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Rating: The world of cinema in its vastness presents a number of masterpieces that I still find rather scant. Especially in recent times, great directors tend to adapt to the trend of the American blockbuster: action, action, and... action. Few are the maestros who continue to seek and create great masterpieces. It seems that newcomers or the "new blood" tend to create the best films. They still had great masters: Brian De Palma, Stanley Kubrick, Francis Ford Coppola... But in the gangster movie genre, we owe everything, or almost everything, to a particular director: Martin Scorsese.
Among the standout films (or at least in the genre) of the great director, the film "Goodfellas" from 1991 takes center stage. The story tells of an Irish boy who rises in the world of organized Italian crime in the second half of the century, in an almost naive manner. Not being a "spaghetti-eater" his role is relegated to the sidekick of a boss of Italian origins, Paulie. Mafia vicissitudes follow, with deceptions and friendships, killings and robberies, up to the collapse of the so-called mafia in the 80s. The blame for the decline is clearly attributed by the director to the mutual fears of various family members and the explosion of drugs ("Stay away from that stuff") in the 70s/80s, accompanied by a massive contribution from law enforcement in the specific intent of arresting members of the clans.
The film regenerates and creates a world as close to reality as possible, contrary to the "legendary" air that permeated from "The Godfather" series. I believe there are no grounds to consider it a documentary on the mafia. It would be restrictive. It is not an action film. That would be a lie. "Goodfellas" is THE reference film for every gangster movie. Finding a flaw is practically impossible, but it can be sought in those who feel repulsion towards this genre of films. For the rest, the editing is excellent and some of the directorial choices are Oscar-worthy (missed). The soundtrack is largely curated by the director himself, as an expert in the field. It is worth remembering that Scorsese participated in the Woodstock documentary and that he remains an enthusiast of the rock scene even now. The series of scenes (or rather killings) with "Gimme Shelter" by the Stones, towards whom he has a declared love (see "Shine a light"), is one to be framed. Not to forget the Oscar to the unstoppable Joe Pesci ("Do I amuse you?") who indulges in unmissable dialogues and monologues.
I personally consider the film a beacon of gangster movies and a step below "Taxi Driver" in Scorsese's filmography, but above all, I wanted to do justice to a film that deserves full marks because it remains enjoyable, if not improves, over the years. Masterpiece.
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