Good Fellas : A Classic Mafia Film

At the beginning of the 1970s, two men, by the names of Martin Scorcese and Robert De Niro, met and started an extremely successful and world renowned string of movie director/actor collaborations. Over the course of 22 years,spawning from 1973, with their first film Mean Streets, to 1995, with their most recent work Casino, the duo paired up for 8 movies, most of which are considered some of the greatest films of all time. The most notable, however, would have to be their 1990 movie Goodfellas, a classic film which was nominated for 6 oscars, winning one, and named the greatest film of all time by British film magazine Total Film, an organized crime movie which is one of my favorite movies.

The gangster genre within films in America has accomplished numerous positive criticisms and constant willing audiences due to containing outstanding spectacles and mind-blowing action. The Godfather, being second on the IMDb Top 250 Movies, has set a new popular concept to life within the Mafia from their point of view. Doing so, creating a positive association. Yet within Italy, the same topic contains a complete different view. Movies such as I Cento Passi demonstrate unenthusiastic view by those whom are outside yet negatively affected by those members. Unlike American films, the gangsters are not as often viewed at the protagonist and are the main causes for the problematic events. But how different is Italian Mafia and American

The target crowd for ‘Goodfellas’ are young adults between the age range of seventeen to thirty-five. There is a great deal of violence and other mature topics that youthful children wouldn’t understand, and its rated R so anyone under that age range would not be able to view this film in the theater or purchase the DVD. The characters are mostly Caucasian, so the target audience are white men. Gangster/crime films are typically male-oriented; they just tend to find all the violence, swearing and drug abuse more entertaining than women do. As a Salvadoran young adult I read and assess the dialogue differently to an American adult, this is understandable as I have been raised in different conditions with different values and beliefs. The society

With regards to Goodfellas, the film starts off by stating that the main character Henry Hill from as far back as he could remember always wanted to be a gangster, which is another term for mobster. Particularly, he started off working at the cab stand across the street at just about ten or eleven years old, and the cab stand was a place where mobsters worked. His parents who were working class citizens, and made lousy money were happy that he had found a job because his father had always believed that American kids were spoiled rotten. Furthermore, as he progressed into the field of a mobster living he was

The social group that is depicted in the opening scenes of ‘Goodfellas’ are white, middle-aged males. They’re portrayed as bad people. This means that even though they are the bad guys, we’re immediately fond of them. The ideological discussion of gangsters is disputed within the film. Gangsters are bad people, so ethnically we shouldn’t like or root for them, but we always do.

The film “Goodfellas” represents a clear in depth view of achieved deviant statuses within a large counter culture. The film details the lives of organized criminals, and their roles as gang members. The film is set in Brooklyn New York during the mid-nineteen fifties through the late eighties. This film expresses socialization, ethnocentrism, social sanctions, and three sociological perspectives.

The critically acclaimed film, Goodfellas, is a gangster crime drama that features an incredible amount of talent. Household names such as: Robert De Niro (Jimmy Conway), Joe Pesci (Tommy DeVito), Paul Sorvino (Paul Cicero), and promising stars like Ray Liotta (Henry Hill) and Lorraine Bracco (Karen Hill), attracted numerous Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. That type of cast power, linked with the signature talent of Martin Scorsese as a director, made for cinematic gold. Unquestionably, the actors and actresses did an excellent job augmenting the verisimilitude of this film and compelling audiences to empathize with their characters. But the cinematography in this film plays just as large a role in having audiences feel what the characters are feeling at a specific moment. Through the use of freeze frames, we learn of significant moments that shape Henry into the man that he is. By means of first-person narration we are able to know exactly what is going through a particular character’s mind. Finally, wonderful editing made great use of point of view and multiple jump cuts, which added to the sensation that we are undergoing the same experiences as the characters on screen. I will go into further detail and specify scenes that convey these elements as the essay progresses. Altogether, Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas effectively depicts paramount scenes and allows the audience to empathize with the characters by virtue of stylistic editing and cinematography.

The Godfather and Goodfellas are both considered “mafia movies.” Both of these films portray some form of organized crime committed by Italians. They mutually romanticize the mob lifestyle and depict it with pure clarity. Although both of these movies portray the lives of the same kind of people, they are more than just a simple characterization. Violence plays a major role in each of these films. The Godfather and Goodfellas are obviously very similar. However, they also have several aspects that differ from one another.

