Martin Scorcese’s Goodfellas and Meanstreets stand right behind legendary Francis Ford Coppola’s GodFather(I & II) in the list of my all time favorite gangster movies. While GF was about the life of the top echelon of the Italian Mafia, Goodfellas deals with the lower rung and the guys in the middle.
It’s based on the book’Wise Guy’ by Nicholas Pillegi about the life of the Irish-Italian ganster Henry Hill. Hill was part of the notorious NY mob led by the likes of Paul Cicero and Jimmy Conway and participated in some of the biggest heists of his time. Later when things got too hot to handle he got into FBI wisteness protection program and ratted on his bosses.
The movie is a spiced-up account of Henry’s life turned into a classic by Scorceses direction and the screenplay he co-authored with Pillegi. It was to be named as’Wise Guy’ - the slang for a gangster - but had to rechistened as the name was already taken!
*The Goodfellas
Henry Hill is a good looking youngster growing in the infamous Brooklyn neighborhood. He starts as an errand boy for the mafiosi Paul Cicero. He is pretty impreseed with the lavish lifestyles of the Wiseguys. The cars(Cadillacs) they drive, the bohemian lifestyle they lead and the hot women they date. He dreams of being a gangster when he grows up.
His dreams come true when he is taken under the tutelage of the Irish mobster, Jimmy Conway along with an Italian youngster Tommy De Vito. Jimmy is a hitman for the mob. He also specializes in stealing stuff from the Airport and selling them in black.
He gets caught while selling cigarettes. But doesn’t rat on his boss Jimmy. This gets him into Jimmy’s confidence. He’s promoted to stealing Airport cargo trucks and collecting bad debts for the mob. In the meanwhile, falls in love and marries a Jewish girl Karen. Gets caught by FBI along with Jimmy and Cicero, in a collection bid roughening up in Florida and sent to jail for 10 years. Runs a drug-trafficking business from with the jail with his wife’s help and that of corrupt jail guards
Then he, Jimmy and Tommy commit some of the biggest airport heists first with Air France and then on Lufthansa. Lufthansa hit was watershed, as it was the biggest in history. As the heat turned on by the cops raised Jimmy got rid of all his accomplices. Dead bodies begin to popup everywhere, in used cars, in Garbage bins, and even frozen stiff inside meat trucks. Hill’s spared as his cocaine business(as a wholesaler) profits him.
Hills business has turned profitable. He has got two love interests besides his wife. A mistress Janice Rossi and a junkie Sandy he uses for adulterating Coccaine with Quinine. He has also got his baby sitter involved in the trade! A true busy successful urbanite dividing his time between family, cooking, mistresses and business. Until a helicopter begins to tail him.
Ray Liotta as Henry Hill - This movie belongs to Liotta. First time I watched, I did it for De Niro(and of course Scorcese). Ended up admiring Liotta instead. It isn’t an easy job to deliver such a stellar performance when pitted against stalwarts like De Niro and Joe Pesci. These stalwarts can pull the rug under the most seasoned actors, even in cameo roles. It’s a miracle if any other actor gets noticed while sharing screenspace with him. To Ray’s credit not only does he manage to stand on his own but outshine them. Of course having the protagonist role helped him immensely.
Joe Pesci as Tommy De Vito - Rambunctious, talkative, wise-cracking, short-tempered and trigger-happy. On his way to be "Made up" - accepted as part of the Mafia family - as a pure-blooded Italian guy. That is if he’s temper doesn’t get the best of him. He doesn’t differentite much between cracking a wiseguy-joke and killing someone the next moment in cold blood. Superb performance which won him the’Best Supporting Actor’ Oscar.
Robert De Niro as Jimmy Conway - Cold and calculative. He’s supportive to the maximum extent as long as his life isn’t threatened. Once it is, doesn’t hesitate a moment to bump off the best buddies. A true wise guy. Cannot compare with his stellar act in’Taxi Driver’, ’Heat’, ’God Father II’ or’Raging Bull’, as he has to give a more subdued performance. Still, one of his best.
No doubt a mob film. But it isn’t dark and brooding like GodFather series. It could’ve been called a Comedy, if people weren’t getting whacked every 10 minutes or less. Nevertheless a visceral humorous movie from the maestro who deserved an Oscar here, instead of the much tamer’Departed’
[ The title is taken from the scene where the trio of Pesci, Liotta and De Niro are digging a six months old grave. De Niro and Pesci pull Liotta’s leg, when he retches at the scent from the grave. I know, I know. I have a weird sense of humor:) ]