There are movies that exceed your own expectations and there are movies that disappoint because you just hoped too much for it. And then there are the masterpieces that absolutely live up to their legendary reputation. For example Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning “GoodFellas – Three decades in the Mafiawhich is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video for a fee.
In the official FILMSTARTS review, the mafia classic managed to get 5 out of 5 possible points, making it one of the greatest movies of all time. I can only agree with the verdict and even go one superlative further: For me, “GoodFellas – Three Decades in the Mafia” is the best mafia movie ever, even before “The Godfather”, “Scarface” or “Casino”.
That’s what “GoodFellas” is about
Jimmy (Robert De Niro) and Tommy (Joe Pesci) can do whatever they want. As members of New York’s Costa Nostra, they enjoy a certain freedom of fools in the city that never sleeps. They don’t have to account for anyone and they also earn a lot of money, even if they sometimes have to roll up their sleeves.
Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) has always been fascinated by this life and is also trying to become a gangster. He is accepted into the mafia and quickly makes a career. Anyone who stands in his way will be cleared. But the further Henry climbs the mob career ladder, the more his outrageous and ruthless life overwhelms him. He soon toyed with the idea of stopping, but is that still possible?
Martin Scorsese’s ultimate masterpiece?
Of course, it is impossible to determine which film is Martin Scorsese’s best work. The work of probably the most important American director of all is interspersed with countless masterpieces: Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The King Of Comedy, Casino, Aviator, Shutter Island, Silence, “The Irishman” – and that’s not even all of them ! Hardly anyone would disagree with the statement that “GoodFellas – Three Decades” in the Mafia” is Scorsese’s absolute stroke of genius.
Why? Because here you are dealing with a perfectly formed work of the century. “GoodFellas” impressively illustrates to me how the mafia, these testosterone-pregnant monkey pen, tear themselves mercilessly and to the bone. Gangster poses are staged here and then mercilessly deconstructed. Martin Scorsese mainly talks about the misconception that family structures can indeed be found in the mafia. Loyalty is recognizable here as long as the money is paid out properly.
GoodFellas talks about superficiality without ever being superficial. Cohesion, solidarity and friendship in the world of organized crime are just assertions that are often used as leverage to gain an advantage. That’s why Henry Hill says it so aptly at one point in the movie, “Your killers come with a smile on their face.”
Instead of unleashing a lengthy chronicle like Francis Ford Coppola did with The Godfather and The Godfather II, GoodFellas is a tough character portrait and follows Henry Hill as he comes out of nowhere and disappears back into thin air. What is astonishing and exciting to me is the somnambulistic stylistic confidence with which Martin Scorsese uses the classical dramaturgy of rise and fall, without ever breaking classical convention or making it clear as such.
Thanks to the superb camerawork of Michael Ballhaus, an energetic virtuosity flows through “GoodFellas”, which once again underlines that Martin Scorsese is one of the masters of making an environment authentically tangible over several decades. In addition, he can count on great actors and For 150 minutes in a real frenzy, so that you can feel every moment that you are looking at a special work.