Goodfellas-I’ve always wanted to be a Gangster
Goodfellas is Martin Scorcese’s second movie in the Gangster genre, after Mean Streets. It also makes up the 3rd part of his famous trilogy of movies , the other 2 being Taxi Driver and Raging Bull.
The movie starts off with Henry Hill( Ray Liotta), driving down in a car, along with fellow gangsters Jimmy Conway( Robert De Niro) and Tommy De Vito( Joe Pesci). They stop the car, open the trunk, and find the blood soaked body of another gangster, who is still alive. Tommy and Jimmy kill him off, and Henry, begins to go into a flashback, recalling his earlier days.
Growing up in the predominantly Italian working class neighborhood of East New York during the 50’s, he is fascinated by the fast cars and flashy lifestyles of the gangsters. He begins to idolize them, and wants to be one of them. As he says
As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster. To me, being a gangster was better than being President of the United States.
For him being the gangster is having the power to do what he likes and leading a life, out of the ordinary humdrum life of his neighborhood. Inspite of the repeated pleas of his Irish working class father, he begins to hang out with the gangsters, doing odd jobs for them and bunking school. He soon is intiated into the local Mafia gang, headed by Paulie Cicero( Paul Sorvino), and his right hand hit man Jimmy Conway. Henry slowly becomes a part of the gang.
Jimmy loves to hijack trucks, and soon he, Henry get together, along with Tommy De Vito. Tommy is the most dangerous of all, an aggresive hot headed pyschopath, who is trigger happy. Henry earns his spurs by doing a robbery of an Air France flight. Henry is now totally intoxicated with the glamorous lifestyle of the Mafia, socializing with other gangsters, at expensive night clubs and restaurants. He dates and marries Karen( Lorraine Bracco), a Jewish girl, who initially is repulsed by his behaviour, but begins to admire him, when he saves her from a lecherous neighbour.
The trouble begins when Tommy and Jimmy, beat to death, Billy Batts( Frank Vincent), another gangster after Billy insults Tommy, mocking his early days as a shoeshine boy. The problem is however Billy Batts is a made man, meaning that he could not be attacked physically, unless his superiors consented. In short its big trouble for Henry, Jimmy and Tommy, as Batts belongs to the powerful Gambino Mafia family. Would this be the begin of the downfall of their rise? What would happen to Tommy, Billy and Henry?
Based on Nicholas Pillegi’s book, Wiseguy, that chronicled, the rise and fall of real life gangsters in New York, the characters of Henry, Jimmy, Tommy were based on real people. Pillegi himself worked on the screenplay with Marty.
Where the Godfather took a look at the fortunes of a Mafiosi family in New York, Goodfellas takes a look, at the Mafia through the eyes of an individual. Henry Hill is totally different from Michael Corleone or Tony Montana, for him being a gangster is something of a dream, the only way he sees out of his humdrum existence. He is fascinated by their world and most importantly by their power. As he says
To me, it meant being somebody in a neighborhood that was full of nobodies. They weren’t like anybody else. I mean, they did whatever they wanted. They double-parked in front of a hydrant and nobody ever gave them a ticket. In the summer when they played cards all night, nobody ever called the cops.
For him every small step he takes in the Mafia makes him feel important. In a way Henry is no different, from ambitious people who want to make it in the corporate world or IT sector. Marty also gets the detailing right here with regards to the Mafia hierarchy, as in when Henry is arrested and refuses to speak about his partners, he is initiated into the ranks, on his release from prison. On attaining status, he looks down upon the normal working class people
Uh, to us, those goody-good people who worked s–tty jobs for bum paychecks and took the subway to work every day and worried about their bills were dead. I mean they were suckers. They had no balls.
But for all his skills, Henry could never be a “made man” nor can Jimmy because of their Irish blood. It does not matter that Henry is half Sicilian( from his mother), but he can never be accepted. Both Jimmy and Henry would always be the fringe persons, doing the work, but not really being accepted into the inner circle. Marty here reveals the almost clannish nature of the Mafia, where the outsider is clearly defined.
Marty pays a generous homage to the European New Wave with many techniques implemented in Goodfellas. Extensive use of quick frames, freeze edits and long tracking shots is apparent throughout the movie. One especially memorable tracking shot is when Henry takes Karen, to the famous Copacabana night club, its a 3 minute long non stop one, as the camera follows, Henry over his shoulder into the club, through hallways, and then into a front row table. Quite reminiscient of the scene in Mean Streets, where Marty uses the tracking shot to capture Robert De Niro’s movement, as he walks along and then enters Harvey Keitel’s room through the window.
