Since I missed writing a review last week, I’ll make up for it by reviewing Goodfellas. And no, I’ve never seen Goodfellas before.
I was not prepared for the amount of comedy that was in Goodfellas. Though thinking back to Martin Scorsese’s work, it shouldn’t have surprised me. Scorsese has made a career on portraying bizarre people in humorous lights. Then he pulls the rug out from under its audience through violence or horrifying imagery.
When I was watching, I felt a strong similarity between this film and The Wolf of Wall Street. Of course, The Wolf of Wall Street was more explicit but both were about the same tragedy. People dipping to crime to climb to the top but then brought down by their own vice and ego. It’s the modern tragedy story, only this time, we’re rooting for the criminals.
Goodfellas has a lot of familiar aspects of Scorsese’s work. The film is set within the point of view of Ray Liotta’s character and Lorraine Bracco’s character. Theirs is a story about how crime pays too well at the cost of lives ruined. Typical for Scorsese’s work but it’s still done very well.
One thing that the film does well is make you empathize with the characters involved. Despite their flaws (often violent), you still laugh with them and you root for them. Even when their lives crash down around them. You know its their own fault but some part of you still wants them to succeed.
There’s not much more I can say about this film. It’s a classic for a reason and I was glad I could finally get around to watching it. It’s a classic Martin Scorsese film that any film lover should take the time to watch.
Tim Lilly 