10 Greatest Ray Liotta Movies - Ranked

Most of Liotta’s prominent roles came in crime movies, or saw him otherwise playing dangerous figures. Field Of Dreams is an outlier in his career both in the film’s tone and his own performance, and it remains one of the best projects he’s been involved with.

The classic weepie sees Kevin Costner as a struggling farmer who is compelled by the ghost of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson to build a baseball diamond in his cornfield. Liotta excels as Jackson, a member of the Chicago White Sox accused of throwing the 1919 World Series.

It’s an unusually calm and soft performance from the often-energetic actor, and the young Liotta brilliantly caries the world weariness and regret of the infamous ball player. Indeed the story belongs to Joe almost as much as it does Costner’s Ray; the mysterious apparition is seeking absolution for himself and the spirits of his former teammates.

FIeld Of Dreams is a beautiful fantasy, a sweet tearjerker that totally earns its beautiful ending, and Liotta bolsters it by playing the supernatural story entirely straight.