Warner Bros. | 1990 | 145 mins. | Rated R
Like The Godfather, I have watched Goodfellas at least half a dozen times over the years, and waffled back and forth as to which is the better film. After twenty years, I’ve decided that there may be no clear answer. However, one thing is certain: the thing that makes Scorsese’ Goodfellas a cut above the rest, is not just the stellar acting, but the fact that it’s real; his main character, Henry Hill exists, and as of this writing, lives in Malibu, California. The fact that Goodfellas is centered on a real person gives the film an authenticity The Godfather can’t claim.
Based on the book Wise Guy by Nicholas Pileggi about a real-life former gangster, Henry Hill, Scorsese co-wrote the screenplay with Pileggi. Hill was never a full-fledged member of the Mafia (more commonly referred to as a “made man”) because you had to be 100% Italian-Sicilian, and Hill wasn’t. Despite his underling status, Hill became an important part of the Lucchese crime family.
It’s New York 1970. A sound emanates from inside the trunk of a car. It’s a guy, bloody and near death. We know it’s not going to end well for him, what with the red brake lights, not to mention the butcher knife and the .38 pistol let loose on his body…That scene set the tone for the entire movie.
Then we flash back to 1955, the narrator, Hill (Ray Liotta), tells us, “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” He’s a kid not doing well in school, with unhappy parents, and an abusive father. He looks up to the hoods hanging out and ruling the area. Hill’s heroes were gangsters; they could do anything they wanted. They could get the best tables at the best restaurants and night clubs in town. Being a gangster meant being somebody, belonging to something. To Hill–who gets involved with the gangsters in his neighborhood early on–being a regular Joe, meant being a nobody, belonging to nothing.
Just a teenager, Henry is taken under the wing of the local mob capo, Paul “Paulie” Cicero (Paul Sorvino) and his associates, Jimmy “The Gent” Conway (Robert De Niro), who loves hijacking trucks and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci), an aggressive armed robber with a hair-trigger temper. Hill describes Jimmy as “the kind of guy who rooted for the bad guys in the movies.” Jimmy teaches the young Hill two important lessons of mob life: “Never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut.” Tommy doesn’t tell the young Hill much; it’s clear by his actions he’s someone you don’t want to make angry. All of them have no hesitation about committing murder.
By 1970, Henry has achieved a certain level of importance within the organization. He, Tommy, and Jimmy are involved in things that aren’t approved of by everyone in the mob – in particular, drug dealing. Henry, now married to a nice Jewish girl named Karen (Lorraine Bracco), leads an increasingly reckless life that results in his taking on multiple mistresses, becoming involved in Tommy’s murder of a “made” mobster, and spending time in jail. Once he’s released, Henry realizes that alliances may have shifted and his life could be in danger. Running out of options and looking for a way to survive, Henry agrees to testify against his long-time partners.
The story, which spans a quarter of a century, has an epic feel despite its intimate reality. The first forty minutes, which detail Henry’s childhood and his acceptance into mob life, is presented almost as a fairy tale; a young kid with not much of stability at home, finally being accepted into a family unit. This part of the film forges a kind of bond between the audience and Hill while he is still relatively innocent. Henry does not grow up to be a nice man, but, because of the way Scorsese has structured the early portions of the film, we remain relatively sympathetic toward him throughout.
It goes without saying that the acting here is first rate from top to bottom. Liotta plays Hill as a guy who learns quickly how to serve and survive in the Mob. De Niro plays Jimmy in one of the actor’s now patented bad-guy performances, but not without a few glimmers of morality. Pesci’s Tommy, however, is an authentic badass, a person who would as soon shoot you as look at you. The role won Pesci an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Lorraine Bracco plays Hill’s long suffering wife. And Paul Sorvino plays Paul Cicero, the neighborhood Mob boss.
