MovieChat Forums > The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) Discussion > Leo Channels Ray Liotta in GoodFellas He...

Leo Channels Ray Liotta in GoodFellas Here

posted 4 years ago by ecarle (14979)
8 replies | jump to latest

I've had reason to watch Scorsese's Goodfellas and Scorsese's Wolf of Wall Street close in time, recently, and this stuck out to me(maybe only me, but hell, I see it):

Leo DiCaprio in Wolf of Wall Street rather channels Ray Liotta in Goodfellas.

Its uncanny, really -- its like Leo saw Goodfellas and decided to do a Liotta impression -- same vocal rhythm, same tone of voice, same youthful tough guy swagger.

Its most notable in both films -- when the heroes have to confront angry wives.

More weirdly still: its sort of like Leo's FACE looks like Liotta's face in some shots, with the same expressions.

And of course , in both films, we have the characters walking and talking directly out of the screen, breaking the fourth wall to talk to US...and again, sounding and even looking a lot alike.

Since Leo's movie and role came second (by 23 years!) I guess I'll say that it was Leo's choice to emulate Liotta.

[–] millsey72 (10244) 3 years ago

Nope, Goodfellas has nothing to do with this film. They are 2 totally different movies

[–] thbryn (229) 3 years ago

He's not talking about the plot lines. Yes there are some similarities I'll give you that but the two characters have different concerns in their criminal activities.

[–] millsey72 (10244) 3 years ago

Are you trying to say that 1 film has more plot holes than the other?

[–] BourbonKing (5777) 3 years ago

I can see the comparisons, but he also captures a lot of mannerisms of Jordan Belfort. I think Jordan's story appeals to Scorsese's vision of a young man following a ruined path and finding some small degree of redemption in the end. As entertaining as the movie is to me I also find it flawed in its attempt to draw a morality tale while at the same time tricking the audience into rooting for Jordan, which is exactly the same trope you find in Goodfellas where we empathize with Henry's journey with the Mafia while conveniently overlooking the wretched criminal acts he commits along the way. Henry steals, cheats, and distributes illicit drugs and Jordan cheats and lies to sell blocks of over-valued shit stock for a profit both resulting in a lavish lifestyle most movie audiences can only fantasize about. In the end, they lose it all BUT they also don't die as a result or even serve decades in prison.

[–] Techto (1299) 2 years ago

The narration and breaking if the fourth wall by the antihero protagonist is definitely reminiscent of Goodfellas — so much so that it almost seems like a homage.

[–] ecarle (14979) 2 years ago

I can see the comparisons,

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And please keep in mind that beyond the characters themselves, I found Leo to be physically and vocally emulating Liotta - -and thus weirdly even seem to LOOK like him...

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but he also captures a lot of mannerisms of Jordan Belfort.

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Fair enough. I believe the real Belfort appears in the final scene. I suppose Leo could study his mannerisms and vocals. Indeed, if there are parts that are NOT very "Liotta" they are when Leo is yelling at the top of his lungs and speechifying to his crooked sales troops.

(Note in passing: rather like Nicholson and Pacino before him, Leo has made a career of having several big YELLING scenes per movie. Django Unchained, Wolf of Wall Street, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Don't Look Up -- I think its in his contract(or must be in his script) that Leo gets to YELL. Except I don't recall him yelling much dialogue in the near silent movie that won him an Oscar, The Revenant.)

CONT

[–] ecarle (14979) 2 years ago

I think Jordan's story appeals to Scorsese's vision of a young man following a ruined path and finding some small degree of redemption in the end.

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Yes, Scorsese has always been rather a "moral" filmmaker. In GoodFellas, Casino,Wolf of Wall Street, and The Departed his crooks live the high life(money, drugs/alcohol, sex) and eventually come crashing down. In GoodFellas, DeNiro orders the killing of many of his gang; in Casino, the Mafia orders the killings of many of their Vegas people. And the survivors are not nearly as rich as they started, and/or in jail.

Compare this to The Sopranos, where we didn't REALLY get to see if Tony Soprano's life ended, or ended in jail.

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As entertaining as the movie is to me I also find it flawed in its attempt to draw a morality tale while at the same time tricking the audience into rooting for Jordan, which is exactly the same trope you find in Goodfellas where we empathize with Henry's journey with the Mafia while conveniently overlooking the wretched criminal acts he commits along the way. Henry steals, cheats, and distributes illicit drugs and Jordan cheats and lies to sell blocks of over-valued shit stock for a profit both resulting in a lavish lifestyle most movie audiences can only fantasize about. In the end, they lose it all BUT they also don't die as a result or even serve decades in prison.

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I agree with all of that but "on the other hand," most everybody ELSE in those movies dies horrible deaths, and while we can take solace that Hill and Belfort "lost everything," evidently both of them came back and made money again. Which (sadly) IS the American way. If you had the talent to begin with -- crook or not -- you can do it again.

I've read of a number of real life cases where politicans have served jail time, come back "humbled," made millions again, GONE BACK TO JAIL...and started all over again. Prison is "home," freedom is "vacation from jail."

CONT

[–] ecarle (14979) 2 years ago

All this noted, we must also note that The Wolf of Wall Street, the crooks don't KILL anybody, so they are allowed breaks that many of the characters don't get in Mean Streets(I'll add that in), GoodFellas, Casino, The Departed, or The Irishman(I'll add THAT in, and THAT one really shows all the high rolling gangsters ending up as poor, diseased, broken men in prison -- plus a continuing credit count of how many of them would die violent deaths.)