The reality of the mafia

Rating: 9/10 (26 February 2006)

The remarkable true story of Henry Hill and the crime family to which he associates, paints a true picture of life in the mob. A fantastic transformation of book to screen, directed in excellent fashion by Scorcese; while sticking in great detail to the story of Henry Hill's narratated book Wise Guy.
The casting for this film was perfect. Joe Pesci as Tommy put in an amazing performance and won the films only Oscar as Best supporting actor. Robert De Niro put a top performance in as Irish borderline psycho hustler Jimmy Conway and Ray Liotta put a career marking performance as leading character Henry Hill. The supporting cast was excellent also in a film with every day believable characters all the while, despite the world they were in.
The film starts off with Henry as a young kid, desperate to be a gangster like the mob guys on his street, in a neighbourhood of 'schmucks' in Long Island. Henry hustles his way into the money, which he passes up to his mob boss protector Paulie. The money he scams gives him respect on the street but he can never be a made guy because of his Irish father. The first hour of the film is a tale of the great life they were living but as is the way in organised crime it can't last and they ultimately lead to their own downfall through excess and greed; something that emphasised the times, from the late 60s and 70s setting.
It's a landmark in directing as freeze frames, pauses, a lack of continuity at times, a forward premonition at the start and a great scene where Henry and his then girlfriend Karen enter the Copa through the back door. It's stylish but unlike say with Tarantino in Pulp Fiction it's done in a gritty sense, rather than just for show. The film leads you into thinking that although the gangster life is great while it lasts, it's an empty world where you can be whacked at anytime for anything by your supposed best friend.