Goodfellas will forever be a Martin Scorsese classic. It touches all of the bases: good music, guns, colorful suits, and Robert De Niro. Having seen the movie many times, every time I watch it, I learn something new about it.
The movie starts off so strongly with the scene with Henry Hill, played by Ray Liotta, narrating the first freeze frame of the movie. This is followed by “Rags to Riches,” by Tony Bennett. We flashback to when Henry was younger and how he got involved with the mafia. It is an amazing example of a rise and fall story. It takes us through his entire life in the mafia and introduces us to everyone who comes into his life because of him.
Everything about the lifestyle that they live in this movie is lavish. For example, when Henry was a kid, he talked about how great the mafia life looked and how they could do whatever they wanted, like park in front of the hydrant. He liked that no one could tell them what to do and they got to eat and party while every other “Joe Shmoe” went to work their lousy jobs, showing the hierarchy of the mafia and how made men are made men. Henry Hill was never a made man because he was not completely Italian.
There are a lot of fantastic scenes in the movie, especially when the camera is panning through the restaurant while Henry is introducing everyone through narration. In addition, the scene of Robert De Niro smoking at the bar with the camera panning in on him while “Sunshine of Your Love” is playing will never be matched.
That leads us into the movie’s music. This movie has a fantastic soundtrack that starts with 50’s pop and eventually leads us into 70’s rock. All of the music has its place in the movie. The 50’s do-wop pop plays when it is supposed to and the rock plays when appropriate. In fact, this film is what got me into a lot older music.
All of the actors in this movie are exceptional. Ray Liotta made a perfect Henry Hill and played the role very well. Robert De Niro was Jimmy, who he played very well. He was the perfect mobster. Joe Pesci was fantastic as well, as he was the perfect Tommy. He had some great quotes and was crazy as usual. These were the most notable three, but every person in this movie feels so real.
The costumes that they wore were great, too. Ray Liotta and Robert De Niro always have their crazy-yet-cool suits. These actors are so commonly seen in suits like this that when you think about them, it just immediately coordinates with cool suits.
The movie makes you want to be one of them. No one will make you want to be a criminal like this movie does. It makes you want to be there to experience it.
I recommend this movie all of the time, and it is definitely my favorite movie for many reasons. It is currently available on Netflix, but it bounces around streaming services. You should go out and watch this movie immediately.