Goodfellas ★★★★ 1990 (R) Quintessential picture about "wiseguys," at turns both violent and funny. A young man grows up in the mob, works hard to advance himself through the ranks, and enjoys the life of the rich and violent, oblivious to the horror of which he is a part. Cocaine addiction and many wiseguy missteps ultimately unravel his climb to the top. Excellent performances (particularly Liotta and Pesci, with De Niro pitching in around the corners), with visionary cinematography and careful pacing. Watch for Scorsese's mom as Pesci's mom. Based on the life of Henry Hill, ex-mobster now in the Witness Protection Program. Adapted from the book by Nicholas Pileggi. 146m/C VHS, DVD, Wide. Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Paul Sorvino, Lorraine Bracco, Frank Sivero, Mike Starr, Frank Vincent, Samuel L. Jackson, Tony Darrow, Chuck Low, Frank DiLeo, Christopher Serrone, Illeana Douglas, Debi Mazar, Michael Imperioli, Peter Onorati, Beau Starr, Angela Pietropinto, Joseph (Joe) D'Onofrio, Jerry Vale, Henny Youngman, Catherine Scorsese;
Director:
Martin Scorsese;
Writer:
Nicholas Pileggi, Martin Scorsese;
Writer:
Michael Ballhaus. Oscars '90: Support. Actor (Pesci); AFI '98: Top 100; British Acad. '90: Adapt. Screenplay, Director (Scorsese), Film; L.A. Film Critics '90: Cinematog., Director (Scorsese), Film, Support. Actor (Pesci), Support. Actress (Bracco); Natl. Bd. of Review '90: Support. Actor (Pesci), Natl. Film Reg. '00;; N.Y. Film Critics '90: Actor (De Niro), Director (Scorsese), Film; Natl. Soc. Film Critics '90: Director (Scorsese), Film.
