10 Best Opening Scenes In Martin Scorsese Films

In 1990, cinema’s embrace of the American gangster had seemingly settled down. The glory days of Cagney and noir had long gone, The Godfather series had come to a halt, and Sergio Leone’s much anticipated Once Upon a Time America (1984) had struggled both critically and commercially. Whilst a third Godfather film would be released in '90, it would be Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas that would ultimately revitalise the gangster genre.

Regarded as not only one of the greatest gangster films ever, but as one of the greatest movies of all time, period, Goodfellas was a career-defining picture for Scorsese.

Driving in a car, Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) and his associates hear something, before then swiftly realising what it could only be.

They pull over and open the trunk, where a barely alive Billy Batts is brutally put out of his misery.

Following the execution, Hill says the now iconic line, “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster” - as Tony Bennett’s Rags to Riches transitions the film into the opening credits.

A brutal introduction and an all-time great quotable line, the opening Goodfellas scene is one of best in cinema history.