10 Greatest Ray Liotta Movies - Ranked

In the aftermath of Liotta’s passing, the majority of column inches will be devoted to his starring role in Goodfellas. And while no actor wants their reputation to be so heavily weighted towards one project, when it’s this one, you’d make an exception.

Liotta plays Henry Hill, a young up and coming mafioso, in Martin Scorsese’s pitch black, satirical masterpiece.

Liotta’s task is a tough one for many reasons. He plays one of the most unrepentant protagonists in cinema history, a man who rises through the ranks of the mob, sees every horror the lifestyle has to offer, rats on his friends, and ends the film moaning that he’s not allowed to be a gangster anymore.

It’s a turn requiring immense charisma not to be totally loathsome, and in the first half of the film his smart duds and upward mobility make him seductive. In Henry’s fall, then, Liotta turns into a sweaty, paranoid mess, coked out of his skull and sensing threats around every corner. He’s totally devoid of morals; he learns nothing, but he’s still captivating.

And he does this all acting opposite De Niro and Pesci, two true heavyweights of the screen. Goodfellas is rightly venerated as an all-time classic, but Liotta’s performance somehow still doesn’t get enough love.