Martin Scorsese's Greatest Hit

Rating: 10/10 (12 October 2002)

The life story of gangster from childhood to present day.
The reason classic movies are so few and far between is that there is too much to go wrong. It is, after all, the most combined of the arts. But boy when the script, acting, music and direction come right you have the greatest art form in the world. I have sat and thought how I cannot give this movie 10 out of 10 - but I cannot find one, so 10 it is.
(I had to break a my vow never to give a 10 to do this. After all how many things are perfect? But it is a step better than my 9 movies, so what can I do?)
It is ironic that Liotta - the central figure (Henry Hill) - in this drama is the least impressive and a class below both Pesci (he will never get a role as good as this) and De Niro (under acting here for once). Whether this is deliberate (so as to make it look less sexy?) I don't know. The Liotta movies that have followed have done nothing to to change my mind - although the role suits him right down to the ground so he is not doing any damage.
(Can the guy play people of authority? Teachers, lawyers, government officials? In other words, people WITHOUT a screw loose?)
De Niro doesn't have to do much in gangster roles. He is introduced - in voice over - as 28 and despite the fact that he is clearly in his 40's we don't care. His Jimmy "the Gent" Conway is a slimeball crime figure, not that bright, but brighter than those around. What do they say: In the world of the blind the one-eyed man is king?
Conway has worked out that it is easier to kill people than pay them the money he owes. He cannot knock the writer (Nicholas Pileggi) for this because it happens to be true. I could live without this fact being set to pop music though.
Pesci won an Oscar for his Tommy Devito. This is the most amazing performance in the history of cinema: Deadly and funny at the same time. A complete acting master class and we are going to be seeing versions of this in movies forever. This role is to him what the Zorba The Greek was to Anthony Quinn: To good to be played only once!
The hyprocracy, stupidity, the viciousness, the black humour are all well done. Who else but director Scorsese would dare start with a scene that involves such callous violence? People that don't like this scene should stick to Disney movies, this is violence that is real and is based on a real incident. If some viewers prefer plastic violence, so what?

This might be the best piece of work that Martin Scorsese ever brings to the screen. Some comedians call it "Martin Scorsese's Greatest Hits". I call it Martin Scorsese's most perfectly realised picture.
Oh there is one thing I don't like about it - the trailer is terrible and sells the picture as being pro violence.