While the legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese hasn't exclusively made crime films throughout his over 50-year career, it's the genre he's best known for. And out of his various films that deal with gangsters, mobsters, and criminals, none are better than his 1990 masterpiece, Goodfellas, which tells the story of Henry Hill and his experience as a mob member over several decades.
Goodfellas builds on well-established crime film tropes that it spins into something fresh and thrilling, in the process becoming a film that's proved very influential itself. There aren't many films that you could argue are perfect, but Scorsese's crime masterpiece is one of them, and there are plenty of reasons why.
The Cast
Martin Scorsese pulled out the big guns for Goodfellas, casting two of his favorite actors—Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci—in major roles. The latter is particularly great in the film, playing the terrifying Tommy DeVito with such ferocious energy that he got an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
The film really belongs to the late Ray Liotta in one of his best performances, though, who expertly pulls off the lead role of Henry Hill. He also serves as the film's main (but not the only) narrator, given we see things from his point of view. Also worth mentioning is Lorraine Bracco as Karen Hill, a secondary narrator who provides a rare—and vital—female insight into the usually male-dominated mob world.
The Stylish Direction
By 1990, Scorsese had already spent over two decades perfecting his style. He was (and still is) remarkably prolific, tending to average one movie per year, so he knew how to make a movie look striking and feel engaging and impactful.
He also, of course, knew who to collaborate with, and the efforts of Thelma Schoonmaker as the film's editor and Michael Ballhaus as its cinematographer must also receive credit for helping Goodfellas to look and feel as great as it does. It's filled with plenty of great shots and edits (more on each of those later), with its strong visuals perfectly complementing its engaging story.
The Dialogue
Goodfellas is a fast-paced film that's packed with dialogue. Hill's narration is frequent (but never overbearing), many of the characters talk loud and fast, and there are numerous occasions where characters speak over each other, as so often happens in real life (but is otherwise much rarer in film).
Everything in Goodfellas is fast and frantic, so it makes sense for the dialogue to be this way. Some of it was even improvised, which adds to the authenticity of the dialogue, and the film also notably has many memorable quotes. Also helping the dialogue stand out? The fairly extreme use of profanity, which is fair enough because few people can swear as well as Joe Pesci swears, so who can blame Martin Scorsese for making the most of him?
The Editing
In Goodfellas, the life of a mobster is shown to be relentless, fast-paced, and capable of grinding to a tragic, even deadly halt at any moment. Scorsese achieves this momentum through the fast-paced dialogue and plenty of elaborate camera movements, but Thelma Schoonmaker's quick and hypnotic editing style was also instrumental in keeping the film's pace.
Schoonmaker is Scorsese's go-to editor, and few editors are as reliable as her. Most viewers might overlook the editing on first viewing because they're so wrapped up in the story, but it's easier to appreciate on rewatches. It's fast and frantic but never to the point where things become confusing. The controlled chaos of Goodfellas' editing is best displayed in an iconic scene late in the film, where Henry Hill has an exceptionally hectic day while under the influence of drugs and is constantly paranoid about a (possible police) helicopter that he thinks is following him. The way the editing captures Hill's mental state and the anxiousness of his day is masterful.
The Music
Scorsese has always had a knack for having great music in his films. His taste comes from having directed numerous music documentaries and concert films over his career, and he's up there with Quentin Tarantino when it comes to integrating popular songs into his films.
In Goodfellas, it almost feels like music is playing constantly in the background, meaning it's hard to list all the great songs that are used perfectly. Special mentions, however, would have to go to "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream, playing as De Niro's character is (seemingly) planning hits on members of his gang, and "Layla" by Derek and the Dominoes, which plays as we see a montage of the grisly aftermaths of those murders De Niro's character planned.
That Long Take
Of all the great shots in Goodfellas, none stand out quite as much as the long take that plays as Henry takes Karen on a date to The Copacabana nightclub. It shows how they can skip the club's line (thanks to Henry's connections) and walk through the kitchens and back hallways right into the main area, all done in one shot that lasts about three minutes.
It serves as Karen's introduction into Henry's life and given it happens early in the movie, it also helps the audience see the perks of the mobster lifestyle; who wouldn't want to skip lines and get front-row seats just like that after all? It also contrasts nicely with the aforementioned faster editing that's most apparent in frantic scenes towards the end; here, there are no cuts, and it shows that for a while, Henry and Karen's lifestyle was graceful, classy, and smooth sailing.
The Humor
Goodfellas is a violent, tense, and ultimately pessimistic film, given how no one gets a happy ending. However, at the same time, it's also extremely funny, with a good deal of dark comedy and funny dialogue exchanges (including the classic "Funny how?" scene).
It helps to balance out the film's darker aspects and serves to humanize the gangster characters. Perhaps for some viewers, it also adds a layer of schadenfreude because if you find everyone in the film unsympathetic, there may be some amusement in seeing bad things come their way.
The Narration
Narration is a tool that can certainly be overused when it comes to filmmaking. It can be relied on to simply explain things to an audience when a screenwriter doesn't want to find another way to convey the information.
Thankfully, Goodfellas is one of the films that uses narration correctly. In fact, it may even have some of the best narration in film history. Liotta's delivery is perfect, the film explains plenty of background info while the film itself does the heavy lifting for the main story, and we get to understand Hill as a character better, thanks to his narration.
The Unromantic Depiction of Mob Life
Not that The Godfather saga entirely romanticized mob life, but it depicted the story in an epic, sprawling, and even operatic way and made some of its characters into tragic figures the audience may feel sympathy for. Goodfellas, on the other hand, is a little more biting and perhaps honest.
Goodfellas feels less epic and more real. It's not necessarily a better or worse approach than The Godfather, but it was a fresh one. It ensured the film stood out from other mob movies and helped shine a light on what life might be like for someone involved with the mafia.
Its Influence
Goodfellas was a modest success upon release but has become one of the most beloved crime films of all time, if not one of the best movies of all time. Its popularity among film fans and young filmmakers made its influence on modern cinema inevitable.
Plenty of gritty, fast-paced, and down-to-earth crime films have been released in its wake. It's also evident that its grounded take on mob (and family) life has influenced The Sopranos (and not just because of all the cast members the two share!).