Goodfellas Hunting

Rating: 7/10 (11 October 2006)

I walked in with mixed expectations. From friends, I heard it was awesome, "up there with 'Heat' in my all-time top 5." The trailer looked awesome. "Goodfellas" is obviously a masterpiece. But then I remember the bloated mess that "Gangs of New York" became.
The good: I'm not a Leo fan by any stretch, but I thought his performance was for the most part engaging and believable... Except there's no answer to the question of why he does what he does. Is it to clear the family name? Rid himself of his father and uncle's ghosts? Why go through all that? Matt Damon seemed like he was playing "Will Hunting becomes a cop." For the most part, believable. Alec Baldwin and Marky-Mark were solid as well.
Cinematography was great. I've always loved Scorsese's use of steadicam and dolly shots. Editing was good, sound was good.
The bad: Not for one minute did I believe the romantic relationship between Leo and the shrink. First, it wasn't set up, he was just sitting in her office, screaming about how he needed pills. Give me a line where he was ordered to see a psychologist, something... But out of the blue, there he is in her office. Next, he was asking her for coffee, and apparently she said yes. Would that ever happen?! I just didn't buy it. And gee, it sure is convenient that she's in a love triangle between the two main characters. Vera Farminga is beautiful, no doubt, and she sold the chemistry between her and Matt Damon. But her and Leo, I just didn't buy it. And the scenes with those two was so randomly interspersed. Their relationship was a crucial point to the film, and with it being non-credible like that, really a major hang up for me.
Jack Nicholson has become a caricature. It was like an amalgam of the Joker and Melvin Udall. Is it acting? Or is he really crazy? Just a little too over-the-top.
And finally, Martin Sheen's Boston accent was Atrocious! One cut it's there, the next (even in the same scene) it's gone. Dropping a few R's does not a Boston accent make.
All that said the twist at the end was great and shocking, and while I could've done without the rat on the rail (just to make sure that we got the point), I liked the mildly ambiguous ending. Did Marky Mark get the information from the shrink and was avenging his police brethren? Was he another part of Costello's outfit? I prefer to think the former...
Overall, it's worth a look for some great performances. Just more suspension of disbelief is required than is the norm for films of this type.