by Eternality Tan

Goodfellas (1990)

Violent, intense, darkly comic and a tour de force experience, this is God-tier Scorsese and one of the greatest films about gangsters and organised crime ever made.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Review #2,690

Dir. Martin Scorsese
1990 | USA | Biography, Crime, Drama | 146 min | 1.78:1 | English
M18 (passed clean) for violence

Cast: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino
Plot: The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourhood gangsters at an early age and climbs the ranks of a Mafia family under the guidance of Jimmy Conway.
Awards: Won Silver Lion – Best Director (Venice); Won 1 Oscar – Best Supporting Actor & Nom. for 5 Oscars – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing
Distributor: Warner

Accessibility Index
Subject Matter:  Moderate – Organised Crime; Loyalty & Betrayal
Narrative Style: Slightly Complex
Pace: Normal
Audience Type: Slightly Mainstream

Viewed: The Projector
Spoilers: No

Taxi Driver (1976) is my favourite Martin Scorsese film, but the spellbinding Goodfellas comes in at a close second.  Although nearly 15 years have passed since I first saw it on DVD, it is a film that I feel intimately familiar with. 

Seeing it for the first time on the big screen, a tsunami of memories flooded my melting brain.  The mid-to-late 2000s had been my ‘Scorsese’ phase, when I devoured many films of his, with Goodfellas opening my eyes to the world of organised crime, far from the romanticism of, say, The Godfather (1972). 

Based on a true story, Scorsese’s work is violent and intense, full of colourful language that calls to attention its darkly comic vibe.  It is a tour de force experience, sublimely edited by Thelma Schoonmaker. 

In fact, the entire ‘paranoia’ sequence in the third act is one of cinema’s finest examples of editing for storytelling efficiency and intensity. 

Heavily but compellingly narrated, which helps us to easily get through a decades-long journey in the life of crime, Goodfellas centres on Henry Hill (Ray Liotta in his most famous role), who works his way up into the top ranks of mafia-hood, well, just short of being ‘made’. 

“As far back as I can remember I always wanted to be a gangster.”

Joining Liotta are Scorsese gangsta regulars Robert De Niro (in a more unassuming performance than usual) and Joe Pesci (in a foul-mouthed, trigger-happy Oscar-winning role; it’s hard to believe that he also starred in Home Alone in the same year), with the underrated Lorraine Bracco tagging along as Henry’s wife. 

Scorsese won Best Director at the Venice Film Festival, drawing greater attention to his muscular and stylistic approach to filmmaking—cue impressive long takes (that elite-level ‘Copacabana’ Steadicam shot) and a playlist of songs that would make even Tarantino blush. 

My favourite has got to be that instrumental coda from ‘Layla’ by Derek and the Dominos, perfectly expressing the chillout mood of mobsters getting whacked yet imbued with a tinge of curtain-closing melancholy. 

It is indeed a life of extreme ups and downs, and God-tier Scorsese is there to admirably capture it all with enthusiasm and dexterity. 

Grade: A+

Trailer:

Music:

19 Comments

  18. Unknown's avatar

    Great review once again. I had a chance to watch this movie again recently and it only confirmed my belief that it’s my favorite Scorsese movie. From central performances to clever voice-over narration, it’s an incredible gangster movie that works on nearly every level. I have seen it more times than I can count, and it only improves on each viewing. Out of curiosity, do you have a favorite Scorsese movie? I always go with my love for “Goodfellas” which remains a mobster masterpiece.

    Here’s my thoughts on the film:

    https://huilahimovie.reviews/2024/07/18/why-goodfellas-is-the-greatest-gangster-movie-ever-made/

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment