Mobsters and Cops Marathon: The Godfather Part II

Other films in this marathon: Goodfellas, Casino, and Bullitt.

Building off the characters and pathos of The Godfather, Part II picks up after Michael becomes well established as the head of the Corleone family and shows his downfall. Suffice it to say, The Godfather Part II is brilliant.


The brilliance is a method that Lost also uses so well--using past events to inform the present story. The main story is about the fall of the Corleones, but the past vignettes interspersed throughout the film track the rise of the family with Vito, the Godfather, as the main character. The juxtaposition of the rise and of the fall makes the whole thing more tragic. The most apparent similarity drawn from the two story lines is the vicious cycle of violence and vengeance. Examples from both storylines are eerily similar, but an act in the early days draws benefits while an act in the current story line only shows desperation. By the time the past story line catches up to Michael as a young man, we immediately see what a huge change has taken place from who he was then to who is is now, and it's heartbreaking.

One of the things I appreciate most in TGP2 is that Michael's wife Kay disapproves, tells him, and actually takes action. After watching the victim and beaten wives in Goodfellas and Casino, it's a relief to see a woman with some backbone. Also, the fact that Kay is played by Diane Keaton blows my mind. I know her mostly from her fluffy recent movies, so to see her in such a serious film is a little jarring, but I love her in this.

But the best part about TGP2 is that it looks and sounds timeless. Nothing flashy goes on. It uses slow, methodical cinematography that doesn't distract from the characters on screen. And the score is heartbreaking and nostalgic with deep roots in Italian music. Again, in contrast to the frenetic and pop culturally aware Goodfellas and Casino, it's a relief to watch a film that's relying mostly on its own, insular world.

I know I'm not even beginning to touch on all the reasons The Godfather Part II is a great film, but it's a solid piece of cinema. I clocks in at around 200 minutes, but it's not a slow 200 minutes. Suspense is built in from curiosity about how the Corleones became the Corleones and how they're going to stop being the Corleones. Every scene is in there for a reason, and the pace never slacked. Basically, this is a perfect film.

Mobsters and Cops Marathon: Bullitt

Other films in this marathon: Goodfellas and Casino.

Finally a movie I completely enjoyed, Bullitt.

A 60s thriller with 60s style and music starring Steve McQueen. What's not to love? McQueen plays Bullitt, a cop asked to keep a star witness safe until a hearing. Pretty quickly, the simple task turns complex when the star witness and one of the cops watching him gets shot. Bullitt's put in charge of case and many chases on foot and car ensue. McQueen plays Bullitt as downtrodden and desensitized by his career. Most of this is conveyed subtly which I love. Also, the dialogue was sparse leaving room to admire the great editing and cinematography.

Because I'm sick of writing coherent paragraphs, let's check out some still shots with commentary:

That facial hair + those glasses + a double breasted suit = the greatest informant ever.

So much peeling out in one of the greatest car chases, hands down.

Gun holsters! They're like tough guy suspenders, both of which are hot.

Bullitt's grocery shopping consists of only frozen foods. So much implicit characterization!

Such a lovely use of focus to direct the audience's eye.

Upper angles...

...and lower angles create interesting frames for each shot.

Use of reflection is fantastic. Creepy attorney coming from behind!

Sexy British girlfriend who also happens to be an artist. Character foil anyone?

Crime fighting in a cardigan!

Bullitt drinks his milk with holsters on, like a man.

But the most adorable of all is just-woke-up Bullitt. He has 2 piece PJs that look like my grandmother's tacky couch. What a badass.

Wrap up: Watch this movie. It reminded me of one of my all time favorites, Charade. It's just as suspenseful, although maybe not as fun, but both have a music and filming style that is so definitively 60s that it's just a pleasure to watch. Soderbergh may come close, but nothing is like the straight from the source.

Mobsters and Cops Marathon: Casino

After already standing 2 hours with Joe Pesci in Goodfellas, I decided I'd just get the 3 more hours of him out of the way with Casino.

The first hour, kind of like Goodfellas, is a lot of fun to watch. We hear through narration and quick shots how everyone got into the casino buisness, how the money got to the men on top, how the Tangiers functioned. Unfortunately, there's about 2 more hours of stuff to get through. This movie is way too much of a biopic (it's based on a book that's based on real events) for it to really be a solid piece of cinema. The problem with a film trying to be epic is that it's a short story format. You can have a fun ride with a film, but you're never going to get the characterization or emotional ties that a novel or television show has because of the length.

