Made Men - by Glenn Kenny (Hardcover)

About the Book

Celebrating 30 years since the premiere of Martin Scorsese's signature film, this chronicle of the making and afterlife of the film that introduced America to the real modern gangster features interviews with the film's major players.

Book Synopsis

A Library Journal Best Book of the Year

A Sight and Sound Best Film Book Of 2020

For the thirtieth anniversary of its premiere comes the vivid and immersive history behind Martin Scorsese's signature film Goodfellas, hailed by critics as the greatest mob movie ever made.

When Goodfellas first hit the theatres in 1990, a classic was born. Few could anticipate the unparalleled influence it would have on pop culture, one that would inspire future filmmakers and redefine the gangster picture as we know it today. From the rush of grotesque violence in the opening scene to the iconic hilarity of Joe Pesci's endlessly quoted "Funny how?" shtick, it's little wonder the film is widely regarded as a mainstay in contemporary cinema.

In the first ever behind-the-scenes story of Goodfellas, film critic Glenn Kenny chronicles the making and afterlife of the film that introduced America to the real modern gangster--brutal, ruthless, yet darkly appealing, the villain we can't get enough of. Featuring interviews with the film's major players, including Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, Made Men shines a light on the lives and stories wrapped up in the Goodfellas universe, and why its enduring legacy is still essential to charting the trajectory of American culture thirty years later.

Review Quotes

"Made Men is obsessive, free-associative and exuberantly geeky. I mean that in a good way; it's everything a hard-core fan might want." -New York Times Book Review

"It's everybody's favorite Mafia movie, and doubtless its many partisans will crack open this book the next time they watch the film." -Wall Street Journal

"Invaluable." --Rolling Stone

"A fascinating biography of a wonderful film. A++." -Manhattan Book Review

"Fascinating... oh so worth your time." -Esquire

"This is film writing with enthusiasm and purpose... Kenny traces the genesis, production, themes, and legacy of Goodfellas with the exactitude of a scholar and excitement of a true Martin Scorsese acolyte." -The Globe and Mail

"With its vivid re-creations of real-world underworld mythology and icons, Made Men makes for fleet, entertaining reading." -The Nation

"No one else has seen this magnificent, agonizing, unmooring movie with such piercing clarity." -Slant

"Riveting and revealing... One book that is sure to be on every film lover's bookshelves this fall." -The Film Stage

"Meticulously researched and masterfully written... Filmmaking is a collaborative art, and Glenn Kenny leaves no artistic stone unturned when he analyzes the contributions made by dozens of people behind, and in front of, the camera." -WRBL

"Beyond the fresh scholarship it offers, Made Men also happens to be the sort of enjoyable read that any fan of the movie will want to own... it's one of those books you can't believe hasn't been written already. Let's just be grateful it finally has." -Sight and Sound

"Reading it is like watching the movie again while sitting next to the smartest person you know." -WBUR

"[Glenn Kenny's] book dives into everything from the business dealings and camera shots to the recipes for the meals Henry cooks and the soundtrack." -Orange County Register

"I'm blown away at the level of detail in Kenny's writing... If you're a fan of Goodfellas, or filmmaking in general, I can't recommend Kenny's book enough." -The Times Georgian

"We saw Goodfellas the night it opened, in a packed theater, when we were in our early twenties. No doubt it changed the direction of our lives. This is the first book we've read that explains how and why the movie has such a deep and lasting impact. Glenn Kenny is a scholar and a writer, and every bit the literary hit man that Tommy DiSimone was in real life."
--Brian Koppelman and David Levien, Screenwriters ("Rounders, Ocean's 13"), co-creators of "Billions"

"What an incredibly cool and rewarding piece of work. Smart, funny, perceptive, and replete with fascinating trivia (during the legendary one-take tracking shot in the Copa, Henry and Karen travel in a circle), Made Men effectively rebuilds in prose the greatest gangster film ever made. Anyone who cares at all about the movies needs to read this. Glenn Kenny, salud."--Tom Bissell, author of Creative Types and coauthor of The Disaster Artist

"Insightful, gregarious, and encompassing, Made Men is not just the essential book on the making of Goodfellas, but also a wonderful mini-course in film and filmmaking. What a pleasure it is to go to the movies with Glenn Kenny!" - Owen King, author of Double Feature

"Glenn Kenny's critical acumen and eye for revealing detail is in effervescent display on every page of Made Men, a book not just for Scorsese fans but for everyone who loves the lore of the movies as much as the films themselves." --Michelle Dean, author of Sharp

"Impeccably researched, fluently written, and infused with insight, wit and mastery, Made Men is exactly what you want from a making-of-your-favorite-movie book. From mob stories to the nuts-and-bolts business of crafting a masterpiece, it's all here. You'd have to be a real schnook not to read it."--Shawn Levy, author of De Niro: A Life, Rat Pack Confidential, and The Castle on Sunset

"Glenn Kenny's Made Men is that rare book that's as mesmerizing as the film it profiles." -Library Journal, starred review

"Devoted fans will adore this." -Publishers Weekly

"Film critic and journalist Kenny knocks one out of the park with this thorough, well-documented, sharply written book about the 1990 Martin Scorsese film Goodfellas... A wonderful analysis of, and tribute to, a classic film." -Booklist