In his book The Great Movies Roger Ebert writes, “critic Michael Jeck suggests that [Seven Samurai] was the first film in which a team is assembled to carry out a mission — an idea that gave birth to its direct Hollywood remake, The Magnificent Seven, as well as The Guns of Navarone, The Dirty Dozen, and countless later war, heist, and caper movies.” Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 film gather together the seven warriors of the title to protect a village that will soon be attacked by bandits. The samurai’s only payment: a bit of rice every day. It’s enough to bond the group together for the battle that lies ahead.
They say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but in the Goodfellas gang, friends and enemies are often one and the same. As far as mob movies go, Goodfellas is unquestionably one of the best. It has a level of truth, trust and friendship that you might desire for your own life — you know, minus the violence — along with a healthy dose of betrayal and a glimpse of glamour. Based on the book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, Goodfellas follows the true story of three generations of gangsters from the Lucchese crime family as they attempt to move up the chain of command, offing anyone who gets in their way. While the fellas — played by Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci — are just as likely to work together as they are to stab one another in the back, their bond also offers lasting lessons on family and friendship that we can all take to heart: “Never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut.” Of course, in the mob’s world, you’d be killed for doing otherwise, but still, Jimmy’s (DeNiro) words are really what loyalty is all about — and in a bromance, nothing is more important.
As we prepare for the Game of Thrones finale, we recognize Joffrey and nine other baddies who showed us that terrible, horrible things can come in small packages
