Goodfellas

(Martin Scorsese/1990/USA)

I know people who don’t rate this flick for various reasons; taste is a strange thing at times and each to their own but personally I consider it near perfect. It’s one of those films that can be enjoyed again and again and again and it’s immensely quotable too. It is a culmination of Scorsese’s earlier style and a move towards a more commercial and traditional narrative structure and it hits all the marks. Liotta, De Niro and Pesci are on fire. The perfect mix of a great script, great actors and a great director, Scorsese’s edgy auteur leanings mesh with Hollywood big budget pomp in a glorious rock 'n' roll tale of gangsters without ever shying away from the grim realities of that life. The scene where Tommy’s mother, played by Scorsese’s own mum, makes a meal for him, Henry and Jimmy is played with such naturalness and lightheartedness, all while we are aware of the horror in the trunk of their car, is a master stroke. You can see that kind of natural chatting resurface as a more considered device in Tarantino’s movies. Also the voice over technique, while not original, is done so well its influence is evident down the line in films like The Shawshank Redemption, Trainspotting, Memento and Fight Club. In the context of Scorsese’s career it was a point where everything came together and is probably his best film albeit not my favourite of his (that would have to be Mean Streets).

(4.5/5)