'Goodfellas' or 'The Godfather'-Why do I have to choose?

Rating: 10/10 (24 September 2009)

... Loved both. Goodfellas was based on true story of Henry Hill. This film had it all. Henry Hill started as a child being enthralled with the Mafia life. His dad just a regular working stiff . Henry was seduced by the life, the money, the excitement, the risks and of course the women. Excellent acting by all. This movie , singlehandedly , brought back the organized gang movies , we all loved from the 70s. In fact, this film was a segueway to 'The Sopranos'. Lorraine Bracco of 'The Sopranos' as well as Michael Imperioli ,in a bit part ,contributed to the fine acting. Throw in the character of Morrie and a wet behind the ears Samuel L. Jackson, and this ensemble ,was even more unbelievable. Perhaps the best acted movie of the 90's. This movie really portrayed the gang life in just under 2 and half hrs. If I do have one criticism, I think the film did not truly show the ordinary parts of life , that these people have when they are with their families, as 'The Sopranos. I did not take away points because 'The Sopranos' had all the time in the world to get away with that. This film , cleverly, pointed out how even top members of organized crime are not immune from violence or even from financial failure for that matter. I liked the narration by Ray Liotta. I think that really helped educate people , as to THE LIFE and the rituals of organized crime.This movie also did an excellent job with the costumes and the film set, to bring us back to these earlier dates. Movie can be squeamish at times, but it was meant to be realistic. You really do feel that you are a part of this group.