GoodFellas

Memo to Warner Bros.: Remaster this epic anamorphically, in DTS digital surround, and make it a special edition, 2-disc set with the film on a dual-layered disc and extras on the second disc.


A suspect DVD release for a classic film.   August 21, 2004
D. Mok (Los Angeles, CA)
40 out of 46 found this review helpful

GoodFellas is on top of my "best films of all time" list. I was one of the people who had bought the previous DVD edition, the infamous "two-sided, no features" release that had been one of the first generation of DVD releases, before the medium evolved into what it is today. I had been counting the days until they would re-release this film, so I was first in line to get this new edition.

Unfortunately, though this edition is much better than the previous one, it very much pales alongside most modern DVD packages.

The package aroused many suspicions in me that this was a rush job. Among my dissatisfactions:

- There's no booklet, leaflet, film histories, or printed material of any kind which generally supplements a two-disc release like this;
- The film is long, but still under the three-hour mark, and the second disc has three short (eight to 20 minutes), unremarkable documentaries plus a storyboard-film comparison. Wouldn't all this material have fit on a single disc? Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story had three times the media and was only a single disc. If they didn't have enough material, why did they put up the illusion that there are two discs' worth?
- There are only two commentaries, and one of them isn't even complete. The "Cop and Crook" commentary is interesting, applying the great idea of bringing back Henry Hill (on whose life this film and its source book Wiseguy were based) and the prosecutor who had sponsored his Witness Protection Program, Edward McDonald. It's not a very illuminating commentary, but it's still good to see what Hill is like today. However, the "Cast and Crew" commentary is suspect. Not only does it not cover the entire film, I actually suspect it was not recorded as a commentary, but edited from fragmentary interviews. So rarely do the cast and director on this track comment on the specific scenes, the way a commentary should, that I don't think they were watching the film as they were speaking; I think the production company simply mixed the sound louder and created the illusion that this was a commentary track. I don't know for sure if this is the case, but if it is, I consider it very dishonest marketing. Don't call it a commentary unless it is one!
- I found absolutely no new insights into Martin Scorsese or the film from the additional materials. The "making of" documentary is the usual "heap praise upon the director" baloney. Come on, do we actually *need* you to tell us that Scorsese is great? How about giving some anecdotes and insight into the film instead?

All of the above adds up to a very underwhelming DVD release of a film that's possibly the greatest American film of the last 20 years. However, there is still one incentive to own it -- the entire film is contained, without interruptions, on one disc. So unlike with the old DVD release, you can actually watch the whole film now without having to turn the disc over. So this is still the best available version of the film out there. However, I remain displeased. After years of waiting, and being disappointed, why does this edition fail to satisfy?

I can only hope that the impossible would happen -- that Warner Bros. would let The Criterion Collection take a stab at this film, and do it justice. It will never happen, but the very idea does whet the appetite.


Goodfellas - A Scorsese classic!   August 2, 2003
K. Wyatt (St. Louis, MO United States)
39 out of 50 found this review helpful

Of all of the "mob" movies that have graced the silver screen over the years, "Goodfellas" most certainly stands a head taller than the majority of them and it can be said that this film is one of the "definitive" mobster movies. Few movies, if any, can compare to the compelling "based on a true story" nature of this film and the graphic realism that is so brilliantly portrayed by Scorsese's direction and the exceptional cast members.

"Goodfellas" is a powerful film based on the true life best seller "Wiseguy" by Nicholas Pileggi. More specifically, it's based on the true story of Henry Hill (Ray Liota), who along with his pals Jimmy "The Gent" Conway (Robert DeNiro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) who received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for this film. Needless to say, the performances by these actors, Lorraine Bracco and Paul Sorvino are nothing short of superb.

The premise:

Narrated by Henry Hill and his wife Karen Hill, "Goodfellas" tells the tale of how he grew up admiring the local mobsters, gained their friendship and then came to be employed by them. After all, how could anybody resist a life in which if you're part of the "organization," there is nothing that you cannot have and you have the fearful respect of everybody around you, as long as you're continuing to make money and not stepping on any of the important people's toes.

As the movies progresses along, Director Martin Scorsese does a beautiful job in displaying many of the aspects of the mobster's lifestyle and the many things that can happen in that lifestyle.

From the opening frame to the final credits, "Goodfellas" is a gripping, suspenseful and enlightening gangster movie that bears multiple viewings quite easily. I highly recommend this film to any and all fans of gangster movies. Fair warning though, this movie "is not" for the faint of heart or the squeamish, for it is fairly graphic at times, which serves to enhance the nature of this film but is not too good on the eyes. {ssintrepid}

Special Features:

This DVD was released in 1997 as one of the early transfers, therefore it's not loaded down with an exceptional amount of special features, which is fine because it's all about the film. I do find it surprising that this one hasn't been re-released as a "Special Edition" with all the special features, featurettes and documentaries.

