Watch this excellent mob thriller... or be whacked!!

Rating: Null/10 (5 August 2000)

Martin Scorsese delivers the ultimate gangster flick, and his argueably finest movie ever. Complete with an ensemble cast consisting of Robert DeNiro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, and Lorraine Bracco, the actors leave no stone unturned as they play their parts with a lot of heart and soul, as if it would be the big- gest roles of their lives. "Goodfellas" is a film about the 30-year exploits of a young New York kid named Henry (Liotta), who becomes infatuated with mob life when he is "adopted" by a mafia family. Soon, Henry and his two best buds Jimmy (DeNiro in his most sadistic role ever!) and Tommy (Pesci, whose delightfully evil here), paint the town red and cause chaos towards rival hoods. Henry later marries a local girl named Karen (Bracco), who seems like putty in Henry's hands, but becomes shocked when she discovers her husband's true colors with the mafia. With tension filled scenes and a gripping script which is narr- ated by the 3 leads, (a concept used in another brilliant Scor- sese flick "Casino") the viewer will feel every bit of the heat that is simmered by the cast and atmosphere. Plus, a lively soundtrack consisting of rock music and old Italian love songs make the movie more enjoyable to the viewer. The only flaws that might make the viewer cringe are the slightly grim vio- lence (check out the beginning of the movie. Whew!), and the total running time of the movie, which runs at least more than an hour and a half. But other than that, "Goodfellas" is a prime crime thriller, not to be missed!