MovieChat Forums > The Valachi Papers (1972) Discussion > Is it just me or is this an awful lot li...

Is it just me or is this an awful lot like Goodfellas?


I mean, no argument on which film is better between the two, but I did notice a great deal of similarities in the two stories and even some of the scenes (starting as a low end criminal and slowly climbing the ranks, hijacking a truck, getting busted and turning informant) . Scorcese is definitely more of a visionary than Terence Young but it felt like he may have lifted a few tricks from Valachi here...

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They're both based on true lives of New York Mafia guys both active in the '50s and '60s, so of course there are going to be common elements. All those guys start as low end criminals and aim to climb the ranks. A lot of them hijacked trucks, and a lot of them got busted and turned State's. These are hardly things that are exclusive to these two films. Are they the only Mob films you've ever seen, or something?

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I doubt a film made in 1972 is going to be a lot like a film made in 1990!


Its that man again!!

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Touchy, aren't we.

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Not like Goodfella's at all IMO, NY mafia theme notwithstanding.

Goddfella's is a stylish well-done film. Gripping. Valachi papers: not so much. Corny.

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Also, this movie is full of errors:

*The Gap was killed because of a deal gone wrong, not for messing around with Genovese's wife.

*Ryan didn't, and wasn't, as hectoring and opinionated about Valachi as seen in this movie (the FBI has no right to be so high and mighty, especially since it never really went after the Mafia like it was supposed to. Also, it's dirty work -COINTELPRO and all of the other stuff done in the name of 'keeping America safe' -isn't any better than what the Mafia does, and did.)

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No similarities at all except the obvious, both based on true stories of east coast mafia.

Good fellas is different because it starts with a kid from a typical working class catholic family in Brooklyn and how he becomes attracted to and immersed in the mob. The story is told quickly but very succinct and to the point.

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[deleted]

Ignore the naysayers. I was thinking Goodfellas not long into this movie, mostly because of its biographical /chronological structure, which is a common structure however. In fact, its extremely close in format to Scorsese's later movie, only the dates were moved forward about 15 years to include more dates in the 60s and 70s, while Valachi Papers covered more in the 20s to 50s.

Henry Hill mirrored Valachi's character in that he was a likeable only semi-important, non-vicious guy the audience could identify with, and he brought the audience in as a witness to the horrid world of mob life without making the audience hate him. Eventually, he does what no hero is supposed to do, he becomse a rat to save himself, again identifying with most audiences.

It seems impossible that Scorsese didn't know this film, and therefore certain he was influenced by, and intended to update it. He may have even thought the flim didnt do the topic justice. It's a good film with some rough edges and not the greatest film stock, although the cheapness lends verite, as well as it being shot in a scuzzy 1974 NYC, which was a lot closer to the period look than ever since.

Scorsese's a great enough director it really doesn't matter. Gangs of New York is such an incredible, and wholly original film that he gets a pass on any imitation he partook in earlier, but I think its pretty obvious this was absolutely an influence, if not outright template for Goodfellas, although the stories are definde by real events, so that's part of the similarity as well. Still, the character and his trajectory is very similar.

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Nothing at all like Goddfellas. Valachi was a made man who actually had contact & actually knew more than Boss (Luciano, Genovese, Bonanno & Marranzano) while Hill was under the protection of a Capo but that was it. Hill could never be made & never had any doings with a Boss, let alone several, let alone ones as important as the ones that Valachi knew & had dealings with.

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Thank you....Hill was a real second rater who never would have met the hierarchy....

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Yeah I guess it's kind of similar.

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