Meister says: top notch wise-guy film. A must-have for any collection.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41779 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-08-07
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Formats: Box set, PAL, Special Edition
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 139 minutes

Synopsis
Based on Nicholas Pileggi's book 'Wiseguy', Martin Scorsese's GOODFELLAS is a wry, violent, and exhilarating film about the life of Henry Hill, an aspiring criminal who ends up in the FBI's witness protection program after testifying against his former partners.
As a poor Irish-Italian growing up in 1950s New York City, Hill (Ray Liotta – SOMETHING WILD, UNLAWFUL ENTRY) rises through the ranks of his Brooklyn neighbourhood's organized crime branch, and with money from the mob he begins living the good life, complete with a beautiful bride, Karen (Lorraine Brocco – THE SOPRANOS), a fancy home, and the best seats at the most exclusive restaurants. A botched robbery lands Henry in prison for a brief period of time, and when he gets released, his reckless infidelities and drug abuse damage his associations with his adopted family.
Scorsese's film is a visual and sonic onslaught, featuring a brilliant pop-music soundtrack and stunning camera work--including the infamous Steadicam one-take that introduces the audience to the Copacabana's patrons. He uses the songs to infuse a rhythm into every scene that is at once breathtaking and invigorating. As the psychopathic Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci – RAGING BULL, MY COUSIN VINNY) delivers an unforgettable, Oscar-winning performance that is alarming in its cold-blooded callousness and Robert De Niro adds to the prestige with his quietly calculating turn as Irish hoodlum Jimmy Conway, helping to cement GOODFELLAS' place as a classic portrait of life in the mob.

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Customer Reviews

No Oscar? You Think That's Funny?
Goodfellas is surely the definitive gangster film. And while that statement in itself will undoubtably invite comparisons with The Godfather, I will make no comparisons here. It is in this work that Martin Scorsese demonstrated his supreme abilty as a film maker but even at this point in his career, no Oscars were forthcoming and here he was undoubtably at the top of his form. I won't say that his films went downhill from here, but this one was never surpassed.

He breaks all the rules here, with continuity errors and jump cuts all over the place, but it doesn't matter: they all add to the edginess of the film, as do a whole gamut of camera moves which from anyone else would appear pretentious. Believe it, Scorsese knows exactly what he's doing and this material is something which he knows about, so he's well equipped.

After nearly twenty years, the film still has the power to shock and leave you breathless. It has been criticised for glorifying violence and for failing to allow the viewer any empathy with its characters, all of whom are played utterly convincingly. Here is Ray Liotta in his best role as Henry Hill and it is largely through his eyes that the story unfolds, although perspectives do shift from time to time. Joe Pesci is terrifying as the psychopathic Tommy and his outbreaks of rage and violence are hardly glorified. Scorsese shows the violence in a way which is necessarily deeply repulsive and which reflects the psyche of his characters. De Niro too is on top form and demonstrates what a powerful actor and screen presence he is. He doesn't need to speak to let you into his thoughts: the eyes, gestures and body language do that. And while it may not be possible to empathize with any of these unpleasant characters, they remain utterly fascinating.

It is perhaps true that the film is slightly overlong; particularly during the last sequence but this in itself is a study in film technique. The special features disc is a bit of a disappointment but at least the commentary version of the feature skips over the parts where there is no commentary.

A story of losers who cannot lose the lifestyle which they have created and for whom there is ultimately only one conclusion. One way or another they will fall. And of course they do. Its not an easy film to watch if you want standard Hollywood fare but it's rewards are great if you stick with it. A masterwork.