Wednesday, May 11, 2011

GoodFellas

GoodFellas (1990)
Biography | Crime | Drama

Henry Hill and his friends work their way up through the mob hierarchy.



"As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster. To me, being a gangster was better than being President of the United States."

Martin Scorsese is hailed by many as the greatest living American filmmaker, but with the passing of Swedish master auteur Ingmar Bergman in 2007, I would argue that Scorsese is the greatest living filmmaker in the world. "Goodfellas" is a perfect example of the brilliance of Scorsese, as he takes his audience inside a world that is often misunderstood by the general population.

The film feels unbelievably authentic, not just because it's based on actual events, but because Scorsese understands this world as well as any filmmaker ever could. Growing up on the streets of Manhattan's Lower East Side, Scorsese had plenty of exposure to the violent world of the "Mafia." Scorsese understands better than anyone the destructive nature of the "mafia" lifestyle, but he also understands how appealing it can be. That is what makes "Goodfellas" such an incredibly powerful film, the fact that the characters are not portrayed as one-dimensional villains, but are presented as ordinary men who have been seduced by the lifestyle from an early age.

Scorsese does a masterful job of creating a world where death seems like an inevitability. The famous "Funny Guy" scene is one of the most powerful scenes in movie history because it so effectively captures the volatility of the mafia lifestyle. The truth is, your best friend one day, can become your worst enemy the next. Nothing gets in the way of business, and as a result, friendships are of secondary importance. No filmmaker is better at probing the psyches of violent men than Scorsese. He burrows into the world of the mafia and doesn't attempt to sugarcoat it, which results in a film that is incredibly violent and profane, but never gratuitous.

"Goodfellas" is not only a masterpiece and one of the greatest films of the 1990s, but it is further proof that Martin Scorsese is a filmmaker of incomparable talent.

10/10

Have you seen it? If so, what's your opinion?

33 comments:

  1. This is my favourite movie!!!! I am glad to read about this, thanks for share.

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  2. Goodfellas is an outstanding movie. good post.

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  3. i don't seen this movie but i'll.
    u know about "Scent of a Woman"? Al Pacino is tha bestttt

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  4. One of my top 5 movies love it...

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  5. didn't watch this one yet.. gonna check it out, thanks

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  6. Awesome film, I agree 100% with your rating.

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  7. Very good movie, classic de niro and pesci.

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  8. This film is superb plus Robert De Niro is a badass!

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  9. Never seen it. Man, following your blog makes me feel like I am culturally dead, I haven't seen most of what you review. Another one to add to the list.

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  10. Have only seen parts of this film, am going to have to watch all of it now!

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  11. Such an awesome movie; watched this after finishing Mafia 2 - noticed a lot of similarities ;>

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  12. Aw..i havent watched it, BUT it seems pretty good ^^ and also, doesnt the middle guy look like the vocalist of Good Charlotte but older..? xD

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  13. 10/10? I'll definitely be renting it this weekend. Good review!

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  14. Love this movie. Classic Italian film.

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  15. its one of the best movies ever !

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  16. movie is 11/10 lol. Why Carennnn, whyyyyyyyy

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  17. Haven't seen it, yet... your 10/10 makes me think that this is a mistake I can regret, if not rectified. =)

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  18. wow a 10/10 I have to see this. I missed so many good movies

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  19. One of the greatest, definitely deserves a 10

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  20. "Sure, mom, I settle down with a nice girl every night, then I'm free the next morning."

    Love it. Classic. Thanks!

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  21. This is one of those gangster movies I haven't seen but want to, along with others like the Godfather movies. They all look good, I've just never got around to seeing them.

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  22. Great movie one of my personal fav

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  23. I haven't seen it yet, but could watch it this Saturday with my friend

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  24. 10/10 for the movie and 10/10 for your rating of the movie. Great film. One everyone should watch.

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  25. This is my absolute favourite movie of all time! ;D

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  26. Good Fellas was a brilliant movie, deserved 10/10. I'm loving all mafia movies.

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  27. Great movie. Ive already commented on this lol. Must be Blogger?

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  28. I really wanna see this now. Great blog :D

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