At times the movie goes into a documentary kind of mode, when Karen explains her life with Henry, and we have a photo montage shot, of the family life of the gangsters. What Marty does here is to strip away the glamor, the mystery behind the gangsters, showing them as normal people. As in the part, where Karen, calmly watches TV, while the detectives search her home.
The violence in Goodfellas is also visceral and raw. Its absolutely without any feelings, the kind which makes you flinch. As in the scene when Billy Batts is beaten by Jimmy and Henry, its swift, brutal and cold blooded. The gangsters in Goodfellas are different from those of the Godfather, they are not bound by any honor, they are unfeeling, ruthless.
Goodfellas is a classic, but its not an easy movie to watch. Not just the brutal violence, but the movie moves at such a rapid pace, that at times its like being on a roller coaster. Also the camera work, is absolutely realistic, and the tracking shots can make you dizzy. It is a movie that does make you flinch at times, with its sheer raw intensity.
The soundtrack of Goodfellas is in a class by itself. Marty here uses pop and rock songs from the past to capture the mood and the characters. In the opening credits it starts off with the song “Rags to Riches” by Tony Bennet, in a way setting up the movie’s tone. When the adult Henry Hill comes into the frame, we have the song “Stardust” by Billy Ward. Karen and Henry’s entry into the Copacabana club has “Then He Kissed Me” by Crystals in the background. Its not just the songs but also the way Marty, inserts those songs in vital moments in the movie, that really makes them memorable. The soundtrack of Goodfellas, deserves a separate post by itself. Quentin Tarantino, would do the same couple of years later with Reservoir Dogs, another memorable soundtrack.
Ray Liotta as Henry Hill, does a good job, portraying the more level headed character who rises and then falls. Robert De Niro, is as usual brilliant, in the role of Jimmy Conway, the person whom Henry adores. However compared to Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, i would rate this as one of his less memorable performances. He is however great in that scene, where he learns of Tommy’s death.
The scene stealer is however Joe Pesci, as the hot headed, pyschotic Tommy De Vito. One of the more underrated actors, Pesci is a livewire, bristling with energy, sharp wit and a pyschotic tendency in one of the best nasty guys portrayal on screen. Pesci’s peculiar whiny voice also adds effect to the character. He is especially brilliant in that famous Michael Spider scene, where he sadistically shoots down a helper in the bar.
Lorraine Braco as Karen Hill, Paul Sorvino as Paul Cicero and Frank Vincent as Billy Batts offer good support.
Also Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, seemed to have some influence of Goodfellas. Especially the way, both Samuel Jackson & John Travolta, go about their business casually, you know the “gandha hai, par yeh dhandha hai” funda. Or maybe just my opinion, but would love to know if you do Marty’s influence in Tarantino’s movies.
Tags: gangster movies, Joe Pesci, Martin Scorcese, Ray Liotta, robert de niro
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Some Martin Scorsese movies, like both Mean Streets and Goodfellas, I liked but failed miserably to find elements that classify them as masterpieces. May be I should watch them again, that is if I don’t get shot after saying that first sentence.. ;)
Tejas, nah u wont get shot, Marty’s fans are quite a tolerant species, LOL.
Well Goodfellas is maybe the lesser of the trilogy compared to Taxi Driver or Raging Bull, but its still a masterpiece IMO.
I mean there are a lot in this movie, which spell “classic”. The rich detailing in every scene, the energy throughout the movie, the tracking shots, freeze frames, jump cuts. I mean just for that singular tracking shot of Henry and Karen, walking into the Copacabana club, just left me dizzy. Also the way the characters are etched, the references to the hierarchy, made men. And yes the killer soundtrack.
Ratnakar,
I am not sure if only Tarantino has been influenced by Marty’s gangster movies, but I think it’s safe to say that a whole generation of filmmakers have been influenced.
Marty is the benchmark for all things “gangster” in movies. We all know his masterpieces and every one of his gangster movies has hit the nail on its head. I mean, whenever I think of Joe Pesci, Italian American mafia, NY based mafia , I cant think beyond Marty. He’s just amazing.
I live in Boston and After “Departed” released, whenever I pass across locations where it was shot,I end up relating the place with the movie.such has been his impact.
His movies have that kind of an impact. He has made a great bunch of movies, apart from “gangster flicks”, but that genre remains his forte. He is simply untouched. ( of course, Coppolla’s GodFather is in a league of its own and cant be compared with anything else, it would be blasphemous…:)
Good Fellas is an awesome movie[ i cant recall Liotta being perfectly cast in any other movie, for my mind, whenever I think of him, I end up thinking of this movie]. The monologues, dialogues, the bar scene, the way they go arond with stashes of cash wrapped on a rubberband, everything is just brilliant.
