Goodfellas (1990) Warner Bros./Drama RT: 145 minutes Rated R (strong brutal violence, pervasive strong language, drug use, some sexuality) Director: Martin Scorsese Screenplay: Nicholas Pileggi and Martin Scorsese Music: Christopher Brooks (editor) Cinematography: Michael Ballhaus Release date: September 19, 1990 (US) Cast: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino, Frank Sivero, Tony Darrow, Mike Starr, Frank Vincent, Chuck Low, Frank DiLeo, Gina Mastrogiacomo, Catherine Scorsese, Charles Scorsese, Henny Youngman, Suzanne Shepherd, Debi Mazar, Margo Winkler, Welker White, Jerry Vale, Julie Garfield, Christopher Serrone, Elaine Kagan, Beau Starr, Kevin Corrigan, Michael Imperioli, Samuel L. Jackson, Robbie Vinton. Box Office: $46.8M (US)
Rating: ****
Who calls himself a film critic yet never, at any point in time, compiles his list of all-time favorite films? Me, that’s who. Hard to believe, isn’t it? It’s not so much that I’ve never gotten around to it; it’s more a matter of keeping the number within a set limit like top 10 or top 25. It’s harder than the layperson thinks. However, if I was to make such a list, it would definitely include Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, a crime drama based on Nicholas Pileggi’s non-fiction book Wiseguy about one man’s life in the Mafia. It’s not only an outstanding film; it’s one of Scorsese’s very best ranking right alongside Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. With it, he set a new standard for the modern gangster movie.
Perhaps one of the greatest injustices in Oscar history is Goodfellas losing Best Picture to Kevin Costner’s epic western Dances with Wolves, a great film in its own right, but without the longevity factor that makes Scorsese’s a must-watch for film lovers more than 30 years after its release. It isn’t the first time the Academy voters got it wrong nor would it be the last. Sadly, it would be sixteen years before Scorsese finally got his props with Best Picture and Best Director statuettes for The Departed, a lesser but still good movie.
The story centers on Henry Hill (Liotta, Something Wild) who begins his voiceover narration by stating, “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” He says this right after he witnesses two of his associates, Jimmy “The Gent” Conway (De Niro, Taxi Driver) and Tommy DeVito (Pesci, Raging Bull), stab and shoot a bloodied rival in the trunk of a car. The movie then flashes back to 1955 when teenage Henry (Serrone), the son of working-class parents from Brooklyn, starts working for Mob capo Paulie Cicero (Sorvino, Cruising) as an errand boy. It doesn’t take him too long to become a trusted member of the crew. It’s around this time he starts working as a fence for Jimmy who introduces him to Tommy. They eventually graduate to robbery and hijacking trucks.
Henry first meets his future wife Karen (Bracco, Someone to Watch Over Me), a Jewish girl from Long Island, on a blind date that’s anything but successful. This is where Goodfellas makes one of its boldest narrative choices. Women are largely unseen in gangster movies. How big of a role did Diane Keaton really play in the Godfather movies as the wife of Michael Corleone? Scorsese changes things up by having Karen tell her side of the story via voiceover. She initially doesn’t like Henry at all. She blows up at him after he stands her up on a second date. After that, their romance blooms. She admits to being turned on by his criminal lifestyle after he pistol-whips a guy who makes unwanted advances towards her. They eventually marry and start a family.
For a while, life is great. Henry makes enough money for them to live a lavish lifestyle of vacations, luxury cars, big homes, fur coats and expensive jewelry. He can even afford to provide the same for his mistress. Of course, this only means he’s headed for a huge downfall, one that starts when quick-tempered Tommy kills a made man, Billy Batts (Vincent, Raging Bull), for insulting him. That’s something you just don’t do. You know there’s going to be payback for that. A few years later, Henry gets sent to prison (on unrelated charges) where he starts dealing drugs to support his family on the outside, a venture he continues after his release despite orders from Paulie to stop. As his side business grows, so does his cocaine addiction. Just like that, his life falls apart.
