I love mob movies, and none has done the genre better than GoodFellas 20th Anniversary Edition. Outside probably The Godfather (and its sequel), GoodFellas is easily one of the best of its kind, and one of the best movies ever made.
Proving that real life is sometimes better than anything you could dream up, GoodFellas is based on the life of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), an ex-mobster who stumbles into the life of organized crime at an early age. Henry works his way up the ladder, eventually bringing him into contact with the local mob capo, Paulie Cicero (Paul Sorvino). He also meets Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) and short-tempered gunman, Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci). Henry also meets Karen (Lorraine Bracco), a spirited Jewish girl who, despite earlier misgivings, finds Henry's life of crime a turn-on.
Together, Henry, Jimmy and Tommy begin a three decade-long rise to the top of the mob lifestyle. But, of course, everything that goes up eventually needs to come down; and the crash down is spectacular. GoodFellas is as close to perfect as any movie has come. A big reason is Scorsese's expert sense of pacing and visual timing. Even while watching the side-by-side storyboard to film feature ("Paper is Cheaper than Film"), it is clear Scorsese had a vision for the film. There's never a dull moment, even during the scenes dominated by dialogue. Every scene, shot and word (yes, even the 300 uses of a certain four-letter word) pushes the story forward. Nothing is wasted.
GoodFellas also benefits from a fantastic cast. De Niro and Pesci each turn in masterful performances. Both are no strangers to mob movies, but this is their best work - and that includes De Niro's work in The Godfather II. The real shining star is Ray Liotta, who gives his best performance ever. I've seen more Ray Liotta movies than I care to count, and this is the performance of his career.
In addition to crystal clear picture and sound, the Blu-ray version of GoodFellas is packed with extras. Somehow or another, Warner Bros. was able to put together a large crew to provide two very different commentary tracks. The first involves the cast and crew, including Scorsese, Paul Sorvino, Lorraine Bracco and Ray Liotta. The most notable absences are, of course, De Niro and Pesci, though the lack of the film's two most notable stars is the least of this track's problems. Unlike other commentary tracks, the Cast/ Crew one is a collection of comments from those involved. Comments rarely match up to what's happening on screen and are more distracting than interesting.
The second commentary track is a different story entirely and features Henry Hill and Edward McDonald, an FBI agent who became something of an ally to Hill. If you've ever wondered how well a film matches up to the person its about, this is something you need to listen to. At times, it almost seems like Hill is simply looking at a History Channel story about his life. Sometimes the story even goes deeper than what is shown in the movie. "The Workaday Gangster," an extra that looks at the film's mob in comparison to the real thing, complements Hill's story.
The commentaries are joined by "Made Men," a short feature where directors and actors discuss the film's impact, and "Getting Made," which feels like a retread of the Cast/ Crew commentary track. Neither is incredibly interesting and are probably the weakest features in the package.
A second DVD includes a set of classic mob-themed cartoons like "Racketeer Rabbit," my all-time favorite Bugs Bunny cartoon. The DVD also includes the documentary Public Enemies, a look at the Golden Age of Gangster films.
When the National Film Registry labels a film as "culturally significant" and worthy of preservation, it's special. GoodFellas 20th Anniversary Edition is a high point in film history and a must-own for any film buff.
