Rent Goodfellas (1990)

Awful - Goodfellas review by ll

Just gratutitous violence. What plot there was was predictable- hoodlum is insulted so another body to bury. Music nothing to write home about. Beats me why this received so many awards

The Life? It Was Beautiful - Goodfellas review by griggs

As far back as I can remember, I’ve always loved this movie. Not liked—loved. Watching it again, it still hits like a gunshot in a quiet room. The music, the rhythm, the voice in your ear telling you how it really worked—that was the magic. The long walk through the Copacabana’s kitchen? That wasn’t just showing off. That was status. That was power. That was everything.

Scorsese doesn’t film scenes—he moves through them, like he’s got a guy waiting outside. Every shot has heat, swagger, a little paranoia baked in. You feel you’re in on it, right up until the moment you’re not.

Ray Liotta’s performance is full of that wide-eyed ruse. The coke years still sweat off the screen. Pesci? A pitbull with a grudge. De Niro? Ice cold.

You know the story ends badly. You know the house of cards fail. But it never stops being seductive. That’s what makes it dangerous. And unforgettable.

After watching the Sopranos... - Goodfellas review by MT

I’m supposed to write a review of Goodfellas? How about “Scorsese is a genius and this has great actors and music”? But you know that. After watching dozens of hours of the Sopranos what struck me when rewatching this was how concentrated the action is: that’s what you get when a story arc has to fit into two hours, but I kept expecting characters to sit around and do thinking. Instead we have the voiceover driving us along at a frantic pace. Just remember to keep stirring the sauce.