Goodfellas is a Scorsese classic that was undoubtedly shafted at the 1991 Academy Awards. The movie, released in 1990 and based on the nonfiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, follows the life of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) as he moves up through the ranks of The Mob.
The film opens with Henry as a young man growing up in Brooklyn, New York. As he watches his gangster idols roaming around town in their fancy cars and eating well wherever they go, Henry decides to get involved with the criminal underworld himself. From then on we watch Henry navigate his way up through the mob hierarchy and become involved with high-stakes criminal activities such as drug dealing and racketeering.
Actor Robert De Niro gives an outstanding performance as Jimmy Conway, a seasoned veteran of The Mob who has managed to stay alive despite years of heavy criminal activity. Joe Pesci also delivers an incredible performance as Tommy DeVito, one of Jimmy’s closest associates who often gets into hot water due to his rash decisions. Another standout performance comes from Lorraine Bracco who plays Karen Hill, Henry’s wife and accomplice in several of his shady activities. All three actors deliver impressive performances that had them nominated for Oscars but sadly none won any statues at the ceremony that year.
From the opening credit sequence scored by Joe Pesci singing along to “Rags to Riches” by Tony Bennett to its famous long-take tracking shot during an attempted robbery, Goodfellas is full of iconic scenes that will remain with you after viewing it. Director Martin Scorsese uses background music to great effect such as when "Layla" by Derek & The Dominos plays while Tommy meets with some Atlantic City mobsters or when “Gimme Shelter” by The Rolling Stones follows Tommy during a montage where he obtains guns and plans revenge against people who have wronged him.
It is hard not feel cheated whenever thinking about how this movie was denied its rightful recognition at the Academy Awards but ultimately we are just grateful for being able to watch this masterpiece Anytime we please and appreciate it for what it truly is: An absorbing tale about power, loyalty, love and betrayal like no other gangster movie before or since its time.
