Good Fellas
Good Fellas: 9.5/10
As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.
Next to The Godfather this movie set up the basis of what gangster films should truly try and epitomize. It's explicit but not flashy. Smooth yet not pretentious. A riveting tale of what many people idolize and wish to be, but never glorifying it to the extent of it being unattainable. The narrative from beginning to end is absolutely perfect with how accurately it describes every scene that takes place. The splitting of perspectives between Henry and Karen does a great job of giving a different view point of a male and female, and how each one of them is effected by the life style they live.
The chronological account of Henry's life from a young boy fascinated with the gangsters that lived in his neighborhood that he so eagerly wanted to become a part of the culture. Taking many strides of doing ruminative chores, stealing/selling goods, participating in illegal activities, and his eventual rise up the ranks of the Lucchese crime family. The way he talks about all the things he did and going to detail about the culture really puts the viewer in the shoes of a gangster and gives an interesting progression through the eras of the mid fifties all the way to the late eighties. The respect he garners and the way how his life is a permanent roller-coaster ride with many ups and downs is simply exciting and a euphoric feeling.
What is a gangster? Someone who has no regard for the law and does whatever the hell they want. But a gangster isn't your everyday normal street thug oh no, they have to have class and etiquette which means fancy suits, fast cars, and money in every pocket. They want the respect of their peers which they must earn through their actions, whether it is by being a hardened killer or a masterful thief. They want the beautiful women (or men), one who they will have as a trophy wife (or husband) to show off to their friends and then a few mistresses on the side to keep things lively. They want the countless amounts of money in which they can buy whatever luxury they find appealing. They want an exciting life by living everyday on the edge not certain whether they'll wake up tomorrow alive or six feet under. The term has a heavy negative connotation that comes along with it but that is the true beauty of the life as it isn't glamorized and everything is exposed for what it really is.
While Henry is a great title character who's life is fantastically showcased, the supporting cast of Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito who are respectively the paranoid mastermind and sociopath killer really helps to diversify the story. They bring many different dimensions to the movie and help to really flesh out every facet of being a gangster so the viewer can get a complete idea of what the life entails. The three of them are very different in their doings but they all share the similar high stakes life. You may like one or the other, all three of them, or hate them all. But they create the necessary contrasts needed to provide the varying ways in which a gangster behaves and how their lives are articulated.
Of course there is the downside to what all three of them do and how not everything with being involved in the mafia means your life will be easy. Henry's addiction to drugs gets worse as he is more involved in that market and negatively impacts his bond with his wife and family. Jimmy becomes paranoid about his own schemes and starts to kill those involved or close to him. Tommy's wild and erratic behavior leads him to his own demise as he ends up paying for the consequences of his action with his life. What we learn is that with lots of power their also comes the sacrifices that go along with it. The greater the risk, the bigger the reward is the the thematic style of a gangster and a mafia family.
The ironic beginning and end of the movie has to deal with the theme of loyalty and whether or not you can trust not only your friends, but your own family as well. Are you willing to sacrifice someone close to you if it can insure you'll gain something in return, or will it help you in the imminent future? No matter how strong your bond or whether you are related by blood or not, people are inertly selfish and when presented with the opportunity to better their lives they will take it. This counts double for a gangster. There is only one type of trust that can't be broken and that is loyalty to the game.
Martin Scorsese has made some great mafia films and his cinematography is quite excellent. He portrays an accurate and surreal depiction of a culture that mystifies many people and through this movie he was able to show it's evolution from one man's perspective. But to help the viewer grasp the near perfect image of the life style he brings in many different other characters and elements to help make the movie very broad and thoroughly laid out so you can clearly envision what it must be like to be a gangster. From family, crime, violence, drugs, and other aspects of gangster life the viewer gets a great dosage of nearly everything they would need to learn about a gangster. I also found it rather amusing that so many actors in this movie would go on to play a larger role in the best gangster (and my personal favorite) television show of The Sopranos.
The only detracting of the movie I could really pull out is that there isn't a remastered version of it so the quality is very sub-par. I don't know if it's because I've been spoiled by blue-ray movies nowadays, but a high definition version of the movie could have really made it a much better watch. All that being said, GoodFellas set the staple for mob flicks and shows the best and worst of being a gangster. Only The Godfather is a superior film in my opinion when it comes to being the best mafia movie.
