10 Best Crime Films Of All Time

By Sam Heard /

2. Goodfellas (1990)

The Crime? We are the invisible witnesses to an untold number of crimes in Martin Scorsese exquisite mob-flick. The action follows Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) as he graduates from being the errand boy for local mobsters to becoming a bona fide Goodfella, or gangster. As he climbs the ranks he begins to associate with more and more deranged members of the mob €“ most notably Jimmy (Robert DeNiro) and Tommy (Joe Pesci). Dealing with these new-age gangsters who have no regard for the more honourable traditions of old quickly progresses into a life of drugs which will be Henry€™s undoing. Why Is It Great? From Joe Pesci€™s legendary show-stealing performance to the undeniable style dripping from each and every scene, Scorsese€™s mob classic is without question one of the entertaining crime films on this list and very nearly the best crime film ever. Scorsese showed just how powerful a film could be in getting its audience to sympathise with an obviously immoral protagonist €“ by the end many find themselves hopelessly yelling at Henry to get out while he can. Though he would try and re-climb these lofty heights with Casino 5-years later, Goodfellas was as good as it gets for Marty's portrayal of mobsters.