Goodfellas-1990

Director Martin Scorsese

Starring Ray Liotta

Top 250 Films #46

Scott’s Review #349

Reviewed January 9, 2016

Grade: A

Director Martin Scorsese adapts Goodfellas, a crime-mob film, from Nicholas Pileggi’s 1986 nonfiction book. Pileggi helped Scorsese write the screenplay.

The film tells the story more matter-of-factly than the purely dramatic The Godfather, with added wit, humor, and excellent editing.

Featuring powerful performances by Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci, it is a memorable classic mob film that rewards repeat viewings.

Largely ad-libbed, the film is rich in sharp dialogue and features one of the highest counts of curse words in film history.

The film is told from the first-person narrative of the lead character, Henry Hill.

Henry, now in the Witness Protection Program, recounts his years affiliated with the mob from 1955 to 1980.

We meet Henry as a youngster in Brooklyn, New York. He is half-Italian, half-Sicilian. He idolizes the “wise guys” on the streets and intends to join their ranks one day.

From there, the film describes the trials and tribulations of Henry’s group of miscreants.

Henry meets and falls in love with Karen (Lorraine Bracco), and the film explores their tumultuous love story through tender moments and affairs.

What I love most about Goodfellas is the characters’ love and the sense that you are part of the action.

The film is a highly stylized family drama, gritty nonetheless, but the viewer feels like part of it, like a family member; milestones are celebrated, and meals are shared.

We see Henry grow from a gullible teenage boy who idolizes the neighborhood men to a member of the group.

The other characters, such as the vicious and volatile Tommy DeVito (Pesci) and Jimmy “The Gent” Conway (De Niro), are older and more mature.

Bracco’s character is interesting. Unlike most female characters in The Godfather films, she isn’t content to sit on the sidelines and look past her husband’s shenanigans and torrid affairs with floozies.

She is a more modern, determined woman, and Bracco plays her with intelligence and a calm demeanor. She wants to be Henry’s equal, not just some trophy wife.

Pesci deservedly won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role; he is brutal and filthy, but a mesmerizing character.

During a memorable scene, his character, Tommy, jokingly teases Henry, but when Henry responds in a way that displeases him, the scene grows tense, and Tommy becomes increasingly disturbing.

His famous line “What am I, a clown- do I amuse you?” is both clever and haunting in its repercussions.

I adore the soundtrack Scorsese chose for the film—spanning decades, he selects songs true to their times, such as “Layla” (1970) and “Remember (Walking in the Sand)” (1964), which are just perfect.

Worth noting is that when a scene plays, the song sometimes mixes into the narrative to enhance the scene—becoming a part of it rather than simply background music.

If you’re looking for the perfect mob film, one with music, wit, charm, and fantastic writing, Goodfellas is among the best.

I prefer The Godfather and The Godfather II, but while Goodfellas shares similarities with them, it is also completely different and stands on its own merits.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Director-Martin Scorsese, Best Supporting Actor-Joe Pesci (won), Best Supporting Actress-Lorraine Bracco, Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Best Film Editing

Golden Globe Nominations: Best Picture- Drama, Best Director-Martin Scorsese, Best Supporting Actor-Joe Pesci, Best Supporting Actress-Lorraine Bracco, Best Screenplay