GoodFellas Review: Martin Scorsese’s Most Influential Work To Date!

GoodFellas is a special film for me for a multitude of reasons, had I not watched it few years back I probably would have never taken films as seriously as I do today. It exposed me to a completely new style of cinema, I hadn’t seen something so raw and unapologetic before, it truly made me believe that the power this medium holds is second to none. The opening scene, the funny how scene, the Copa bagana tracking shot, the last day as a wiseguy scene… I had never known films could be so unbashedly gritty and so unbelievably spellbinding at the same time. Its style has been replicated and expanded on by two generations now, from films like Reservoir Dogs and Boogie Nights to TV shows like Sopranos and Narcos, everyone has tried to capture the essence of GoodFellas in their products, yet nothing comes close to its impact for me.

Deservedly considered one of the greatest films of all time, GoodFellas gave a different perspective on the Mafia/mob film which since the early seventies had been dominated by The Godfather. The Godfather was Grand Opera, a glamorous epic tragedy about those at the pinnacle of that world. GoodFellas brought the genre down to earth, detailing the lives of everyday hoods where the big man is the neighborhood boss and the rest are small timers who would like to be real “made men” someday. The story is based on the actual recollections of a former crew member turned FBI informant as told to author Nicholas Pileggi. Pileggi had only wished Scorsese would direct a film of his book and was dumbfounded when he actually got a call from the director. There is an autobiographical aspect from Scorsese’s point of view as well. Growing up in New York’s Little Italy, he would look out his window across the street to a building where gangland characters congregated and wonder about their lives. They seemed so different than everyone else.

That scene is in the film as a young Henry Hill looks out his own window at the cab stand across the street where a similar scene unfolds. Scorsese never went beyond looking, but Hill is gradually drawn into the mob scene and seduced by its easy money, seeming camaraderie, and general respect given to them by everyone else. It was an easy seduction. But before we get to the window, which actually starts the action in 1955, we get a sneak preview of how things are in 1970, with an extremely brutal and violent murder, no less disturbing despite its elements of black comedy, that reveals the danger underlying every part of this lifestyle. This is shown again and again, that this is a volatile world where in an instant things can turn from easygoing to life threatening.

Another thing that separates GoodFellas from other mob dramas is the writing of the female lead character, I have always found Karen to be the most interesting character of the film, astonishingly portrayed by Lorraine Bracco she always carries a mysterious and murky vibe around her, from (in my observation) lying to Henry about the neighbour thing just to see him go wild to casually taking a hit of cocaine in the third act, she had become extremely drawn to Henry’s life, the layered writing of her character is fascinating to see. The chemistry between Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco is electrifying, from both their narrations to the Copa Cabana tracking shot to the domestic scenes, they really brought out the best in each other.

Everything miraculously works in this film. Scorsese’s moving, flowing camerawork and Thelma Schoonmakers editing carry you through everything seamlessly and keep the film moving at a fast pace. Freeze frames are used not in a gimmicky way, but to underscore the end of important scenes. The pop music that accompanies the scenes is so well-chosen from the opening with Tony Bennet’s Rags to Riches to the frantic climax with its snatches of songs by the Rolling Stones and the Who.

But nothing in this film would have worked without Ray Liotta’s unbelievably sincere commitment to the material, his image comes to the mind when people talk about the quintessential antihero because of his sublime performance here, he just oozed class, the news of this sudden demise has shocked me to the core, what hurts me even more is, his career was having a resurgence, having seen GoodFellas atleast 30+ times, this loss really feels personal. Also, I wish he had a role or even a cameo in The Irishman since it was Scorsese’s final mob drama, the antihero of his most popular mob drama should have been there, but anyway, he will always be remembered for this and many other powerful performances he has given in his career, rest in power, man.

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