GoodFellas

After a long hiatus, director Martin Scorsese returns to the specialized turf he covered so successfully with such films as Mean Streets and Raging Bull: pursuing the American Dream, Italian-American style. Based on Nicholas Pileggi's bestselling book Wiseguys, the Oscar-nominated GoodFellas follows the rise and fall of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), from a gopher kid for the gangsters during the 50s to a minor druglord during the 70s. Along the way, Henry is befriended by a pair of mob oddballs played by Robert DeNiro and Best Supporting Actor winner Joe Pesci. With the exception of Pesci--who is a bonafide Italian--the trio operate on the fringe of mob society. GoodFellas differs substantially from its well known predecessor, Coppola's Godfather trilogy, in many respects, not the least of which is Scorsese uniquely skewed focus: attention to detail and atmosphere is more important than "plot." The film's opening scene, which begins in the middle of the story, sets the unpredictable tone for what's to come. The three wiseguys are driving at night and swapping jokes until they are interrupted by a mysterious yet consistent thumping noise. Eventually they figure out that the stiff in the trunk is not quite stiff. Murder is important in GoodFellas, but no more so than gangster wives gathered at a houseparty, or getting primo seats at a nightclub for a wiseguy and his newest doll. We become accustomed to the matter-of-fact weirdness about the lives of the "wiseguys" and perhaps even vicariously envy their apparently infinite ability to control their own destinies. But eventually luck and charm can't quite overcome the deadly mix of unlimited power and nearly total stupidity. In the absolutely brilliant last reel, Scorsese gives us a frenetic montage of short clips and 70s music, as we follow one day in Henry's life: the day he finally has to pay the piper. A remarkable film from one of our best directors. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman) [Blu-ray Review—Feb. 16, 2010—Warner, 2 discs, 145 min., R, $34.99—Making its second appearance on Blu-ray, 1990's GoodFellas: 20th Anniversary Edition features a nice transfer and a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Blu-ray extras include two audio commentaries (the first by director Martin Scorsese, costars Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino, and Frank Vincent, author and screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi, producers Irwin Winkler and Barbara De Fina, cinematographer Michael Ballhaus and editor Thelma Schoonmaker; the second with film subject Henry Hill and former FBI agent Edward McDonald), a 'Getting Made' making-of featurette (30 min.), 'Made Men: The Goodfellas Legacy' retrospective featurette (14 min.), a 'Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film' documentary' (106 min.), 'The Workaday Gangster' featurette (8 min.), various gangster themed Warner cartoons (31 min.), a storyboard-to-screen comparison (4 min.), and a 32-page color photo booklet. Bottom line: an excellent Blu-ray edition of one of Scorsese's best.]