Scorsese gets an incredibly bad rep for "only making gangster movies" but this is the first of his that I have seen that can completely and unabashedly embody that genre. And what a hell of a way to do it, too. Goodfellas is the quintessential, modern gangster film that hits all of the right notes and story beats for what I expected from a film about the mob. With some absolutely extraordinary performances from the entire cast and world-building that is unmatched, this true story is an excellent one that could have only ever been told by Scorsese. When people think of a Scorsese film, this is probably what they imagine, but all the better for it. Yes, this film falls into many stereotypes about the genre and yes, this film is unafraid to show its ugly side from time to time, but all of this film's elements are blended together in such an exquisite way that truly makes this the most perfect gangster movie I have ever seen.
Growing up and being raised by the gangsters next door, Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) is bred to be the perfect middle-man between his fellow mobsters and the rest of the city. When he realizes how crucial he is to their operations, he rises in the rank to become one of the most popular and known gangsters in the suburbs of New York. Chronicling his career, marriage to Karen Hill (Lorraine Bracco), and friendship with Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) and Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro), this film is a fantastic exploration into what family means in a mob setting and what they all had to go through. There are many things that come to mind when one thinks about what happens in the mob. Whether or not all of these things are true and whether or not these things were fictionalized for the sake of Scorsese's narrative, the entire environment of this film lends to making such memorable characters. Nicholas Pileggi and Scorsese's script is absolutely incredible and despite the huge roster of characters, each one is so individually fleshed out that it is easy to find something to relate to in all of them. Some more than others, of course, but never before have I been so terrified of the lackadaisical killing and nonchalant murder that occurs from practically all of them. It's almost a cliché at this point to not "mess with the mob" but Goodfellas really grinds in that point. Scorsese showing how easy it was to get killed just by looking at someone the wrong way or bringing someone the wrong drink was fantastic and really set a new type of fear in my heart. However, with Scorsese's direction and the use of classic pop and rock songs, the whole film felt strangely warm. Despite the murder and despite the harsh reality of what these men did to each other, Scorsese really made this cast feel like family, which in turn made the betrayal and untrustworthiness of their actions that much harsher.
Every character in this film is incredibly interesting and they carry wonderful performances to back them up. It is easy to get lost with how many subplots these characters are involved in and there is even a hilarious scene riffing on that, as Karen is being introduced to the endless crowds of Paulies and Maries. However, every performer in this film perfectly embodies the essence of their complex characters. De Niro and Pesci are expectedly fantastic, but Liotta and Bracco steal the spotlight for me personally. Liotta is such a wonderful actor and this was really a perfectly-cast role for him. The almost two-sided Henry could not have been portrayed by anyone other than him and Bracco provided the counterbalance to his chaos. Bracco honestly gives the best performance in this entire film and her character of Karen is such an interesting one. Dealing with Henry proves to be a full-time job and while she reached her breaking point early on in the film, her development in the second half of the movie is wonderful. I also loved the switching of narration from Henry to Karen in certain scenes and it made for a nice contrast between the two. Toxic masculinity is a very prominent theme throughout this film and many others of the genre, containing some obvious abuse and use of derogatory terms, but they definitely served their purpose in making the audience think twice about Henry being the protagonist to root for. Scorsese makes sure of this with some brilliantly-timed moments of jaw-dropping drama or something unexpected to offset the comedy and this tactic that he utilized was so damn impactful. Goodfellas is really everything that I could have hoped for in a gangster film and this story might be the most "Scorsese" Scorsese film I have seen thus far (for the better, of course).
The role greed plays in business is such a scary thing for someone in this film and to be put into a mobster setting with this fear makes for one of the best stories ever written. While so much of Goodfellas can be classified into just the gangster genre, it takes ahold of that theme and runs, even sprints, with it. While I adored Scorsese's The Irishman for its representation of growing older and facing the consequences of your past, this film rather focuses on the dangers of the present. Paired with a powerhouse performance from Liotta, this movie is perfect in nearly every way.
My Rating: ★★★★★
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