4. Goodfellas (1990)

A film contained on many critics top 10 lists, Goodfellas is without a doubt my favourite gangster film and gives a truer account of the mafia life than The Godfather achieved. This isn't to say that the Godfather is a lesser film, on the contrary its a cinema classic, however Martin Scorsese's masterful work here conjures up so much more excitement for the audience.

As with most of his great films Scorsese casts Robert Deniro as one of his main characters, the two becoming more than simple muses but a true team whom through their collaborations create pure gold. Real life mobster Henry Hill's rise from childhood up through the ranks of the Italian family and his subsequent fall from grace are accounted here with style, humour and grace. It must also be said that actor Ray Liotta gives the performance of his career in the film and it's one the reasons Goodfellas dragged me in to begin with. This, along with the casting of Joe Pesci, represents an ensemble cast of lengendary actors that Scorsese is now able to create with great ease thanks to his high class reputation. It's interesting to note that, in this film and in many other classic gangster films like it, there are quite a few minor cast members present whom would later go on to be a part of the mafia television show The Sopranos.

Despite Goodfellas being almost two and a half hours long it never feels anywhere near that long due its rapid fire pace as if we skimming through images of Henry's life with his narration guiding us the whole way. It's the most entertaining film I've ever seen because of its pace and the energy of the voice over and I think any viewer would find it hard once they start watching the film to stop it at any point. It has just the right balance of dramatic and humourous moments of which there are many and once again like all Scorsese films we are not asked to sympathise with these criminals but to simply enjoy there company for the duration of the film and that we certainly do. Along the way we are given bursts of violence, drug deals, genre defining tracking shots, freeze frames and a cool soundtrack, all of which adds up to a true classic of the art form which has not only been talked about and often emulated since its release but will continue to do so for decades to come. Goodfellas almost made me wanna be a gangster, but then Scorsese's ending whacked that fantasy off the face of the earth.

Here's the classic tracking shot from Goodfellas...

6. Taxi Driver (1976)

If I had to choose one word to describe Taxi Driver it would be atmospheric, it's a film that places you firmly in a world, and what a dark world it is. The film shows the sleazy side of New York in a way that had never been acheived before on film and the first time I saw it, regretably only very recently, I was astonished to see just how unappealing New York looked when comapared to other films based in the city. Granted during the 70s New York would have been very much like this and has improved greatly over time, but it's still astonishing how director Martin Scorsese portrayed the neighborhoods in which he grew up in all their seedy glory. This succesful portrayal can be put down to down three important ingredients: the chracters, the cinematography and the soundtrack.

It's scary how real some of Taxi Driver's characters feel and it seems at times as though Scorsese simply hit the ghettos of New York and pulled the scummiest individuals he could find straight off the street and shoved them in front of a camera. We are introduced to pimps, gun dealers and child prostitutes but none are more sinister than our main character Travis Bickle, the Taxi Driver suffering from insomnia among other things. Robert Deniro gives a powerhouse performance, one of his first, as he portrays Travis' downward spiral into insanity perfectly and somehow still manages to force the audience to sympathise with his character: the very definition of an anti-hero. The cinematography is drmatically atmospheric with an array of shots giving New York that nightmarish look whether it be day or night. The shots in which Travis is driving through the night amongst the thick city smoke are some of the best and have become iconic over the years. The final key component is that of the soundtrack perfomed by master composer Bernard Hermann who was reponsible for much of Alfred Hitchcock's film music. The soundtrack for Taxi Driver is full of dark, thumping jazz style pieces that really drive the film and complement the images we are seeing whilst strengthening their impact at the same time.

I believe Martin Scorsese to be the greatest filmaker of all time and I'm sure this won't be the last entry from him amongst my top 10. Taxi Driver was one of his earlier films and whilst he would go on to make many more classics Taxi Driver will always be one of his most accomplished works. It's a true gem amongst the era of independent cinema in which filmmakers could be as bold and unpredictable as they wanted. It's a dark and daring piece of cinema that will be remembered by audiences and critcs alike for a long time.

Here's a famous scene from Taxi Driver...