It's purely a coincidence that after watching "The Cruel Story of Youth", "Goodfellas", and "Once Upon a Time in America" at SIFF this year, I found myself accidentally falling into a "bad word" and had the opportunity to look at it from the perspective of a very minority group. Looking at the world again, it is so powerful that it oozes blood.
Before picking up the pen, Brain Road automatically retrieved the classic movie "The Godfather" series, which is also based on gangsters and also adapted from novels. If you compare it like this, there is nothing to compare it to. "Goodfellas" is not that epic masterpiece, but it focuses more on a personal perspective and brings people into it with evil principles, so "Goodfellas" can fully immerse me in the world of the mafia.This also leads to the first question: the idea of the film.
Maybe this should be a question that every director should think about before preparing each film. What is the purpose of making it? Especially in such a world where evil is beautiful, where is it going to take us, the audience? In this film, Grandpa Martin chose to let the audience bring evil eyes from the very beginning to start a criminal journey that three good citizens could never experience. At the same time, Grandpa Martin has quietly Sow the seeds of evil flowers.
Henry believed that being a good guy in the gang meant he could have everything, such as a king's meal, not being bullied, having more money than his peers, and feeling majestic. worldview.
The family ethics of the Italian Mafia gradually emerged after Henry grew up. The close interpersonal relationship, the family atmosphere of mutual support, and the good guys who are brothers and sisters. These short-lived beauties are just like the flowers of evil that grow in the evil world. How many Bring fragrance to this dark corner.
But the good times don't last long. Most people here can't abide by justice and morality. They only focus on interests. They are always full of betrayal relationships for self-interest. You don't have any stable beliefs, and you have no one to rely on. You can only survive because of a combination of desire and others. When others don’t need you, you will naturally face being abandoned and destroyed. It is like a wild animal world like a virgin forest.
Like this fierce and primitive world, it seems to have an idle narrative structure, but Grandpa Martin's editing of "Goodfellas" controls the rhythm to be extremely tight and explosive, bringing the audience wave after wave of audio-visual refreshment, even several. My heart is racing everywhere. The aesthetics of Ma's violence shown in it are very different from Quentin's and John Woo's. In "Goodfellas", violence is hidden in in-jokes in several places. When you think it's just a joke, the guy shoots and kills. Now, the absurdity and willfulness of violence are suddenly revealed, and everyone in the evil world, whether you are a bartender or a good guy, is on the brink of danger, and no one is spared.
It can only be said that Grandpa Martin is worthy of being a "movie sociologist." The moment I watched "Goodfellas", I couldn't balance my three views, and even some new confusion about values appeared. Because of this evil world and too many normal people, I dare not even imagine it, let alone take it as a value orientation. Perhaps, Baudelaire's "Flowers of Evil" can make a final self-declaration for this evil world:Sin, miserliness, error, stupidity, have taken possession of our souls and tortured our bodies.
Every day, we descend into hell.
Walking through the stinking darkness without fear.
If murder, arson, poisoning, and rape had not yet adorned the mediocre sketches of our poor fate with their ridiculous sketches, alas! That's just because our souls aren't bold enough.View more about Goodfellas reviews
