Gangster films come no better than this

Rating: Null/10 (11 October 2004)

This film is an absolute masterpiece and a MUST see not only for anyone who enjoys gangster films, or even thrillers in a broad sense, but anyone interested in film as an art form, or film making techniques.
I say as much because I can't think of an equivalent film with better sets, or tighter, more enthralling editing. The actors are superb although De Niro's part is not much more than a cameo and Pesci was identical in Casino (to the point where you wondered why they didn't just use outtakes from Goodfellas for that film, or maybe they did ...!)
It tells the story of a gangster, Henry Hill (based on a true story, apparently pretty closely too), from his childhood introduction to the mob through to his predictably messy ending (I won't add plot spoilers). On every level the director is on top form. It may not be original (Coppola, de Palma and indeed Scorcese himself have been there before), but if the first duty of a film is to entertain, this gets 10/10.