Right from the opening scene, it was clear that Goodfellas was going to be something special. What follows is a 150 minute masterclass in film-making that delivers a brutal and often hilarious look at the life and times of Henry Hill. Everything about the movie is on point; the writing, directing, editing and acting are all consistently brilliant and result in one of the undoubted high points of Martin Scorsese's distinguished career. Being a gangster movie with a narrative that spans decades from a celebrated director, Goodfellas left itself open to comparison to The Godfather. However, instead of the deliberate pace and measured direction of Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece, Scorsese brings an abundance of style and ingenuity to the proceedings; freeze frames, voice-overs, crash zooms, montages and one of the greatest tracking shots in history are all utilized with supreme confidence, while the script features violence and black humor in almost equal measure. Although Joe Pesci deservedly won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his memorable turn as Tommy, Ray Liotta and Robert De Niro are just as good in their more grounded performances. The movie was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay but inexplicably lost out on all four to Dances With Wolves. A visceral, inventive and wildly entertaining movie, Goodfellas surely made a lot of people want to be a gangster.
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