Goodfellas (Blu-ray) (1990)

"...an incredible, relentless experience about the singleminded pursuit of crime.  Desson Howe, Washington Post
"The story, which spans a quarter of a century, has an epic feel despite its intimate perspective.   James Berardinelli's ReelViews
"The best mob movie ever.  Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Editor's Note Based on Nicholas Pileggi's book WISEGUY, Martin Scorsese's GOODFELLAS is a wry, violent, and exhilarating film about the life of Henry Hill, an aspiring criminal who ends up in the FBI's witness protection program after testifying against his former partners. As a poor Irish-Italian growing up in 1950s New York City, Hill (Ray Liotta) rises through the ranks of his Brooklyn neighborhood's organized crime branch, and with money from the mob he begins living the good life, complete with a beautiful bride, Karen (Lorraine Bracco), a fancy house, and the best seats at the most exclusive restaurants. A botched robbery lands Henry in prison for a brief period of time, and when he gets released, his reckless infidelities and drug abuse damage his association with his adopted family. Scorsese's film is a visual and sonic onslaught, featuring a brilliant pop-music soundtrack and stunning camera work--including the infamous Steadicam one-take that introduces the audience to the Copacabana's patrons. He uses the songs to infuse a breathtaking, invigorating rhythm into every scene. As the psychopathic Tommy DeVito, Joe Pesci delivers an unforgettable performance that is alarming in its cold-blooded callousness, helping to cement GOODFELLAS' place as a classic portrait of life in the mob.

	Illeana Douglas
	Joe Pesci
	Lorraine Bracco
	Michael Imperioli
	Paul Sorvino
	Ray Liotta
	Robert De Niro
	Samuel L. Jackson
	Barbara De Fina - Executive Producer
	Irwin Winkler - Producer
	James Y. Kwei - Editor
	Maher Ahmad - Art Director
	Martin Scorsese - Screenplay
	Martin Scorsese - Director
	Michael Ballhaus - Cinematographer
	Nicholas Pileggi - Based On Novel By
	Nicholas Pileggi - Screenplay
	Thelma Schoonmaker - Editor

Martin Scorsese's classic crime drama follows Henry Hill from his beginnings as a petty criminal to his inclusion into one of the world's most ruthless mobs. Featuring a nostalgic soundtrack and inventive camera work, GOODFELLAS throbs with an obscene amount of electricity. Ray Liotta and Robert De Niro bring Scorsese and Pileggi's script to life with great fervor, but it is Joe Pesci who steals the show with his portrayal of Tommy DeVito, a psychopathic gangster who is terrifyingly short-tempered. Simply put, GOODFELLAS is one of the most striking crime films ever made.

"All my life, I've always wanted to be a gangster."----Henry Hill (Ray Liotta)

"I gotta admit the truth----it turned me on."----Karen Hill (Lorraine Bracco)

"Whaddaya mean I'm funny?...Funny how? I mean, funny like a clown? I amuse you?"----Tommy (Joe Pesci) to Henry Hill

Total Film
"...Packed with solid-gold dialogue, tight performances and way too many classic scenes to list here..." -- 5 out of 5 Stars 06/01/2000 p.106

Rolling Stone
"...GOODFELLAS makes poetic drama of warped ambitions. It's a prodigious achievement..." 10/04/1990 p.47

USA Today
"...Awesome GOODFELLAS is a punk movie, both in subject matter and attitude..." -- 4 out of 4 stars 09/19/1990 p.1D

New York Times
"...Breathless and brilliant....GOODFELLAS is memorable for the ensemble nature of the performances..." 09/19/1990 p.C11

Film Comment
"...Filmed like a rainbow-hued thunderbolt and celebrating Mob lore in the fastest 2 1/2 hours in film history..." 11/01/1990 p.2-7

Los Angeles Times
"...GOODFELLAS is RAGING BULL squared....[The film] flows with the exuberance of a filmmaker who has every detail nailed and a few new lovely moves he wants to show us..." 09/20/1990 p.F1

Premiere
"Martin Scorsese regained the explosive force of his '70s heyday with this true-life mafia memoir." 07/01/2004 p.113

Widescreen Review
"GOODFELLAS is Martin Scorsese's violent and intense view...of organized criminal life, with powerful performances by De Niro, Oscar-winner Pesci, Bracco, and Sorvino.." 07/01/2006 p.66

Variety 8 of 10
Simultaneously fascinating and repellent, "Goodfellas" is Martin Scorsese's colorful but dramatically unsatisfying inside look at Mafia life in 1955 - 80 New York City. Commercial prospects for the overlong release appear relatively modest, and noisy bloodletting is likely to take place between warring critical camps...Scorsese's intent here, to show how a life of brutal crime could look compelling to an Irish-Italian kid whose sordid upbringing hasn't prepared him for anything better, is undercut by the offputting, opaque characterization of Ray Liotta. Sympathy is not the issue here, empathy is. - Joseph McBride

Reel.com 10 of 10
The movie did well upon its release, but its longevity is what makes it a classic. As actor Joe Pesci points out, not a week goes by that the movie isn't on cable somewhere, and many of its scenes - and even its epic steadicam shots - have become legendary. Simply put, it is one of the most perfect movies ever made, so much so that the American Film Institute honored it as one of the top 100 films of all time...When you first watch GoodFellas, you don't necessarily realize that you're watching a classic, a masterpiece. The film is such good entertainment, so powerful and fast-paced, that it leaves no room for a viewer to sit back and contemplate; the audience is engaged with the movie and the characters from beginning to end. - Sarah Chauncey