Taxi Driver (Brendan’s Opinion)

Taxi Driver was Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese’s first film together, and probably De Niro’s breakout performance.  His presentation of the psychopathic cab driver Travis Bickle is one of the best performances I have seen, period.  De Niro really demonstrated his ability to get inside a character’s head, and he plays Travis’ disgust with humanity and descent into obsession and mania with perfection.

Spoilers ahead, so beware:  Taxi Driver is more of a character study than an actual movie, showing off the entire life, thought process, psyche, and nuances of the main character, Travis.  Travis becomes a cab driver at the beginning of the movie, and after a brief infatuation with a woman working on a political campaign, devotes his entire life to rescuing a 12-year-old prostitute Iris (Jodie Foster).  The movie is somewhat of a mind trip, especially the end sequence which (spoilers) may or may not take place in Travis’ head as he lies on a couch/hospital bed dying. (end spoilers) Regardless of whether or not Travis Bickle actually survives his attempt at rescuing Iris, DeNiro’s portrayal of one of cinema’s greatest anti-heroes, Scorsese’s excellent directorial style, and a plot that actually makes you think make this one of my favorite movies.

Score: 5/5 (A 5 is a movie I absolutely loved, would see again many times, and would recommend to absolutely everybody.  I probably think it should be rated higher on the list than it currently is.)

Goodfellas (Brendan’s Opinion)

Martin Scorsese happens to be one of my favorite directors, and this was one of his movies I hadn’t seen.  Anytime Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro get together, however, the result is bound to be pretty awesome.  This was no exception.  Goodfellas is a mobster movie, similar to the Godfather movies, but it has it’s own unique flavor and feel.  Goodfellas follows the actions of Henry Hill (played by Ray Liotta) who was a gangster for the local mob throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s.  Hill had wanted to be a gangster his whole life, but as happens in most mob movies, the gangster lifestyle doesn’t exactly work out for Hill and his associates, Conway (De Niro) and DeVito (Joe Pesci).  The film chronicles Hill’s descent into the criminal world, until at the end of the film he is broken, jailed, addicted to cocaine, and forced to enroll in the Witness Protection Program to get away from his former life.

Goodfellas evokes The Godfather quite a bit, but has it’s own unique flavor.  The casting is top-notch, as every single actor puts in a wonderful performance, although the highlight for me has to be De Niro.  The plot is obviously Goodfellas’ strongest point, however – the movie kept me interested from start to finish.  The only (minor) critiques I have about the film are kind of out of it’s control – basically, this film is good, but The Godfather is better.  That said, if you want a quality gangster movie and have seen the Godfather one too many times already, Goodfellas is certainly a wonderful movie, and you will definitely enjoy it.

Score: 4/5 (A 4 is a movie that I really really liked, and would definitely see again, but some very minor issues kept me from rating it as one of my favorite movies ever.  It does come with my completely unqualified recommendation unless you really don’t like that particular genre of movie.)

Goodfellas – Em’s Opinion

Oh Martin Scorsese, you sure know how to make a fantastic movie. Based on a true story, Goodfellas tells the story of Henry Hill, played by Ray Liotta, and his rise and fall in the New York mafia. Although Liotta is at the center of the story, the characters to really watch in this film are Jimmy Conway(Robert De Niro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci). The movie starts out with a killing and it gets bloodier as the movie goes on. Scorsese’s style of pausing the action to explain what’s going on is absolutely perfect for this film. Also, the vertigo shot he uses when Henry and Jimmy are talking is mesmerizing.

If you haven’t read my bio, my favorite actor of all time is Robert De Niro and Scorsese is one of my favorite directors, so this film is definitely one of my favorites. Joe Pesci is absolutely insane as Tommy; he’s perfect. It’s no wonder that he won the Oscar for best supporting actor. It’s incredible how he can kill so many people and keep everything light and airy. Insane.

I also love how Scorsese emphasizes the family aspect of the mafia. Everyone is in it together and they support each other. However, if you make one mistake, you’re out for good. How the tables turn on Henry is absolutely mesmerizing. The one thing I didn’t like about this movie is the yelling that goes on between Henry and his wife Karen(Lorraine Bracco). That made me sad. Otherwise the film is superb. It definitely deserves its place on the list.