A well-crafted gangster film! One of Scorsese's best!

Rating: 10/10 (22 November 2008)

I finally saw this movie and it still has a little bit of a spell on me. I can't really compare "Goodfellas" to "The Godfather" because they're two totally different films. Goodfellas is shown and told through Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) whose only dream was to be a wise guy. The movie follows his journey from starting out as a youth who ran errands to the mob, to being one of the mob's closest members, and his eventual downfall.
To cover many of the details in the film, there's much voice-over narration. In many movies, I find that a lot of narration is irritating and at times makes me loose interest in a film since I like to be shown what the film is about, not told. But the narration is a definite exception to this movie because it not only reveals the film as a past event, but also gets into the thoughts and feelings of the main character Henry. His girlfriend Karen (Lorraine Bracco), who later becomes his wife, also has her share of voice-over. An essential part to the film is both of their narration since it not only reveals their thoughts in a given scene, but it also develops a strong bond between the two, which later spirals.
Scorsese's direction (who I think can relate a lot to the film, as person who grew up in New York City) is a key driving force in the film. There are many excellent shots in it that I could probably write a book on them. The one that stands out the most for me is in a scene where Henry takes Karen on a date. The camera follows them from the car, past a line of people at the entrance, down a flight of stairs, through a kitchen, and into the restaurant where a few waiters set up a table for them to be in the front of the floor show. This is the power of the mob, but everything that has a beginning has an end. I won't give the end of the film away, but the main man Ray goes from a real somebody to a nobody, which plays in the irony of the film. He gets it all, but then loses it.
Another main ingredient in this film is Thelma Schoonmaker's editing. I have come to call her the greatest film editor of all time, and her work of freeze framing scenes, as well as clean cuts in between scenes are priceless. When it comes to the acting, all are great, but Joe Pesci is the real master. I recognize him mostly for being in the Lethal Weapons and Home Alones, but his skills are put to the test in this film as the likable, yet psychotic Tommy. His Oscar was well-deserved (the academy got it right for once).
"Goodfellas" though is not a movie for everyone. There's a lot of language (mostly said by Pesci) and some strong bloody violence that may shock and disturb viewers. Other than that, "Goodfellas" is definitely one of the greatest gangsters films ever made as well as one of Scorsese's best!