Director: Martin Scorsese
Writers: Martin Scorsese (screenplay), Nicholas Pileggi (book & screenplay)
Stars: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Lorraine Bracco, Joe Pesci

This review is part of the feature:

The 33 Gangster Films You Can’t Refuse

One time during my high school days, I convinced a teacher who liked me to view GoodFellas in class, and so I could see my favorite movie of all time through the eyes of my ‘virgin’ classmates.

I remember their baffled reactions to the bloody opening scene, their laughter at almost everything Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) said and did, and their unease at seeing Henry and Karen Hill crying in each other’s arms in desperation towards the end.

GoodFellas is my favorite movie of all time, but for this ultimate gangster movie ranking, it shares the throne with The Godfather. The reason is obvious; both movies are monumental gangster epics. The Godfather is by far the greatest film ever about the top level of the Mafia, and when it comes to the life of the street level wiseguy, GoodFellas is the essential picture.

Like the protagonist Henry Hill gets sucked into the seductive life of a mobster at a young age, so we, the audience, get sucked into this movie. And just like Henry, at first we find the lifestyle to appear exciting and glamorous, only to discover its ugly true nature half way through. From that point on, it all goes downHILL…

Scorsese employs a variety of cinematic techniques to keep us at the edge of our seats throughout Henry’s journey through 30 years of crime in New York City. The first part of the movie is shot like a movie trailer with tremendous energy with Henry in voiceover describing the events from his wiseguy perspective (“business bad? Fuck you pay me!”) and the frantic editing and swooping cinematography brings the audience into the rush of the mobster life.

Later, we also get the wiseguy’s wife’s perspective through the voiceover of Karen Hill and this really completes the picture of what that lifestyle is all about. The murder of made guy Billy Batts then marks the turning point after which the wiseguys’ demise gradually draws closer. The movie slows down a little bit and we get to witness a number of pivotal moments of Hill’s life that are not so glamorous, like Spider’s murder and Karen almost shooting him in the face for cheating on her.

After a lengthy period in prison, it follows the Lufthansa heist, one more incredible highlight for a mob crew that loves nothing more than taking down big scores. Then, during the final part of the film, the pace picks up again as we join Henry on a day filled with cocaine, paranoia and police helicopters.

Like The Godfather, the movie is chock full of unforgettable moments that are forever recorded in the cinematic consciousness. At the end of Hill’s downfall, when he is reduced to the status of ordinary ‘schnook’ citizen, Scorsese cleverly throws in a reference shot to The Great Train Robbery. Although it usually leads to an inglorious death, the life of the American, gun-slinging outlaw remains forever alluring.