One of the best films ever made

Rating: 10/10 (27 May 2001)

I live in Emeryville, California (near SF, CA, which is more well known than Emeryville), and one of my favorite ways to spend a couple of hours is to head over to Everett&Jones for Ribs and watch Goodfellas. From the beginning, it draws you in to the mafia life following Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) rise from childhood dreams of being a gangster along with Jimmy Conway (Robert DeNiro), and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci in an amazing role). From the beginning, Scorsese captures the romance and logic of being a gangster. Young Henry Hill saw the beauty of it all. "It was out of respect" he says, when kids carried his mother's groceries all the way home for her. "It was better than being president", he says. And why not? Gangsters seemed immune to police, law, having to pay bills. That's the beauty that draws you in.
Pesci plays the role of a hot-tempered gangster which is Robin Hood on-target. You can tell early on that this is a man who probably got stepped on when younger, and craved the respect given to gangsters. That makes him the most volatile of the trio since he constantly wants the respect from everyone, but sometimes doesn't command it.
DeNiro is, not surprisingly, great as Jimmy Conway, but between the central role that Liotta has and the character Pesci plays, DeNiro's character doesn't really stand out. That's not to say DeNiro didn't play the character well, just that the nature of his character, IMO, wasn't meant to stick out.
The music is a wonderful complement to the story. The fluid camera shots are amazing, especially after multiple viewings. There's one in particular where it follows Henry and Karen on their first real date. It's amazing. There's also another scene where the piano exit of Layla plays in the background. It's one of my favorites in the movie.
Geez, what else can be said. Great acting by everyone. The story flows like water. The characters are drawn perfectly and have a depth. You feel the rationale of these gangsters and even find yourself siding with them. No scene is wasted.
This is easily a 10/10, and to some extent, makes me rethink some other movies that I've rated a 9 or 10. Taking from Spinal Tap, this movie should be an 11. It is on my top 5 list of favorite movies. I liked it more than The Godfather (it's close, though). I've seen it a dozen times and it loses nothing with each subsequent viewing. If anything, it gains more and more of my admiration.