Go Liotta!

Rating: 9/10 (6 September 2014)

Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and an outstanding job from Ray Liotta. "Goodfellas" has everything that says priceless, as well as adding some new values to the lifestyle. Dare I say it modernises both the look and era of the genre, to which many still consider it the best gangster flick to come out since "The Godfather" (1972). It's a bold statement, and I just don't think it's that same level of good. Still pretty fantastic regardless.
As story goes it's pretty strong. Based on the real events of gangster-turned informative Henry Hill (Played by Liotta), it tells his story of growing up in organised crime and his somewhat "initiation", that ultimately leads to him meeting Jimmy "The Gent" Conway (Robert De Niro), and loose cannon Tommy DeVito (An Oscar winning performance by Joe Pesci). From then on we as an audience grow up with Henry Hill and his ageing, his addiction to drugs, his time in prison and the meeting of his future wife. All of it portrayed as a "glamorous" lifestyle, or as a stick of dynamite with the fuse nearly out. During the 1970's, the gang commits the infamous Lufthansa Heist, and starts killing off other members from rival gangs to assure dominance. Bizarrely, they start offing their own as well to assert their power, will Henry survive?
Well again, tops to Martin Scorsese. Truly the best man you could want behind the camera for this kind of genre. Every detail in the background is crisp, and the shadows in the corners of the frame have never looked so menacing and unsafe. Broad, dark and flashy, "Goodfellas" is a great film. Luckily for us Scorsese would revisit this kind of lifestyle a few years later in "Casino" (1995), but since then nothing has felt quite like this and I can't think of a 1990's gangster film that compliments the old tropes of the genre. As piles and piles of new-age British gangster movies appear, they all deal with nothing but sex, drugs, football and money. There are no values in these movies that come off legitimate anymore.
Final Verdict: A landmark film to kick off the 1990's, "Goodfellas" is the kind of movie that just gets better with age. 9/10.