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Beatriz Garcia Mr. Hackney Rhetoric 101 16 September 2013 Goodfellas or Badfellas? Goodfellas, a movie about the Italian mob, is based upon the true life story of a real IrishItalian mobster named Henry Hill who disappeared in the Witness Protection Program. The movie is the tale of his rise and fall while in the mob, along with the tragedies dealt with throughout his personal life which were caused due to his mob affiliation. Goodfellas is based off of the novel Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family, written by reporter and the interviewer of Henry Hill, Nicholas Pileggi, which is a detailed depiction of Henry Hills real life experiences. Joseph McBride and Roger Ebert both agree that the movie has a very convincing cast, yet they differ on the quality of the movie as well as the quality of the movie compared to other well-known mob related movies. McBride and Ebert both agree that the movie that a great cast who are perfect for the roles they were assigned. In McBrides review, he explains that the director of the movie, Martin Scorsese, has a cast that perfectly friezes of grotesque hoodlum types are caricatures in the best sense of the word. He continues on to say that Robert DeNiro has a menacing charm and is at times even more interesting than Liotta. Ray Liotta plays the main character of Henry Hill, while Robert DeNiro plays the supporting character of Jimmy Conway. Ebert agrees with McBride that the cast is perfect for this movie as well as the supporting characters being a bit better than the leads. Ebert agrees with saying that Ray Liotta, along with Lorraine Bracco, who

Garcia 2 plays Karen (Hills wife), establish themselves here as clearly two of our best new movie actors. Ebert speaks highly of the pair going on to say that it was a job well done for two first time actors. Both McBride and Ebert agree that the cast is able to represent their characters in the best possible way they can. Although McBride and Ebert agree with each other regarding the cast and characters, they disagree on the quality of the movie, as well as the quality of the movie compared to other well-known mob related movies. McBride claims that in the second half of the movie, the movie doesnt develop the dramatic conflicts between the character and the milieu that are hinted at earlier. He is suggesting that the plot repeatedly does not finish off the story, as he says, the effect is simply to keep on piling on and intensifying Liottas horrific and ultimately numbing descent into depravity. McBride also believes that Goodfellas is incomparable to other mob related movies, such as Marlon Brandos The Godfather. He claims that it doesnt share the Godfathers examination for the Mafias evolution in reaction to social injustice, that the conflicts of the movie have no weight, and that Scorsese misguidedly abandons his focus on the mob community to tell the unrewarding story of a lone wolf (Henry Hill). Ebert, obviously, disagrees with the claims made by McBride involving the quality of the movie. Ebert states that the fact that you are able to understand Henry Hills feelings and actions are what make this such a good film. He also claims that movie is great because it doesnt necessarily have a plot. Instead it is about what it felt like to be in the Mafia the good times and the bad times. Ebert also disagrees that Goodfellas cannot stand up to movies like The Godfather. Ebert states that although the two movies are not really comparable due to different storylines, no finer film has ever been made about organized crime than Goodfellas. Ebert goes on to talk about the great production that is this movie. He also says that Goodfellas in one of the best movies of its

Garcia 3 generation. McBride and Ebert disagree on the quality of the movie and the movie in comparison to other mob related movies. Whether the quality of this movie is considered good to some and bad to others, Goodfellas was still a very successful movie in its self as well as for director Martin Scorese. Although McBride and Ebert disagree on the quality of the movie as well as the quality of the movie compared to other well-known mobster movies, such as The Godfather, the pair does agree that the movie had a well rounded cast who played their roles well.

Garcia 4 Works Cited

Ebert, Roger. Rev. of Movie. Roger Ebert.com (1990): 1-4. Rogerebert.com. Rotten Tomatoes, 2 Sept. 1990. Web. 4 Oct. 2013. McBride, Joseph. "Goodfellas." Rev. of Movie. n.d.: n. pag. Variety.com. Rotten Tomatoes. Web. 4 Oct. 2013. Pileggi, Nicholas. Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1985. Print.

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