Odds are great you'll enjoy this

Rating: 8/10 (26 September 2009)

This is based on 2-Disc Special Edition release. I have not read the book, nor did I know anything about the real people this was based(apart from what's on the Trivia page). And yes, in case you have heard... this is quite similar to Goodfellas. There's the obvious, such as Pileggi writing the novels behind both, and some of the same cast. Beyond that, though, the story-telling(such as the frequent and effective use of voice-over monologues, and multiple narrators, I could go on) and overall flavor are similar. And why not? It fits for one as well as the other and they're well-done and not the exact same film(having watched one does not mean you've already seen the other, I'll put it that way). The plot is engaging and interesting throughout. Characters are credible, well-developed and consistent. The acting is excellent, for everyone involved(including the kids). DeNiro and Pesci nail their roles, Stone gives what may be the most powerful performance of her career, and Woods is spot-on as always when given appropriate material. The dialog is impeccable, with countless memorable and well-delivered lines. Cinematography and editing are marvelous. The music is great, the score well-composed, and they are used expertly throughout this. This has constant strong language, plenty of brutal, bloody violence, disturbing content and a bit of sexuality. The DVD holds deleted scenes(among them an outtake or two) and six featurettes, four of which are on this site, and that I will review individually, the last two being a documentary called Vegas and the Mob and an episode of a History Channel show entitled True Crime Authors, both of them well worth the time. I recommend this to any fan of Scorsese and/or anyone else who helped make this. And that's that. 8/10