3. GOODFELLAS
Director: MARTIN SCORCESE
Year: 1990
Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci
‘As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster’ are the
words provided by the narrator and main character of the film, Henry Hill.
The film follows him through his life, beginning with him quitting school at 16
to work under the Lucchese crime family, right up to a middle aged Henry
settled out of gangster life after enrolling in the Witness Protection Program.
4. TRUE ROMANCE
Director: TONY SCOTT
Year: 1993
Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Gary Oldman, Christopher
Walken, Dennis Hopper, Brad Pitt, Val Kilmer
After what appears to be by chance, an Elvis-obsessed comic book shop
worker named Clarence meets and falls in love with a call girl named
Alabama. They marry a day later. Clarence goes over to see her boss to collect
her stuff. They begin to fight and Clarence kills him, taking a bag that he
thinks is Alabama’s. It turns out it contains a large amount of cocaine, giving
them a chance to make a lot of money – but the gangster’s that own it aren’t
willing to let it go without a fight.
5. THE GODFATHER
Director: FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA
Year: 1972
Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane
Keaton
Vito Corleone is the aging don (head) of the Corleone Mafia family. His
youngest son Michael has returned from WWII but he just wants to live a
normal life. Drug dealer Virgil Sollozzo is looking for Mafia families to offer
him protection in exchange for a profit of the drug money. He approaches Don
Corleone about it, but he is morally against the use of drugs, and turns down
the offer. This does not please Sollozzo, who has the Don shot down by some
of his hit men. The Don barely survives, which leads Michael to begin a violent
mob war against Sollozzo which tears the Corleone family apart.
6. Gangster Movies are my favourite kind of movies for a
number of reasons.
As well as the violence, which most lads my age
enjoy, the storylines are usually very good, especially in
the 3 examples I have chosen. Whether they provide a
twist or just tell a linear narrative, they always keep
you engaged and interested in what’s going on.
The acting is usually superb too. The cast of these types
of movies are predominantly Italian-American, which
provide an opportunity for a talented young actor to
find a way into the movie business. Some go on to have
very successful and prolonged film careers, such as Joe
Pesci, Ray Liotta, Harvey Keitel and more as well as the
legendary actors Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, who
both made their breakthroughs by starring in crime
orientated films.
Another thing I really like about Gangster movies are
the sheer suspense that is apparent when watching.
Sometimes there are certain scenes where there is a lot
of talking going on. During these scenes the tension
builds and builds, coming to a head with a final verbal
blow or even with a death. You never know when a
person is going to be killed in these kinds of scenes
because the suspense is so huge.
7. Star theory sometimes plays a huge part in a films success.
Star theory basically means the power a famous actor or director
can have in influencing a person’s choice to spend their money
to watch a film.
A film could have the best script in the world, but there is a
possibility that it will fail at the Box Office because they don’t
have the draw or the appeal of a high-profile actor or director.
If you see a trailer of a film that has the name of someone you
are a big fan of attached to it then it becomes more likely to
succeed at the Box Office.
Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are actors who would bring in a
big audience to a crime orientated film. This is because they
have made a career of starring in films of this genre as well as
taking that success into more mainstream films, such as family
comedies.
An example of star theory in crime movies is the film Righteous
Kill, starring both De Niro and Pacino. Prior to it’s release, it
gained a massive buzz around it as it starred these two heavy
weights in the same film. The critical response however was
poor, so this proves that sometimes having great actors doesn’t
necessarily come hand in hand with having a great movie.
8. As well as star theory, there are many reasons as to why I may
choose to watch a film.
I must admit though that I too was excited for Righteous Kill
and was also disappointed with the outcome. Nevertheless, it
was still fascinating to see De Niro and Pacino share sufficient
screen time, something which only happened for two scenes in
Heat and did not happen at all in The Godfather Part II.
I do get attracted to films sometimes by reading a critics view
beforehand. People might disagree with this and say its better
to watch it and gather your own opinion yourself, but I don’t
really want to spend a lot of money these days on a film that
has been panned by every working film critic. It seems I
dodged a bullet by not watching Movie 49, a film I liked the
look of by watching the trailer but by researching I find it to be
described by some as ‘the worst movie ever’.
It apparent that I am a big fan of gangster and crime films, so
whenever a new one is released or I come across an old one
which I haven't seen, I’ll always watch it. Gangster Squad has
been released quite recently and although it has a stellar
cast, that wasn’t the reason I watched it. It made the film
better though by having a top drawer list of actors who made
the film more believable with their fine performances.
9. There are many ways I use to find out about a film’s release.
Trailers are a big way of finding out about a film’s release, and there
are a few different methods of how to see one.
One way is by seeing a trailer being played at a cinema before your
film begins. The trailers are usually screened a few months before
the film’s release, sometimes even a year before if the film is
expected to be a huge blockbuster. Another way is by seeing a
shorter trailer played during the advert breaks on the TV. These are
shown quite close to the release date, the furthest being a month
before. Another way is by actually going onto a film website and
checking out any new trailers that they might have their hands
on, usually shown a long time before the movies release date.
You can also find out about release dates by reading the
newspaper, magazines and the internet.
The internet is becoming more and more prominent in the movie
business nowadays. Film studios find they can get any information
widespread at a quicker pace by using social networks like Twitter
and Facebook.
10. Reception Theory is when someone’s opinion of a movie is based on their personality and likes. It’s
basically a like or dislike for a movie determined from a personal experience or emotional connection.
Someone who has a member of their family or a close friend who has suffered or suffers from cancer
may really enjoy the 2009 movie, My Sister’s Keeper because they may relate to the film’s narrative. In
comparison, a person may know someone who was killed so therefore may not enjoy a film which
features murder. Romantic comedies tend to split the opinions of people – this is because on one
hand, the storyline is relatable to many people over the world as almost everyone has experienced
heartbreak or tried to pursue someone they have feelings for. One on the other hand, they may enjoy
comedy and could be in an emotional state where they require something which makes them laugh and
cheers them up.
I am a big fan of Gangster movies because I like the insight it gives into the lives of these people
involved in the Mafia. The characters are always interesting and are very 3-dimensional, usually with a
very detailed back story, whether they are one of the main characters or just in a supporting role.
Goodfellas is my favourite movie of all time and a big reason for this is down to the fact that it is based
on a true story – the characters, the plot, the settings – all of these things happened. I also enjoy
watching documentaries about people involved in the Mafia or organised crime so this is why
Goodfellas appeals to me the most because it is almost like watching a documentary but with cinematic
elements to it (with the fancy sets and great cast, etc.)
As this lifestyle isn’t one that I could or would get into, therefore making Reception Theory not relate to
my opinion as I have no real life experience related to the genre, the insight gathered from watching
these characters is all the more enjoyable because it shows me how life would be if I was involved in
this lifestyle. Also, people my age aren't really the main target audience for these films. They are more
aimed toward adult males. I prefer to watch movies like these because they are much more clever than
a genre that my demographic would be linked with. I prefer to watch a 10 minute scene of great
dialogue and suspense as opposed to a scene that you may see in the Fast and Furious franchise, for
example.
RECEPTION THEORY