“To me, being a gangster was better than being President of the United States.” — Henry Hill.
Henry always knew what he wanted from the start. he had this distinct mindset. i don’t really get people who want more in life and have the tools to create or do shit but they don’t do it. i can't live in a fucking rat race. that's just not me. same with Henry, he always wanted more. he didn't really care for what others thought. he dropped out of school and did what he had to, he wasn’t helpless he was resourceful in a way.
but to start off what a fucking movie. Martin Scorsese is a chaotic genius. finally after watching Goodfellas i realized what a great movie this is. from the symbolism to the dialogue to the way this film was shot and the rise, the fall, and the addiction. it felt so realistic, like i was Henry. i love the inner dialogue. most movies don't really do voiceovers well and when they do it comes off corny. but this one was right on the fucking edge. it was perfect.
one thing i realized that as the music got happier or felt more entrancing the whole vibe shifted. there were all these old jazz and romantic songs that reminded me of Sinatra, completely setting the time and place and giving off those mob vibes. but the deeper the movie dived into that nostalgic, romantic music, the more chaotic it actually got. the happier the music felt, the more chaotic the reality became. the more nostalgic the track, the more dramatic the scene. i just loved the way the music played such a massive, symbolic part in how the story was shown.
the cinematography is on a whole different level too. i love how they always used freeze frames at the end of a scene before transitioning to the next one. it really helped me digest what just happened. it felt like what everyone wishes they could do in reality, just stop time for a second, have some time to think about it, let the inner dialogue run, and process everything before just moving on to the next scene in your life. it made the movie feel paced so perfectly. instead of just rushing from left to right it was really nice to just sit there for a moment, understand what was happening, and digest it all.
and then there is that specific shot of Karen pointing a gun directly at the screen that is an absolute masterclass. the gun is blurred in the foreground, forcing you to lock eyes with her. she looks completely drained, her body is sure but her heart isn't. the lighting even creates this unintentional, twisted halo effect around her hair while she's holding a weapon. it’s a tragic, beautiful frame that looks like a high end vinyl cover.
also i heard that The Weeknd was heavily inspired by Martin Scorsese's movies and watching this i thought to myself that you can genuinely see Abel's artistic DNA in this film. the 80s styling, the heavy cocaine use, the toxic relationships, and the deep psychological paranoia are all over it. when i saw that one scene where Sandy is snorting cocaine, chopping it up, and making it at her house, it instantly reminded me of the Thursday mixtape. it also completely mirrors the visual timeline of Karen's psychological deterioration across the film, tracing the exact path from being stood up by an uninterested and goal driven Henry to becoming the glamorous party girl to her numb, makeup smeared breakdown at the end.
this movie has got to be one of my fucking favorites now. officially a Scorsese fan LOL..
PS: Ratatouille should have had a cameo!!!!🪤
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