Goodfellas by Mike Ader _______________________________________________ There are essentially two types of mob movies: those that romanticize the lifestyle and those that depict the lives of mobsters with gut-wrenching clarity. By depicting three-dimensional characters and strong atmosphere, Goodfellas allows the audience to relate to the story, characters, and relationships. This movie starts by introducing us to Henry Hill, our narrator, who becomes our guide through the murky world of crime, friendship and betrayal. The story, which spans a quarter of a century, has an epic feel despite its intimate perspective. The first forty minutes, which detail Henry’s childhood and his acceptance into mob life, is presented almost as a fairy tale. I believe that the purpose of this part of the movie is to form a bond between the main character Henry and the audience, while he is still young and relatively innocent. This way, we remain compassionate and agreeable to his character even later in the movie when he becomes an addict, a rat, and a cheat. Goodfellas is able to show us many aspects of characters that are empathetic. Rather than being "bad guys", these are all fully developed individuals capable of doing both good and evil. Their disreputable lifestyle is made so appealing to the audience that we easily shrug it off. Furthermore, Goodfellas is not about the “big-wigs” of the Mafia organization, but about those who exist in the lower levels, the ones with whom the audience is most likely to identify. Goodfellas is about the bonds that are formed between partners in crime, and how betrayal is the most heinous offense imaginable. However, we also get the softer side of the mob, as the social club for well-to-do men. Scorsese’s selection of music proves to be effective. Songs such as “Then He Kissed Me” and “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head”, as well as dozens of others, add a classic tone to the movie, but not to the point of being corny or overdone. This movie avoids use of a stationary camera, always keeping the images moving, not unlike the story, always changing, never static. There are long pans and innovative embellishments, all designed to enhance the mood and involve the viewer in the actions of the characters. For example, in one scene, the camera sweeps around a bar, then into a back room, pausing on faces as Henry’s voiceover introduces each of the wise guys. Later, we are presented with the famous, disorienting shot of Henry and Jimmy facing each other across a table at a diner. They appear to remain in the same position relative to us, while the background slowly recedes. Goodfellas does not rely on plot twists to hold the viewer’s attention. The strength and extensiveness of the story and characters do that, but one of the film’s strongest traits is the sense of uncertainty that hangs over every frame. The movie proved to be a success at developing a rich and multi-layered study of characters and culture that shaped a society.