The critically acclaimed film, Goodfellas, is a gangster crime drama that features a great deal of talent. Household names such as Robert De Niro (Jimmy Conway), Joe Pesci (Tommy DeVito), Paul Sorvino (Paul Cicero), and promising stars like Ray Liotta (Henry Hill) and Lorraine Bracco (Karen Hill), attracted numerous Golden Globes and Academy Awards nominations. That type of cast power, linked with the signature talent of Martin Scorsese as a director, made for cinematic gold. Unquestionably, the actors and actresses did an excellent job augmenting the verisimilitude of this film and compelling audiences to empathize with their characters. But the cinematography in this film plays just as large a role in having audiences feel what the characters are feeling at a specific moment. Through the use of freeze frames, we learn of significant moments that shape Henry into the man that he is. By means of first-person narration, we are able to know exactly what is going through a particular character’s mind. Finally, strong editing made efficient use of multiple jump cuts, which add to the sensation that we are undergoing the same experiences as the characters on screen. Altogether, Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas effectively depicts paramount scenes and allows the audience to empathize with the characters by virtue of stylistic editing and cinematography.

When talking about a true American crime story, one can start and end the discussion with one of the most powerful and influential true stories ever told: GoodFellas. Based on the incredible true story, the film follows the rise and fall of Lucchese crime family associates Henry Hill and his friends throughout the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 1980s. Originally written as the non-fiction novel “Wise Guys” by Nicholas Pileggi, the story takes you deep into the world of arguably the most notorious crime posse America has ever known: the Italian Mafia. It is viewed by scores of critics and moviegoers alike as one of the greatest crime/drama movies ever filmed – so needless to say, with such a

Another element of the gangster genre that is seen in Wellman’s film is the rise and fall trajectory of the central gangster protagonist. In order to avoid glamorizing the life of a gangster and his perverted American Dream, his crimes must be punished. This is a central element to any gangster film created under the auspices of the production code. To obey the rules and regulation of the PCA, any gangster in film will live “a short but glamorous life..that reaffirms the audience’s knowledge that in Hollywood, lawlessness cannot go unpunished” (Køhlert 857). The era under the PCA shaped the narrative of the gangster genre to include the death of essentially every gangster protagonist. In one of the most powerful scenes of the film, after Tom has taken revenge on the rival members, he stumbles, shot, clutching his chest into the raining streets and gutter (The Public Enemy). He is alone, isolated by the rain, and likely going to die. This is not a character the audience is supposed to sympathize with, and this is exactly to goal of the gangster genre. After the audience has seen Powers rise through the world of crime starting as a little boy

After the death of the man in charge Bumpy Johnson, Denzel Washington’s Character Frank Lucas struggles to find a better way to make money. He does not want to have to pay someone to sell drugs and cut his profit. He looks to find a way to cut off the middleman.

THE GODFATHER, made in 1974, details the Corleone crime family in Manhattan during the mid 1930s. The Don, Vito Corleone, played by Marlon Brando, leads his organization against a relentless narcotics push by a rival family, the Sollozzos. Vito Caleone does not want anything to do with drugs because he believes they will be the downfall of the Mafia. The story, covering a ten year time period, offers a rich tapestry of Mafia life from the inside, drawing the audience into witnessing the transfer of power within a close-knit family

“Bad Boys” is a hilarious action filled movie that distracts the viewer from things like logic and coherence. Detectives stared by the famous Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are on a deadline to find $100 million worth of heroin from distraught drug-dealers in Miami. Witness, Julie Mott has seen the crazed drug-dealer shoot and kill her best friend.

The Simpsons often parody many classic films. One film they parody is Goodfellas by Martin Scorsese. In this film the character Henry Hill narrates his life as a gangster. He goes through the reasons why he decided to become a gangster. He explains how being a gangster makes him feel like a somebody and how they offer him protection. The Mafia gives Henry Hill a place to call his own. The mafia becomes his family. The movie Goodfellas is based off of a book called Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi which is based on a true story. One of the reasons this film was so popular was because it was based in reality. The film details what the life of a gangster is. It also displays the message that crime does not pay. At the end of the film all the gangsters either end up dead, in jail, or in the witness protection program. Henry Hill is a great example of how crime doesn’t pay. Henry Hill during the film seems to be living the American dream. He has more money than he knows what to do with and everyone in town knows who he is. He feels as though he is living the life. These are some of the many aspects of living life outside the law that attracts the American viewer. Henry seems to be living the American dream but this dream doesn’t last very long. Before Henry knows it he is arrested for committing many crimes but the biggest one is his trafficking of cocaine. At this point it becomes clear to see that crime doesn’t pay. This film paints several of the mobster as heroes they provide