Best film of the nineties

Rating: Null/10 (20 March 1999)

The most joyous explosion of sheer cinema energy since CITIZEN KANE. Some may prefer the visceral emotions of RAGING BULL or the trance state of TAXI DRIVER, but this is the one where Scorsese took his place as the uncontested champion of American filmmakers. Scorsese uses his virtuosity playfully, gigglingly, like Mozart or Michael Jordan; you can practically hear him cackling, "Can you believe what I can do?" He doesn't use his talents to bully the audience into admiration, as Spielberg sometimes does; it's like he's telling a fabulous joke he's cracking up over almost too much to complete. Of all American movies of recent decades, this is the one that stales the least with repeat viewings; you could watch it a hundred times and still feel the shiver of delight it produced on a first viewing. The perfectness of it in all regards produces a strange thrill in the audience when seeing it projected--you feel the crowd wanting to stand up and dance. With Ray Liotta, Robert DeNiro, Paul Sorvino, Joe Pesci and Lorraine Bracco; every performance is flawless, down to the tiniest bit players. Cinematography by Michael Ballhaus. Edited by Thelma Schoonmaker.