"I'm funny how? Funny like a clown? I amuse you? I make you laugh?"

Rating: 9/10 (22 May 2016)

A contemporary classic stylishly directed by Martin Scorsese, it's among his finest two plus hours (and that's really saying something coming from the man who brought us Taxi Driver & Raging Bull!). He once again teams with Robert De Niro to bring this amazing tale of New York City's organized crime syndicate in the late 70's to life. The supporting cast includes Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco and Joe Pesci (in the scene-stealing performance that won him the Oscar). The use of the oldies pop/rock soundtrack has often been imitated but never duplicated (though Pulp Fiction would be a comparable comparison). Scorsese's dramatization of Henry Hill's life as a gangster shows us the seduction, the allure and ultimately the sickness and fatalistic consequences of living the life as a somebody in a world of nobodies.
Though Goodfellas is categorized as an action movie and does contain the requisite number of fights, explosions, etc. it's actually much more finely nuanced and psychologically complex than what you'd normally expect from this genre. Joe Pesci delivers an equally powerful performance as sociopath Tommy DeVito. Tommy is so remorseless that he casually discusses cooking while burying one of the unfortunate victims of his lightning-quick temper. It's Tommy's non-chalant that makes him so frightening.
Overall rating: 9 out of 10.