The film is widely regarded as one of the greatest gangster movies ever made — and some critics even argue the classic surpasses The Godfather itself
Goodfellas, celebrated as one of cinema’s finest accomplishments, serves as evidence of Martin Scorsese’s directorial brilliance and remains firmly established as a legendary gangster picture. The story of Henry Hill, the New York-born Irish-Italian youth lured into criminality through admiration for neighbourhood Mafia personalities, enthrals throughout.
The memorable opening phrase establishes the atmosphere: “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” This compelling story, rooted in actual occurrences, charts Henry’s path through the criminal landscape from the 1950s through to his undoing in 1980.
Frequently positioned second only to The Godfather in lists of the greatest mob films ever made, it actually exceeds that masterpiece according to the distinguished critic Roger Ebert.
Ebert honoured Goodfellas with a flawless review in The Chicago Sun-Times, stating: “No finer film has ever been made about organised crime – not even The Godfather.”
Recognised as potentially Scorsese’s most celebrated achievement, Goodfellas was characterised by USA Today as “a whopping good time” upon its initial cinema release, reports the Mirror US.
It has subsequently endured as an everlasting classic.
Rotten Tomatoes supports this view, observing: “Hard-hitting and stylish, GoodFellas is a gangster classic – and arguably the high point of Martin Scorsese’s career.”
Fascinatingly, ordinary cinema-goers demonstrate even greater enthusiasm than professional reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes, evidenced by the outstanding 97% audience rating versus a marginally lower though still excellent 94% critics’ rating.
Over on IMDB, the picture boasts a stellar 8.7 out of 10.
David Denby of New York Magazine heaped praise upon the gangster masterpiece back in 1990.
He said: “GoodFellas, written by Nicholas Pileggi and Martin Scorsese, and directed by Scorsese, is the greatest film ever made about the sensual and monetary lure of crime, and the whole perversely brilliant movie comes into focus in a single, staggering shot.”
Empire magazine celebrated the picture, ranking it above numerous others in its ‘100 Best Movies of All Time to Watch’ list – albeit beneath The Godfather.
The distinguished film publication declared, “No film hits like Goodfellas,” likening its effect to the euphoric highs and crushing lows of drug use, mirroring Henry Hill’s descent into destruction.
They continued, “And you have to live the rest of your life like a schnook, because, frankly, no other film compares to Goodfellas.
“The only solution: another big snort of Goodfellas. Scorsese, writer Nicholas Pileggi and editor Thelma Schoonmaker constructed almost the entire film like a trailer, one scene bleeding into the next, not giving you the opportunity to stop watching, to let go, to take a breath. It’s an unstoppable feat of propulsion. Now that’s cinema.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
