Good-Not-Greatfellas

Rating: 6/10 (18 March 2020)

Another in a series of movies from my list of shame that I'm catching up on. I'd never seen this, but knew some of the famous lines, which is no surprise given the popularity and high status this movie has.
Sadly, I grew up knowing Pesci from Home Alone and Gone Fishin' and My Cousin Vinny. I never caught him in these career defining roles. The man is terrifying with the intensity he brings. De Niro I knew from Meet the Parents and Stardust, I never got to experience the powerhouse performances. Ray Liotta.. I've seen him in stuff but he never made much impression on me. Aside from the big three, everyone in this is solid, there's no bad performances bringing it down.
Sadly, I think this suffers because I've seen other gangster movies. This feels sooooo much like every other mob movie. A lower grade Godfather, a less stylish Pulp Fiction, not as epic as The Irishman, and not as The Departed, it doesn't even explore the taxing nature of these lives as well Donnie Brasco. Almost all of these follow a young man coming up in the mob, loving it at first and then suffering for it.
What Goodfellas has gong for it is a collection of exceptional moments. The overall movie may feel oddly derivative to me but there's no doubt that some scenes are exceptional. It's definitely an odd experience because I know this predates almost all of those but that's not been my experience and it definitely suffers in my eyes because of it.