CULT DVD Review

Sometimes the Academy Awards just gets it dead wrong. In the case of Martin Scorsese, it happened far too many times in the great directors’ career. But possibly in 1991 when Kevin Costner swept the board with his ponderous ego-fuelled Dances with Wolves and left this classic mobster tale unrewarded, it may have been the biggest crime of the century. Excuse the pun.

The film is a richly detailed look into the life of real-life gangster Henry Hill, from his early dabbles when he was a child with the local bigwigs to his rise and fall in his later life. Ray Liotta gives his most vibrant performance as Hill and Scorsese directs the whole thing with such pizzazz and style that its no wonder the film has been a constant reference point for many filmmakers and movie buffs.

Often tying with The Godfather for the title of best gangster movie ever made, it certainly is a constant appearance with many critics best of lists. The cast are all perfect in their roles, on repeat viewings you see how dangerous Robert De Niro comes across in the role. He appears laidback but he is a calculating predator. His later scenes are also very darkly amusing. Lorraine Bracco as Karen Hill has never been better and she gets the right mix of awe and shock as Hill’s mobster wife who gets swept away by the glamour. Then of course we have little Joe Pesci as one of the funniest and scariest villians in the history of cinema as the very unpredictable Tommy - “I’m funny fucking how?”

Scorsese works magic with his direction, constantly keeping the film moving. There is memorable moments galore including the long tracking shot where Hill leads Karen through the back of a restaurant to the best table in the house, a symbol of how Hill made his way to the top. The final hour of the film is explosive in its depiction of a paranoid, drugged-up day in the life of Hill.

It’s a violent film and it needs to be. A wonderful story told about a life the rest of us thankfully do not lead, it never glorifies the lifestyle of the mobsters but is brutally honest in its depiction. On a final note, no Goodfellas, no Sopranos. That’s how good it is.

EXTRAS:
Shockingly you have to flip the disc over half-way through the film. They don't even apologize when its time to turn it over! A very old style of DVD that thankfully we don't have to put up with anymore. Get the 2 disc set!

Cast & Crew, Production Notes, Awards, Reel Recommendations: Nothing of any worth here.

Trailers

FEATURE: 93%

EXTRAS: 0%

OVERALL: 62%

The film is amazing but the disc is terrible.

Stewart McLaren

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