Ever since I remember I always wanted to be a gangster!

Rating: Null/10 (20 April 2001)

Scorsese's film Goodfellas is a hard one to catalogue. It is an absolute cinematic masterpiece, see the excellent tracking shots (entering the copa by the back way) and also the tense, and sweaty final scene. I have no complaints with the impeccable acting from Liotta, De Niro, and Lorraine Bracco. Joe Pesci seems to exaggerate in his portrayal of Tommy (a role which he practically copies in Casino)but I think he deserved the oscar nomination.I also have no qualms with soundtrack which is one of the finest collections of songs around, neither the scenes which although follow short narratives have an electricity about them that makes them interesting. I'm not sure about one thing or whether anyone else shares my views, but is it fun to watch something like this? These people are the lowest, slimiest, lowlifes on Earth! A question which often came to me during the film's excellent scenes was whether one feels sympathy for the characters? Not really. All of them are backstabbers and unlike other scorsese films there is no real redemption. Hill gets what he deserves. Pesci also gets what he deserves and de Niro's character is truly detestable as he tries even to kill Henry's wife. This is a question which has often crossed my mind whether it is important to feel sympathy for a character, or is it simply enough to feel any sort of emotion be it sympathy or utter dislike. In Raging Bull I'm certain that some of us watching were frightened by De Niro's portrayal of LaMotta as the evil in him was sometimes far to close to evil we have sometimes felt ourselves, it finishes, though with his redemption. Also the characters in Mean Streets, Scorsese's best film, are likeable even down to Johnny Boy who being a nut is still funny and played with pathos by the ever present De Niro. So what happened in Goodfellas? I'm not sure Scorsese would want us to love the film, appreciate it yes, but love it and praise it I don't know. It is a great character study, but, of lowlifes, people we really wouldn't want to meet.