Ultimate Gangster Collection — Contemporary Mean Streets The Untouchables Goodfellas Heat The Departed Due Out: May 21, 2013
The "Ultimate Gangster Collection: Classics" and “Ultimate Gangster Collection: Contemporary” are available on Blu-ray 5/21
WHO'S IT FOR?
My wife hasn't seen Mean Streets, The Untouchables, Goodfellas or Heat. So while I would normally say this is the perfect gift for guys on Father's Day, it's really perfect for my wife. These are movies that must be seen by every adult. Not only to they showcase how the ugly side of society has evolved, but it's also the evolution of gangster crime. Every one of these films is brilliant, and yes, I'm including The Departed. Jack Nicholson's performance has someone gotten a bad rap. I'm convinced if it wasn't for Martin Scorsese zooming in on the rat at the very end, everyone would still worship this film.
I love this collection of films. If you don't have them yet on Blu-ray, this is the perfect package. The only decisions you have to make are if you purchase Ultimate Gangster Collection: Classics, Ultimate Gangster Collection: Contemporary or both.
MOVIES: (information courtesy of Warner Home Video)
Mean Streets (1973) In the film considered one of his early accomplishments, Scorsese teams with Robert De Niro for the first time in this tale of young toughs in New York’s Little Italy. De Niro won the National Society of Film Critics’ Best Supporting Actor award for his role. Fans will appreciate what Leonard Maltin calls a “technically dazzling film which put Scorsese on the map deservedly so.” Mean Streets also stars Harvey Keitel, David Proval, Richard Romanus, Robert Carradine and David Carradine.
Special Features: Commentary by Martin Scorsese Back on the Block – Vintage Featurettes Theatrical trailer
The Untouchables (1987) Brian De Palma's The Untouchables is a must-see masterpiece -- a glorious, fierce, larger-than-life depiction of the mob warlord who ruled Prohibition-era Chicago...and the law enforcer who vowed to bring him down. This classic confrontation between good and evil stars Kevin Costner as federal agent Eliot Ness, Robert De Niro as Al Capone and Sean Connery as Malone, the cop who teaches Ness how to beat the mob.
Special Features: The Script, The Cast Production Stories Reinventing The Genre The Classic Original featurette: The Men Theatrical trailer HD
GoodFellas (1990) Based on the true-life best-seller “Wiseguy” by Nicholas Pileggi and backed by a dynamic pop/rock oldies soundtrack, GoodFellas was hailed as “the best mob movie ever” by Roger Ebert. The film earned six Academy Award® nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director and was named 1990’s Best Film by the New York, Los Angeles and National Society of Film Critics. Scorsese was also awarded the Silver Lion Award in Venice. Robert De Niro received wide recognition for his performance as veteran criminal Jimmy “The Gent” Conway; and Joe Pesci, as the volatile Tommy DeVito, walked off with the Best Supporting Actor Oscar®. Academy Award® nominees Lorraine Bracco, Ray Liotta and Paul Sorvino also turned in outstanding performances. GoodFellas explores the criminal life like no other movie.
Special Features: Two Commentaries: Cast and Crew Cop and Crook with Henry Hill and Former FBI Agent Edward McDonald Featurettes: Getting Made Made Men: The GoodFellas Legacy The Workaday Gangster Paper Is Cheaper Than Film: Storyboard-to-Screen Comparisons
Heat (1995) Written, directed and produced by Michael Mann (Collateral, Ali, The Insider), this tale of big city crime and obsession marks the first time that actors Al Pacino and Robert De Niro starred together on the big screen. Heat also features Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Val Kilmer, Ashley Judd, Amy Brenneman and Natalie Portman.
Neil McCauley (DeNiro) is an expert thief who has assembled a top-notch team of criminals whose latest string of heists has even impressed detective Vincent Hanna (Pacino). As Hanna becomes obsessed with bringing McCauley down and McCauley's crew prepares for the score of a lifetime, the two find that they are facing the toughest challenges of their careers -- on opposite sides of the law.
Special Features: · Commentary by writer/director Michael Mann · 11 additional scenes · Five making-of documentaries featuring the cast and crew o Return to the Scene of the Crime o Pacino and De Niro: The Conversation o The Making of Heat: True Crime o The Making of Heat: Crime Stories The Making of Heat: Into the Fire
The Departed (2006) Set in South Boston, The Departed follows the lives of two state police officers and their all-out war to end the reign of the city’s most powerful mob boss. As they work to infiltrate and gain the trust of the city’s top organized crime ring, it becomes clear to both sides there is a mole in their midst, and now it’s a race to uncover his identity.
Special Features: Stranger Than Fiction: The True Story of Whitey Bulger, Southie, and The Departed - Gritty documentary about the history of the South Boston Mob and its nefarious relationship with the FBI Crossing Criminal Cultures - We uncover what draws Martin Scorsese to the world of mobsters Nine Deleted Scenes with introductions by Martin Scorsese
MOVIES SCORE: 10/10