Martin Scorsese’ directorial achievements are amazing: Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Cape Fear, Casino, etc. They all manage to bring something new to the filmic cannon. I’ve always felt that the thing that makes Scorsese such an effective filmmaker is his ability to think outside of the box. In making Goodfellas, he showed no fear. Some complained about the amount of senseless violence in the film; those people weren’t wrong. But neither was the director, the mob is full of senseless acts of violence, and that authenticity is part of what makes Goodfellas such a compelling film.
Unfortunately, this is the same Blu-ray transfer released back in 2007. That being said, it’s not to impressive. The 1080p transfer will be considered by most to be only a slight improvement over a standard definition DVD. Detail is far from brilliant—not only do certain scenes have distracting smear to them, but detail for the most part throughout the picture is decidedly unfocused. Black levels, while consistent, never showcase full inkiness. Color accuracy is also never eye-popping, with flesh tones coming through well enough, but saturated tones lacking any real definition. There are also some noticeable compression issues. Let’s hope this one is done again.
Repeating the first Blu-ray release, and sticking to a Dolby Digital 5.1 lossy sound mix, this is nothing to write home about. Sure, dialogue sounds fine, and for the most part, atmospherics, effects and a nearly constant revolving door of musical cues definitely don’t detract from the film, but a film like Goodfellas deserves a big, booming soundtrack experience this just doesn’t provide.
English, French and Spanish subtitles are included.
Aside from a feature-length documentary about the golden age of gangster cinema (relegated to a second disc), a small batch of period shorts, and Digibook packaging, the supplemental package is unchanged. However, what’s here is pretty solid.
• Cast and Crew Commentary: While recorded separately, director Martin Scorsese, producers Irwin Winkler and Barbara DeFina, editor Thelma Schoonmaker, writer Nicholas Pileggi, and actors Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino, and Frank Vincent provide a nice overview and insightful analysis of Goodfellas, its development, Scorsese’s casting, his directorial style, the film’s cinematography and graphic depictions of violence, the performances, and much, much more. Densely packed but well-paced, it’s a fascinating glimpse into a historic film.
• Cop and Crook Commentary: Even more interesting is this fascinating track with gangster-turned-informant Henry Hill and FBI agent Edward McDonald. The two discuss old memories (some of them quite painful), dissect Scorsese’s scenes, and compare key moments in the film to the actual events they’re based on. Yes, Hill and McDonald grow quiet on occasion, and yes, they sometimes retread ground covered elsewhere, but for two regular guys, it’s a fantastic addition to the release.
• Getting Made (SD, 30 minutes): A somewhat standard behind-the-scenes documentary that covers a lot of the same ground as the commentaries. There are more details to be had, and there’s something to be said for seeing things unfold rather than hearing about it all, but commentary junkies will be left with a severe case of déjà vu.
• Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film (SD, 106 minutes): This extensive feature-length documentary doesn’t focus on Goodfellas, but rather the genre and black-and-white classics that preceded it. Scorsese is reduced to a familiar face in a crowd of talking heads — all of which are admittedly engaging and perfectly equipped to discuss the matter at hand — and nothing reveals the doc’s inclusion to be anything more than an Anniversary Edition gimmick (even the disc is a DVD). Admittedly, it does manage to be interesting.
• Made Men: The Goodfellas Legacy (SD, 14 minutes): Acclaimed filmmakers Richard Linklater, Jon Favreau, Frank Darabont, Joe Carnahan, the Hughes brothers, and Antoine Fuqua discuss Goodfellas and its impact on modern film.
• The Workaday Gangster (SD, 8 minutes): Henry Hill and the Goodfellas cast and crew sketch a quick portrait of wiseguy life, and explain the challenges made men face in their chosen career paths.
• Animated Shorts (SD, 32 minutes): You’ll also find four archive Warner Brothers cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny and his indelible cohorts alongside the “Golden Age” doc on the set’s second disc.
• Paper is Cheaper than Film (SD, 4 minutes): A decent storyboard-to-screen comparison.
• Theatrical Trailer (SD, 2 minutes)
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