A Real Portrayal of All That Is Bad

Rating: 10/10 (30 April 2010)

I generally back away from gangster films. It's not my favorite genre. I have trouble with the aggrandizement of this amoral subcult. This, however, is a masterpiece. It's almost documentary in its portrayal of this society of evil. Martin Scorsese has assembled the cream of the crop of actors who have cut their teeth on the successors of the Godfather. I can't begin to do justice to all the actors in this film. What I can attest to is the danger that lurks in every scene. In one scene the hard wired character played by Joe Pesci (marvelous and crazy) shoot a guy named "Spider" for not getting him the right drink. The rest of the men must sit there, without compassion, because this is a normal day, with "normal" events. There is also the second group. The wives and the families who are stuck in the middle of all this, pretending their husbands work nine-to-five jobs, while they are out hitting people. Ultimately, there is Robert de Niro who is the craziest of all. Played with subtle control, he dominates every scene. This is a true masterpiece that's hard to watch.