Martin Scorsese explores the life of organized crime with his gritty, kinetic adaptation of Nicolas Pileggi's best-selling Wiseguy, the true-life account of mobster and FBI informant Henry Hill. Set to a true-to-period rock soundtrack, the story details the rise and fall of Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian New York kid who grows up idolizing the "wise guys" in his impoverished Brooklyn neighborhood. He begins hanging around the mobsters, running errands and doing odd jobs until he gains the
notice of local chieftain Paulie Cicero (Paul Sorvino), who takes him in as a surrogate son. As he reaches his teens, Hill (Ray Liotta) is inducted into the world of petty crime, where he distinguishes himself as a "stand-up guy" by choosing jail time over ratting on his accomplices. From that moment on, he is a part of the family. Along with his psychotic partner Tommy (Joe Pesci), he rises through the ranks to become Paulie's lieutenant; however, he quickly learns that, like his mentor Jimmy (Robert DeNiro), his ethnicity prevents him from ever becoming a "made guy," an actual member of the crime family. Soon he finds himself the target of both the feds and the mobsters, who feel that he has become a threat to their security with his reckless dealings. Goodfellas was rewarded with six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture; Pesci would walk away with Best Supporting Actor for his work. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi
Based on Pileggi's book, Scorsese's biopic of Henry Hill is so well-crafted, shot, and acted that it easily overcomes some of the film's shortcomings, such as its dramatic shaplessness and less than powerful ending.
A multi-generational tale of bad money, it is the defining American movie of the 1990s; Scorsese hasn't made a film half as good since its 1990 release.
Long and brutal, but Scorsese was never better at marshalling his cinematic tools to tell a story ... his definitive statement about the New York City mob.
That Martin Scorsese's brilliant GoodFellas lost the 1990 Best Picture and Best Director Oscars to Dances with Wolves is one of the all-time miscarriages of justice in the history of the Academy Awards.
One of the best mobster/crime movies of all time. Joe Pesci is phenomenal. Robert De Niro is incredible as always. Everything is meticulously detailed. Incredible movie.
The fascinating tale about the ascension and fall of an ambitious gangster, told in a brutal and realistic way by Martin Scorsese. An all-time classic, perfectly directed and edited, with many memorable moments and a remarkable performance by Joe Pesci, who steals the show.
James Conway: Yeah? You should be sorry. Don't fuckin do it again and give me the money. Give me the fuckin money, You hear me? You hear me, I gotta come here and you bust my balls? Give me the fuckin money.
Spider: [hesitating] Why don't you go fuck yourself, Tommy?
James Conway: Attaboy! I got respect for this kid. He's got a lot of fucking balls. Good for you! Don't take no shit off nobody.
James Conway: What's the fuckin' matter with you? What - what is the fuckin' matter with you? What are you, stupid or what? Tommy, Tommy, I'm kidding with you. What the fuck are you doin'? What are you, a fuckin' sick maniac?
Tommy DeVito: Good shot. What do you want from me? Good shot. Fuckin' rat anyway. His family's all rats. He'll grow up to be a rat.
Tommy DeVito: Who the fuck cares? I'll dig the fuckin' hole. I don't give a fuck. What is it, the first hole I dug? Not the first time I dug a hole. I'll fuckin' dig a hole. Where are the shovels?
Frankie Carbone: Eh, I been playin' that numba for three years.
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