Casino is another movie, which is just beautifully shot and narrated.Killer combo of Deniro and Pesci.remember the “head in the vise” scene? I still cringe, whenever I watch it. I was so happy when he won his fist and only oscar for “departed”. …..!!!
Bipin, actually the irony is that in his career only Mean Streets, Goodfellas, Casino and Departed, can qualify as gangster flicks. But each of these 4 movies has achieved a cult status. Joe Pesci, to date, gave his best performances in Marty movies, Raging Bull, Goodfellas and Casino. Ray Liotta acted in a couple of other movies too, but Goodfellas wud be his most memorable one.
Regading Casino, it was a nice flick, but not one of Marty’s best IMO. For me the movie seemed more of a Mean Streets-Goodfellas redux, in fact it was more like Mean Streets in Las Vegas, with Pesci playing De Niro’s role, and De Niro playing Harvey Keitel’s role. But i loved the way he shows us the inside working of Casinos.
One of my all time favorite movies….and argueably Scorese’s best work to date..
Great movie Raunak, though for me Marty’s best to date has been Taxi Driver, followed by Raging Bull, this comes 3rd on the list.
I found The Last Temptation of Christ the most moving & passionate work by Scorsese, despite my ideological different with it..Willem Dafoe’s performance was trancelike at some places & strong at others..it definitely is the most passionate Scorsese film for me.
Ganda hai par dhanda hai it is! What a nice parallel across time and space. Marty has rules much on the basis of this cool film making approach. Long live Goodfellas. This film introduced us to Ray Liotta, a decent addition in Marty’s ouvre.
Tushar, Ray Liotta did appear in some other movies too, but Goodfellas was what gave him fame. Also he did not appear in other Marty movies later. But yeah one of the coolest pieces of moving making.
i had seen this movie way back in 2006 and loved it instantly. ‘i have always wanted to be a gangster’ – what a line to begin the movie. it sets the tone for the movie from the word go. de niro was brilliant but joe pesci did not fall behind. pesci is awesome in the movie. in fact, george carlin has a fantastic stand-up act on joe pesci. george carlin is basically an athiest, so in the stand-up act he says that if he were to worship anyone then he would worship joe pesci coz he at least looks like a guy who can get things done
that was such a fantastic tribute to pesci coming from the great george carlin, may his soul rest in peace.
For me Marty’s best movie till date has been Raging Bull. Then comes Taxi Driver and then Casino. Goodfellas, Gangs and Departed come after that. I am yet to see Mean Streets or Last Temptation.
Regarding Goodfellas, DeNiro’s role was largely a supporting one. Ray Liotta had the pivotal role, followed by Pesci and then DeNiro. However Pesci had virtually the same role in Casino which was DeNiro’s movie through and through.
My top 3 performances in Scorsese movies are:
1. Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull – absolutely unsurpassable, a masterclass in acting.
2. Daniel Day Lewis in Gangs of New York.
3. Pesci in Goodfellas/ DiCaprio in Departed – equally competent IMO.
A must watch ‘gangsta’ movie.. and Pesci has always been underrated.. I always liked his comradeship with De Niro (Casino, Raging Bull, Goodfellas..)
Guy Ritchie must be a big Goodfellas fan, for all the shots he has put in Revolver, with Liotta.
I had seen the interview on national geographic in which Henry Hill actually said ” As far back as i remember, I’ve always wanted to be a gangster”
and a couple months later i saw Goodfellas and I really felt reality in it. I was really moved . Awestruck.
Hey Ratnakar
Long time man. I didn’t know you have your own blog now. good stuff. I remember commenting on your Satya – 10 years. Guess what I just watched Goodfellas again 3-4 days back.You know its a true story right? This guy Henry Hill got kicked out of the witness protection program and Karen has left him after 25 years. He was a chef in an Italian restaurant and now sells art on ebay.
Its like Bhiku Mhatre selling vada pau or Satya selling Hyderabadi Biryani, only in real life. Ok i just realized that I somehow get Ramu and Satya into whatever discussion I get into. Next time I will discuss Kuch Kuch Hoya Hai and see if that happens again.
I looked at all your posts and I know theres one movie missing. I know you like that movie from the other movies u like. Make My Cousin Vinny your next one. I watched it again last night. It is hilarious. Makes me laugh every time. I know ure a techie, do u come to jersey at all? let me know i will take you to all the places shown in Goddfellas.
People see the statue of Liberty and i always wanted to see Brooklyn “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster” something like that.
Let me know when you write the next one. send me an email. abhram@gmail.com