Fine Goodfellas type of movie....kinda

Rating: Null/10 (7 July 2004)

I enjoyed this more the second time through. Depp gives another very good 'immersive' performance (in the words of another poster here, yes....)-kind of the flip side of Donnie Brasco, if you like.
Spoilers below am sure!
Certainly the Goodfellas nods are there-Ray Liotta, a very Lorraine Bracco-like performance/casting of Rachel Griffiths, the baddie narrating things, years going by, etc. The whole bit.
I appreciated the fact that they didn't glamorize this much-he gets busted 3-4 times, his mom throws him into jail, his mother is a shrew, his 'friends' are addicted crooks who stab him in the back, etc. Nothing good about either doing coke or selling it or being tossed into the fed pen for it.
Nice job by 'Tuna', 'Pablo Escobar'(he was in Three Kings! Always plays someone like an arab or hispanic but is really Maori-go figger!) and Pee Wee Herman, playing himself I suppose this time around? I didn't like Pauline Cruze there, she has never attracted me and her performance was...grating to say the least.
Sad ending too.
*** outta ****