Rated R. 145 Minutes. Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Paul Sorvino, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco. Directed by Martin Scorsese. Produced by Irwin Winkler. 1990.

Sometimes you just need to see a few guys get whacked, and "Goodfellas" delivers big-time in that department.

THE STORY: Young Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) is a gofer for the Brooklyn mob, which runs its operation out of a taxi garage across the street from his house. Henry's Irish-Italian family is poor and he dreams of living the good life, as noted in this voice-over narration: "As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster. To me, being a gangster was better than being President of the United States."

In pursuit of that goal, Henry starts selling stolen cigarettes, torching cars, and bullying people around. Before you know it, he really IS living the good life -- or so he thinks. With mob money, he buys a fancy house, eats at fancy restaurants, and picks up a fancy wife (Karen, a very brunette Lorraine Bracco). But things go sour when a botched robbery lands him in prison. When he gets released, his life spirals out of control and he ends up in the FBI's witness protection program after testifying against his former partners. 

It's all about mind games, fast talk, intimidation, connections, and always wanting more, more, more. Then watching it all get taken away.

WHAT I LIKED: It doesn't get any better than Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Paul Sorvino, and Joe Pesci. This movie pretty much secured their position in wise guy roles from here on out (not to mention Bracco, who went on to "The Sopranos"). And not only do we get the male perspective of mob life, but also the female (Karen narrates part of it, too) -- something lacking in "The Godfather" and other mob movies.

And Scorsese? What can you say... This movie set the bar for mob films. You might not like all of Scorsese's films, but nobody can argue that the guy doesn't know what he's doing. 

Also love the stop-action shots and cool camera work. One memorable scene takes us along with Henry and Karen, as they bypass the line at the Copacabana and instead go down some stairs, through service corridors and the kitchen, right into the club, where their table is being placed next to the stage. The unbroken shot lasts 184 seconds and represents how Henry's world opens up effortlessly before him. Throughout the movie, the camera is always moving. We're not just watching. We're right there!

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: What's not to like? If you're not into violence and foul language, you might want to skip this one. But the word is that Scorsese paints an accurate picture of mob life, drawing on his own memories of growing up in New York's Little Italy.

THE WRAP-UP: The ultimate mob movie. See it.

SCORE: 4 out of 4 Reels.

DVD EXTRAS: Two commentaries with 1) the cast and crew, and 2) Cop & Crook (Henry Hill and former FBI Agent Edward McDonald); The Making of...; Documentary with comments from film-makers; The Workaday Gangster (life as a real-life gangster).

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JANE'S REEL RATING SYSTEM:

One Reel – Pathetic. Even The Force can’t save it.

Two Reels – Tolerable. Coulda been a contender.

Three Reels – Pleasant. Something to talk about.

Four Reels – Wow! The stuff dreams are made of.

E-chat with me at jane@reellifewithjane.com - I LOVE to talk about movies!