The Best Gangster Film Ever Made

Rating: 9/10 (31 January 2016)

And so from the opening narrative from Henry Hill's (Ray Liotta) thoughts, he has always had that dream to become a gangster. Claiming that it was far better than being President of the United States. This was the beginning of a long-line of intriguing narratives of Martin Scorsese's brilliant character-study of Mafia life in 1990's "Goodfellas". Based on actual events we follow Italian-Irish kid Henry Hill from his humble beginnings to when he became ignited into an Italian crime family as we see him work his way through heists and his in-and-out prison systems to his drug trafficking empire. While this is happening, Hill's life and relationships were becoming more complicated for him to handle, he has to decide on whether he wants face death from his Mafioso allies or take his seat on the witness protection program. Behind all these enthralling events, Scorsese manages to add a myriad of colorful characters which has a benchmark filled with violence, humour, dedication, loyalty and finally the ultimate of all prices, betrayal.
The other notable performances comes from Robert De Niro as decorated criminal mind Jimmy "The Gent" Conway and Joe Pesci as the diminutive and equally short-tempered assassin Tommy DeVito who seems to be branded by a cornucopia of psychological disorders. Devito combines both the catalyst to both the gratuitous violence in the movie as well as most of the dark humour as well. And nobody combines both dark humour and violence better than Scorsese. Who can forget the the memorable "what's so funny about me" scene which has a preceding story that is filled with sharp humour that follows later with intense dialogue only to followed by some friendly humour which leads to unexpected violence. It's classic scenes like this that make this movie so unpredictable and yet very magical.
With a cesspool of talented performers, you could easily get lost in the shuffle, and that's exactly what happened to Ray Liotta here. I'm not saying he was terrible in his leading performance here as gangster wannabe Henry Hill. It's just that of all the major characters starring here, his was the lesser convincing compared to his costars. His narration lacked the integrity of a cold-blooded gangster, but more like a literature student contemplating on finishing his Master's thesis on gangs in New York. The weight carriers in this film depends mostly on the performances of De Niro and Pesci as they embody the emotions and the intrigue which makes the film very believable and at the same time rich in very specific detail. They're respected roles are the reasons to watch this movie because they're more fun to watch than Henry Hill who at times felt more like an observer as opposed to being part of the action like what De Niro and Pesci do. But with the characters and the dynamics within them are very satisfying and sure Liotta was great in his role and his narration does embody a man who seems to be feared of what he got himself into and how to get out if there is a way out without being dead.
Rounding out the supporting cast I thought the chemistry between Liotta and Lorraine Bracco as Henry's Jewish wife Karen Friedman Hill was really special. The trials and tribulations of this dysfunctional married couple added great depth to the story was an important part of the film. It shows that unlike other gangster films, there is family life provided there and it steps out of the inner circle of gangster films which makes it all reason you can't miss out on a film like this one. However, unlike Francis Ford Coppola who's "Godfather" movies used a more glorified side to the mob life, Scorsese took his direction out in the mean streets of Brooklyn and makes the disjointed relationship between Henry and Karen all the more realistic. Scorsese once said that all good films are there to teach us the lessons of life. "Goodfellas" gives us a hard lesson about respect, dedication, betrayal, assets and liabilities.
When all's said and done, "Goodfellas" stands strong in terms of performances, cinematography, direction and writing. This movie is probably the greatest gangster films in the history of cinema. Even though it has some flaws, the movie does a great job in not only looking at the dark side of gangster life, but it demonstrates how good storytelling operates. A fine example of Scorsese's direction can easily be summed up near the end as Henry and Karen enter into the Copacabana as the go through the halls. They go past the club and past the kitchen and into a dining area where they are being seated at a table with waiters to serve them. I can't recommend this film enough, it's a wonderful movie, not just for gangster fans, but for people who appreciate good cinema.