Like getting a kick in the teeth (in a good way)

Rating: 10/10 (16 January 2005)

"As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster. To me, being a gangster was better than being President of the United States." I might as well face it. I've become a huge mafia/mob movie fan. Sometime last year, when I worked at my local video store, I purchased The Godfather trilogy box set. I bought it because I felt it was just something I should have. Because I was a huge movie fan, I felt that I needed to own what was regarded as the greatest film trilogy of all time. Did I actually feel like sitting down for three hours and watching one of the movies? No way. So, it sat on my shelf for a very long time. One weekend at college, I was feeling very bored so I decided to put in "The Godfather" and watch it. Wow. I've been changed. This may be my favorite movie. Then came "The Godfather Part II" which was equal to the first one. I was captivated, because I was not used to film-making that was so consistent, raw, and powerful. Francis Ford Coppola's movies opened the door for me to see film, as well as society, in a whole new light.
I'm new to Martin Scorsese, but after being amazed with his movie "The Aviator", I decided to rent his take on the Italian underworld, "Goodfellas". This movie is amazing. Simply amazing, because it is an example of absolutely pure film-making that hasn't been tainted by time or the latest trends. Scorsese had plenty of opportunities to screw up "Goodfellas" with clichÃ©s and cheap film techniques, but he decided to stick with his roots and make a picture that was instead fueled by simple, un-adulterated "camera on actor" (for lack of a better term) power. Scorsese understands the language of film more than probably any other director still working today. He is amazing, because every shot that he sets up is set up for a reason. He never does anything weird simply for the sake of being weird or drawing attention to himself. Everything that he does is done to tell the story and only that. In "Goodfellas", Scorsese does not glorify the life of the mafia. If anything, "Goodfellas", is a decidedly anti-mob movie. You see everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, that goes on in this underground business. The film is very very violent, but it is never out-of-line with the story. The characters are violent men, and therefore should be portrayed that way honestly. Roger Ebert calls this "the best mob movie ever" and while I disagree with him there, "Goodfellas" has earned a very high place on that list.
Four stars (****)