Oh Martin Scorsese, you sure know how to make a fantastic movie. Based on a true story, Goodfellas tells the story of Henry Hill, played by Ray Liotta, and his rise and fall in the New York mafia. Although Liotta is at the center of the story, the characters to really watch in this film are Jimmy Conway(Robert De Niro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci). The movie starts out with a killing and it gets bloodier as the movie goes on. Scorsese’s style of pausing the action to explain what’s going on is absolutely perfect for this film. Also, the vertigo shot he uses when Henry and Jimmy are talking is mesmerizing.
If you haven’t read my bio, my favorite actor of all time is Robert De Niro and Scorsese is one of my favorite directors, so this film is definitely one of my favorites. Joe Pesci is absolutely insane as Tommy; he’s perfect. It’s no wonder that he won the Oscar for best supporting actor. It’s incredible how he can kill so many people and keep everything light and airy. Insane.
I also love how Scorsese emphasizes the family aspect of the mafia. Everyone is in it together and they support each other. However, if you make one mistake, you’re out for good. How the tables turn on Henry is absolutely mesmerizing. The one thing I didn’t like about this movie is the yelling that goes on between Henry and his wife Karen(Lorraine Bracco). That made me sad. Otherwise the film is superb. It definitely deserves its place on the list.
