One of the Greatest Gangster Epics of All Time

Rating: 10/10 (23 August 2004)

GOODFELLAS (5 outta 5 stars)
I remember thinking, when this movie came out "Oh, here goes Scorsese again... another Italian gangster movie... ho hum... small role for DeNiro... big deal." Was I ever wrong! My low expectations were completely turned upside down by this epic, sprawling masterpiece. What it has taken "The Sopranos" 4 seasons and umpteen hours to portray... "Goodfellas" gets it all done in just over 2 and 1/2. Ray Liotta portrays Henry Hill, a punk kid from a good family who gets in tight with the local mob, rising up in their ranks by robbing, killing and dealing drugs... until his inevitable fall. Terrific cast of memorable characters (a lot of whom may not have been famous at the time but are certainly more well-known now)! Rivetting storyline... practically every scene is a classic. Very funny scenes interspersed with shockingly violent brutality. Director Martin Scorsese was firing on all cylinders this time out... not a dull moment or a slack scene to be found. Robert DeNiro has probably the least interesting character to play in this movie... and look what he does with it! Amazing! Bonus points to Paul Sorvino who has his best screen role ever. Don't miss this one!