 From Nicholas Pileggi's true-life bestseller Wiseguy, GoodFellas explores the criminal life like no other movie. Directed and co-written by Martin Scorsese, it was judged 1990's Best Picture by the New York, Los Angeles and National Society of Film Critics and named to the American Film Institute's Top-100 American Film List. Electrifying performances abound, and from a standout cast that includes Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco and Paul Sorvino. Joe Pesci walked off with the Best Supporting Actor Academy AwardŽ. It "bristles with passion, wit and style" and endures as "an American classic" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone). Storyline: Henry Hill is a small time gangster, who takes part in a robbery with Jimmy Conway and Tommy De Vito, two other gangsters who have set their sights a bit higher. His two partners kill off everyone else involved in the robbery, and slowly start to climb up through the hierarchy of the Mob. Henry, however, is badly affected by his partners success, but will he stoop low enough to bring about the downfall of Jimmy and Tommy? Written by Colin Tinto Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Greg Maltz on October 16, 2007 -- "As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a gangster." So begins Henry Hill's (Ray Liotta) narrative stream that winds through Martin Scorcese's mafia character study, GoodFellas. The gangster classic is based on a true story that follows Hill from his childhood initiation into an Italian-American crime family through his involvement in heists and stints in prison to his drug trafficking enterprise. As Hill's life and relationships spiral out of control, he must face a choice between death at the hands of his gangster cohorts or turning state's evidence in the witness protection program. Through an unflinching, analytical lens, Scorcese uses a palate of colorful characters to paint a landscape of violence, humor, honor and betrayal. And like few other films, we are given a front row seat to see what life may be like in a Brooklyn crime organization...made all the more real by its 1080p video resolution. GoodFellas features Robert de Niro as Irish-American gangster Jimmy "the Gent" Conway and Joe Pesci as the hotheaded Tommy DeVito who seems to operate at the whim of various psychopathic disorders. DeVito is the pointman for the film's most visceral violence as well as it's punchiest humor. And Scorcese is a master of playing off one against the other. Watch the legendary "what's so funny about me" scene, which uses a humorous anecdote to launch into a tension-building dialogue that resolves in comic relief only to erupt moments later in brutality. "I'm beginning to wonder about you, Henry. You might break under questioning," DeVito jokes during the scene in a classic moment, foreshadowing the plot twists later. With legendary costars to support him, Liotta's portrayal of Hill is the least accessible of the main characters. His narration is somewhat unconvincing, as his voiceover sometimes sounds more like a California pseudointellectual than a Brooklyn gangster. De Niro and Pesci are far more convincing in their roles and the way they deliver their characters' emotion and intrigue catapults them into magical presence in the film. They are both more exciting to watch than Liotta's Henry Hill. Still, the dynamics of the characters are easy to accept and Liotta's performance and narration are strong enough to make the film work very well. In fact, Liotta and Lorraine Bracco, playing Karen Hill, have great screen chemistry together, and the way Scorcese captures the developments of their complicated relationship is nothing short of incredible. It provides depth and breadth to the story, taking it far beyond the normal gangster fare and into the realm of the greatest mafia classics of all time--along with the epic Godfather I and II. But where Francis Ford Coppela presents a more romanticized vision of mob life in an earlier era, and a more stark representation of a mob boss' broken marriage, Scorcese captures the poetry of the streets and Hill's deception of his wife in a gritty realism. Scorcese once said that good films help us learn something about ourselves, and in GoodFellas, the lessons are there for us all to ponder: loyalty, honor, deceit, strength and weakness. The writing, acting, cinematography and direction that went into GoodFellas are unique in the history of film. While not a flawless movie, many moments in GoodFellas transcend not only the crime genre, but the art of motion pictures itself. For example, film appreciation classes on every level study Scorcese's unprecedented shot following Liotta and Bracco as they are ushered in an alternate entrance of the Copacabana, through a hallway in the back of the club, the kitchen and out into the dining area where waiters set up a table for the couple in front of the stage. The video quality and increased resolution make the Blu-ray a must-have and an easy recommendation, even for those who are satisfied with the DVD. You have not watched Goodfellas until you watch it in 1080p. Cast Notes: Robert De Niro (James Conway), Ray Liotta (Henry Hill), Joe Pesci (Tommy DeVito), Lorraine Bracco (Karen Hill), Paul Sorvino (Paul Cicero), Frank Sivero (Frankie Carbone), Tony Darrow (Sonny Bunz), Mike Starr (Frenchy), Frank Vincent (Billy Batts), Chuck Low (Morris Kessler), Frank DiLeo (Tuddy Cicero), Henny Youngman (Himself), Gina Mastrogiacomo (Janice Rossi), Catherine Scorsese (Tommy's Mother), Charles Scorsese (Vinnie). IMDb Rating (03/22/15): 8.7/10 from 609,819 users Top 250: #17 IMDb Rating (07/24/14): 8.7/10 from 541,113 users Top 250: #17 IMDb Rating (12/26/11): 8.8/10 from 301,482 users Top 250: #16
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