What is does have:

- A remastered soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1
- Production notes
- Two theatrical trailers


Do you think I'm Funny?   April 21, 2004
James R. Mckinley (San Diego, CA USA)
30 out of 48 found this review helpful

Goodfellas is on of my favorite movies of all time and remains the benchmark by which I compare all other movies. Some movies, very few, are technically better. Some may hold a plot better but none combine the two aspects as effectively. Every character is meticulously developed and the camera work belongs only to Mr. Scorcese. Women may not love this movie as much as men however, Ms. Bracco has given us a strong and important female lead. If you love movies and haven't seen this movie... see it. This is a great movie, telling of Henry Hill's 30 years in organized crime. I get teared-up thinking about how amazing some of the scenes in this film are: Joe Pesci asks if Ray Liotta thinks he's funny, Ray drives around in a drug haze, Ray and his girlfriend walk through the kitchen at a nightclub, Ray pistol whips his girlfriend's date who was "all hands," Ray shows off his new TV, Ray's wife tries to break down the door of his girlfriend's house, Robert DeNiro receives upsetting news on a payphone. However, a great movie like this deserves at least a better DVD. I am hoping that Warner Bros. will release another version with an anamorphic transfer and - oh yeah - the movie all on one side of the disc. However, the movie is so good, it overcomes the DVD's shortcomings.


The Rise and Fall of a Wiseguy   October 20, 2003
mirasreviews (McLean, VA USA)
24 out of 32 found this review helpful

For as long as he could remember, Henry Hill wanted to be a gangster. So, when he was 12 years old, he started running errands for the neighborhood wiseguy and extortionist, "Paulie" Cicero (Paul Sorvino). By the time he was 21, Henry (Ray Liotta) had made a name and a good life for himself stealing and reselling cargo. Along with Jimmy "The Gent" Conway (Robert DeNiro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci), Henry organized and executed heists big and small for their boss and protector, Paulie. He married a headstrong Jewish woman, Karen (Lorraine Bracco), who at first reluctantly and then enthusiastically embraced the gangster life. Even a prison stint didn't slow Henry down. Wiseguys get their own kitchen and accommodations in the joint. But Henry's defiance of his boss' directive in dealing cocaine and Tommy's violent outbursts threaten to destroy the world the wiseguys have made for themselves. Even $6 million from the great Lufthansa heist, the largest cash heist in American history, may not be enough to protect this group of aging gangsters from their own mistakes.

"Goodfellas" is based on "Wiseguy", Nicholas Pileggi's biographical novel about the life of mobster-turned-state's witness Henry Hill, who lived nearly 30 years as a small-time New York wiseguy before being arrested and entering the witness protection program in 1980. Martin Scorsese directed the film with a mind not to glamorize the gangster life, but to accurately portray the world of minor mafioso, a world driven not by violence -the violence is incidental, but by money. Scorsese succeeds in getting the audience inside of this world. Robert DeNiro gives one of the best performances of his career as Jimmy, who starts out level-headed but is eventually unhinged by greed and paranoia. Joe Pesci is fantastic at conveying Tommy DeVito's unfortunate combination of easily bruised ego and itchy trigger finger. Lorraine Bracco is a convincing mafia wife, but her performance is at its most interesting when she first discovers how truly bizarre the domestic lives of mob wives are. Paul Sorvino gives a nice supporting performance as the patriarch of this extended family. This brings me to the starring performance of Ray Liotta: Sometimes I felt that Liotta was appropriate for the role of Henry Hill, and other times I thought that his line delivery was wrong. So I have mixed feelings about Liotta's suitability for this role. But, overall, his performance is convincing enough.

"Goodfellas" is an entertaining look inside inside an iconic American subculture. The Italian/Sicilian mafia is a fringe culture which, for some reason, never ceases to fascinate the mainstream no matter how ugly or petty it gets. I admit to not understanding or sharing this fascination. Wiseguys are never smart or complicated men. They are simple, laughably predictable people who exist in a very straightforward environment of their own making. The most challenging aspect of making a gangster film based on a true story may be making the characters interesting. Martin Scorsese accomplishes this by using the camera to immerse the audience into the world of these wiseguys. They are interesting within their own circles, so they become interesting to us. "Goodfellas" displays some of Scorsese's most masterful and seductive work. It contains some great performances, and it gives us a window into the culture of organized crime. Gangster movies must have the highest rate of being true stories of any film genre.

The DVD (This refers to the 1997 single disc release only.): This is a 2-sided DVD. The movie is on both sides of the disc, and you have to flip the disc in order to finish watching it. The transfer has problems. In one scene that I recall, there is a thin vertical black line through the picture. The only real bonus features are a few pages of production notes and the ability to subtitle the film in English, French, or Spanish. I wouldn't recommended this DVD to collectors. If you are interested in purchasing "Goodfellas", wait for the Special Edition DVD to become available.