Even at 3 hours, Casino can't decide what it is. The quick pace at the beginning makes it seem like it will be a fast paced overview of a man's journey in Vegas. Unfortunately, as the pacing slows, scenes are drawn out, and as the narration drops out more and more, the film becomes tedious. Pretty soon people aren't saying anything to each other but f-bombs. People are drunk, high, sleeping together, tying up children. I honestly just started doing other things. I knit about a third of a scarf. I knit a scarf while watching Casino.

I just find biopics boring. I don't care what anyone says, Ray, Walk the Line, My Left Food, Out of Africa, Goodfellas--they're just not that good. Sure the acting is good--a biopic is nothing if not an excuse for an actor to go all out and impersonate someone--but the problem with actually adapting someone's life to film is that you can't make a clean story arc or character arc. You're forced to adapt events to what really happens. And even when a film plays around with events to create an arc, it's still not a streamlined story because you have to cram in so much. I'd rather have somebody just tell me the highlights (like Casino does at the beginning) or dwell on certain events. Probably the most interesting biopic I've seen is Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould. It's not a favorite, but at least it acknowldeges that the audience is just getting a mosaic of person's life whether or not it's shown in a linear fashion, and so we share in 32 events/habits that define the man.

Really, this is just to say that Casino started out fun and interesting, but got progressively more boring as the movie went on. I just wish the movie would have stayed as fun as it was in the beginning. But good old Marty Scorsese wins you over at the very end with an ending de Niro narration of what happened to Vegas after the fall out (story time again!) and a return to the epic choral music that began the whole film. I'll give Scorsese this: he sure knows how to pick good music and begin and end a movie.

Mobsters and Cops Marathon: Goodfellas

I've got a lot of time the next few days before I go home for Christmas (thanks weather) so I rented some movies I've always heard about but never got around to. Turned out, they were all "manly" mobster movies. First up, Goodfellas.


Much like The Godfather, it tracks the rise and involvement of a young man into the mob. But unlike The Godfather, the young man wants to get into the mob. It begins with Henry Hill, the half Irish half Italian neighborhood kid who sees and admires the gangster lifestyle. Christopher Serrone plays young Henry and captures the characteristics and enthusiasm older Henry played by Ray Liotta (and attractiveness).

From the very beginning, we realize we're going to get the greatest hits version of Henry's story, complete with narration. The first hour of the film until we catch up to the initial scene chronologically, is a pure pleasure to watch. We speed through facts and events and it feels like someone telling a story. Group scenes pan by each person describing their name and their role. Dialogue and music blend between scenes blatently skipping over non-essential information. His courtship with Karen is told by narration on both sides kind of reminiscent of When Harry Met Sally cut-ins but broken up by some scenes. Then it starts to get real with unprovoked murders, affairs, cocaine, and more murders. And then it gets irritating because everyone is making terrible choices and it's just painful to watch.

One of the most interesting things about the film is it's vague dwelling in the past. Although styles change all around, the music and Liotta's wardrobe stay behind. The music, although most is contemporary with the the time period, always sound a little antiquated. For example, an early 80s scene features a song by George Harrison who--like the rest of the Beatles--never could escape sounding at least vaguely like his old band. And then Ray Liotta's clothing usually looks like it's based on 50s style. His button-up shirts have clean, flat hems that don't require to be tucking or clean cut suits in dark teals and blues. It's as if he's holding onto the fairytale dream of the mob from when he was a kid. However, an 80s punk version of the Sinatra classic "My Way" leads us out of the film. I guess things caught up with Henry Hill.

This film is a loving tribute to the mob. Through the enthusiastic perspective of Henry, we never see the mob judged, except that it sure is a fun ride. The horrible things he tells matter-of-factly, the benefits he praises. In the end, Goodfellas is not my favorite film. I prefer character driven stories, and while this film certainly is about the character Henry Hill, it's always a little detached. We never know how he feels about his relationship with his wife or that innocent guys are being killed. We get glimpses by how he reacts in scenes, but for the most part he seems emotionally ambivilant about it until the fun times roll around. We know this: Henry Hill sure loves the mob.

Lessons learned: Joe Pesci is obnoxious and don't bust a mobster's balls.