Goodfellas

What is there to say about Goodfellas? The 1990 Martin Scorsese film has been praised for over 25 years and ranks among the best films to have been nominated yet denied Best Picture. Having only heard some spoilers and details on the story, I knew very little going in and, despite its age, Goodfellas is still just as fresh and exciting as it was on release.

The story follows the life Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) from growing up in the 1950s where he is introduced to the life of organised crime to his peek during the '70s. Along the way, he is introduced to James Conway (Robert De Niro) while working up the chain with his psychotic friend, Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci). I usually avoid filling the descriptions with character names etc but these were all real people and the film is heavily based on real events that I was not expecting considering most crime/gangster films are usually fiction. Nonetheless, Scorsese expertly crafts the finely tuned film with many great and memorable moments while keeping in tune with the actual events.

Goodfellas delivers on everything we still come to expect from Scorsese and it's hard not to become hooked once the ride begins. The Wolf of Wall Street breaks the fourth wall at one stage addressing the overwhelming amount of information it sends to the audience and, unless you're familiar with the story, the fast-paced structure may seem a little jarring but not even that can get in the way of this gem. So I will keep this short and say watch Goodfellas if you haven't already!