film or are out looking for it. For the rest of us, there is just a hard hitting and powerful gangster film. The visuals lay back and let the story and performances take over. And what a pair of actors they have in the lead roles.
As Lucas, Washington creates a man you both admire and loath. In many ways, his rise to power is reminiscent of the typical American dream, albeit a twisted version of it. He is smart and calculated and his charisma will make any woman swoon. He is also brutal and psychotic. You loath a man like him because he is the most charming amoral character you are ever likely to meet, and he kills people as easily as he makes money.
As Roberts, Crowe is a totally different beast. He's messy and disorganised. He has a wife who's left him, a child he hardly sees and, being one of the only honest cops on the beat, is hated by his colleagues. Crowe's ruggedness, designer stubble and awful haircut almost make you believe that we're not watching Russell Crowe but a real cop who's lost everything but still has his pride. The great thing about both these actors is their ability to get lost in their characters. You believe they are who they're portraying.
In short this is just a great movie. Accessible to anyone and written and directed with true gusto. This is essentially a cops and robbers movie but with Washington, Crowe and Scott on bored they have crafted a movie that certainly deserves some attention when the Oscars come calling.
5/5