There are so many great sequences in Goodfellas that I can’t possibly discuss them all. I’ll limit it to three that I find especially impressive. The first, of course, is the three-minute unbroken tracking shot following Henry and Karen entering the Copacabana nightclub through the service entrance. The camera trails them through corridors and the kitchen area before they make it to the showroom where a staff member hurriedly sets up a table for them right in front of the stage. What this really represents is the unfolding of the life of ease and privilege the Mob seems to offer initially. The second is another extended shot in which Henry introduces us to his Mob associates who have names like Nicky Eyes, Pete the Killer and Jimmy Two Times. It’s a deep dive into a life to which very few have access. The third sequence is a visual response to the Copacabana one. It takes place on the day that Henry’s life finally collapses for good. After a day spent rushing around on family and criminal business, he’s busted outside his house by narcotics agents who were tailing him all day in a helicopter. It’s a frantic, choppily-edited sequence reflective of Henry’s coked-up, paranoid state of mind. The songs on the soundtrack change abruptly. It gives the viewer a sense of claustrophobia and disorientation; it’s a closing-in of a path that was initially open.
The Academy’s other great sin with Goodfellas is that cinematographer Michael Ballhaus wasn’t even nominated for his brilliant work. The voters did, however, award Pesci with a Best Supporting Actor award for his volatile performance as Tommy, a killer who kills without hesitation. He’s a loose cannon, an unpredictable sort who must be handled with extra care lest he explode with violence. Look at the famous restaurant scene where he objects to Henry’s calling him “funny”. You don’t know if he’s joking or not when he demands to know what Henry meant by it. Although Pesci’s character commands the most attention, his co-stars are equally great. De Niro quietly dominates as the career criminal who serves as mentor to Henry. He enters every room with a combination of confidence and modesty. He’s at his absolute best when working with Scorsese. Liotta is also terrific as a fellow who enjoys criminal life; his joy is palpable. He goes into panic mode when his sweet life starts slipping away. Bracco delivers an excellent performance as Karen, a girl with a good upbringing seduced by the excitement and the perks of having a lot of ill-gotten money.
Music has always played an important part in Scorsese’s films. It’s less reflective of the action than the mindset of the characters. That’s especially true of Goodfellas. The vintage 50s and early 60s pop of the first half gives way to late 60s/70s rock as things become more intense. One of my favorite bits, the discovering of the bodies of crooks involved in a major heist (the 1978 Lufthansa heist) orchestrated by Jimmy, is set to the piano solo in Derek & the Dominoes’ “Layla”. It’s proof positive of Scorsese’s knack for making excellent use of popular music.
Violence permeates the lives of the characters in Goodfellas. It’s part of the organized crime business and Scorsese does NOT hold back. Whether it’s somebody being shot, stabbed or beaten, it’s presented starkly and hits hard. A lot of the time, it’s sudden like when Tommy attacks Billy Batts in the bar or when he shoots a driver in the head for making a mistake that could get the Lufthansa crew busted. He punctuates such sense with humor. After the Billy Batts beating, they stop at Tommy’s house to pick up a shovel only for his mother (Scorsese’s mother Catherine) to insist they sit down for a full meal at 3am. There’s a great deal of humor in Goodfellas; Scorsese strikes just the right balance with the serious stuff. He is truly one of the greatest filmmakers of our generation.
I am NOT exaggerating when I say that Goodfellas is one of the best films ever made. It’s right up there with the first two Godfather movies. Scorsese gives us almost unlimited access to a lifestyle forbidden to outsiders. We aren’t just voyeurs; we are active participants. It’s a wild, funny, violent, coke-fuelled ride that you bring you equal measures of joy and horror. It’s a truly unforgettable viewing experience with a high repeat watchability quotient. If you’ve never seen it, treat yourself.
