The beloved actor Ray Liotta tragically passed away at the age of 67. Liotta’s death was an absolute shocker, as he had just recently appeared in The Sopranos prequel film The Many Saints of Newark. Liotta was actively involved in new projects until his death; he was in the midst of filming the thriller Dangerous Waters when he died in his sleep. He still has a few unreleased projects that have already completed filming, including Cocaine Bear, El Tonto, The Substance, and April 29, 1992.
Liotta was a giant within the industry. Although he is best known for his performance in the Martin Scorsese classic Goodfellas, Liotta was also a veteran character actor, and made most films more enjoyable with his presence. Goodfellas solidified him as a crime movie legend, but Liotta was never afraid to lampoon his “tough guy” image. He’s the type of actor who could be just as menacing in Blow as he is in Hubie Halloween.
Although he never had another role like Henry Hill, the fact that Liotta could disappear within an ensemble is almost more impressive. He was a cinematic chameleon. Liotta was in the middle of a major comeback, having recently appeared in critically acclaimed films such as Marriage Story, No Sudden Move, and Kill The Messenger. He leaves behind an extensive resume of great performances.
It’s astounding to look back at Liotta’s body of work. Amidst his filmography are hidden gems, subversive arthouse films, classic comedies, and several all-time greats. If you are looking to honor Liotta’s legacy, these seven films are among his best.
Ray Sinclair in Something Wild (1986)
One of Liotta’s very first roles became one of his most iconic. Like Liotta himself, Something Wild is hard to classify. It combines crime, comedy, action, and romance into a half-parodical, half-sincere screwball caper. Jonathan Demme’s underrated classic follows an eccentric road trip that pairs the selfish businessman Charles Driggs (Jeff Daniels) with the criminal Lulu (Melanie Griffith). The pair are pursued by the authorities, but things get even more complicated when Lulu’s ex-boyfriend Ray Sinclair shows up.
Ray is an absolute force of chaos; although their entire history isn’t completely spelled out, it's clear that Ray and Melanies’ relationship was tumultuous. Liotta captures the unique tone that Demme was going for. The early moments between Charles and Lulu are more playful, but Liotta brought an actual sense of menace to the story. Neither Charles or Lulu are particularly likable to begin with, but they become more compelling when compared to Ray’s violent behavior.
Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams (1989)
Field of Dreams is a classic weepie for a reason. Even if you’re not a baseball fan, the film’s simple story of a father and son reconnecting is handled with elegance. Based on the novel Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella, the film follows the Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) after he hears a mysterious voice that guides him to build a baseball field. Although Ray’s family considers him to be crazy, he discovers that legendary baseball players have appeared in the middle of the diamond. Among them is one of his heroes, Shoeless Joe Jackson.
Liotta had to do more than just give an impression of the iconic baseball legend. He is the first hint at the fantasy elements of the film. What makes Field of Dreams’ depiction of the baseball players so powerful is that they’re completely unaware of their legacies; Liotta wasn’t playing Shoeless Joe like an established legend. His casual decency allows him to connect with Ray.
Henry Hill in Goodfellas (1990)
Goodfellas is easily Liotta’s best known work, but he doesn’t receive enough credit for how extraordinary his performance was. The film is filled with larger-than-life characters; Joe Pesci won an Academy Award for his scenery-chewing role as Tommy Devito, and actors like Robert De Niro, Paul Sorvino, and Frank Vincent were already synonymous with mob films. Henry Hill had to be an outsider who slowly rose through the ranks. Liotta was able to gradually embody the veteran actors that he was working alongside.
Goodfellas was also a showcase for Liotta’s comedic abilities. While he’s not as over-the-top as Pesci, Liotta gets some incredible moments of physical comedy, particularly when he starts feeling the side effects of cocaine withdrawal. Consider the iconic “you think I’m a clown” scene; while Pesci is the one that gets the best lines, it's Liotta who has to immediately shift the tone from intense to hilarious.
Gary Figgis in Cop Land (1997)
Cop Land is one of the most underrated crime films of the 1990s, and marked Liotta’s first collaboration with director James Mangold. Mangold has mastered the art of “elevated” genre films. Even though Cop Land stars the action icon Sylvester Stallone, it is closer in tone to a 1970s mafia thriller. Liotta co-stars as Garry Figgis, one of the few good cops in a corrupt city. Gary urges Stallone’s character, Sheriff Freddy Heflin, to resist the influence of the dirty Lieutenant Ray Donlan (Harvey Keitel).
Liotta was the perfect screen partner for Stallone. Frank is willfully ignorant of the corruption, but Gary forces him to understand the urgency of the situation. Gary has become infuriated that his superiors have been able to get away with their crimes. Cop Land certainly isn’t a “crowd pleaser,” but Gary’s surprise rescue of Frank during the final shootout is an applause-worthy moment.
Samuel Rhodes in Identity (2003)
Another underrated collaboration between Liotta and Mangold, Identity but works because (and despite) it's ridiculous twist. The jaw dropping final moments completely recontextualize the events that proceeded. However, even without this reveal, Identity was already a compelling confined location thriller. The film follows a group of strangers that gather in a hotel room following a violent incident. Liotta co-stars alongside John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Alfred Molina, Clea DuVall and Rebecca De Mornay.
The entire cast is able to hint at the twist without revealing Mangold’s hand; it’s clear that they’re connected somehow, but they only know as much as the audience does at any given time. Liotta’s character Samuel Rhodes has more secrets than anyone else. Although he’s presented as a straight-laced police officer, Samuel isn’t what he appears to be. Liotta makes the dramatic reveal about Samuel’s actual intentions a terrifying moment.
Markie Trattman in Killing Them Softly (2012)
Killing Them Softly was not the action crime thriller that most audiences were expecting. The trailer gave off a false impression of the film’s tone, and Killing Them Softly became one of the few films in history to earn an “F” Cinemascore from audience reaction polls. Andrew Dominik’s sorely underrated film is not a traditional thriller; it explores the decline of a crime syndicate’s economic state in the midst of the 2008 financial crisis.
Liotta co-stars as Markie Trattman, a mob enforcer who runs an illegal card game. The mob watches Markie closely, as he had previously staged a fake robbery at one of his games. Unfortunately, Markie is suspected of repeating his deceit when his game is robbed by the dim-witted criminals Frankie (Scoot McNairy) and Russell (Ben Mendelsohn). It’s a subtly heartbreaking performance. Markie knows from the moment that Frankie and Russell show up that the mob will never listen to his side of the story. He sadly realizes that his days are numbered.
Peter Deluca in The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)
Like Killing Them Softly, The Place Beyond the Pines is a similarly subversive crime thriller that deserves more love. The film chronicles how two families become intertwined after the police officer Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper) kills the robber Luke Glaton (Ryan Gosling) in the aftermath of a bank heist. The film is divided into three distinct chapters. The second segment focuses on Avery’s trauma following the incident, and how he resists the corrupting influence of the city’s dirty cops.
This wasn’t the first time that Liotta played a corrupt police officer, but Peter DeLuca was a role specifically written for him. Writer/director Derek Cianfrance knew that Liotta’s experience with crime cinema was perfect for the character. Liotta is menacing without having to make any open threats. Although it's never stated outright, it’s clear that DeLuca is capable of ruthlessly dispatching anyone who betrays him.