Goodfellas Movie Review

Don’t you dare laugh once at any point of this review. What am I, a clown? Do I amuse you?

The three key points to this gangster classic are the filming, the story, and the acting.

This film was captured in a very stylish way. Paired with great music and an individual sense of style, Goodfellas was captured masterfully. Nothing feels like Goodfellas, which is partially why this movie is known as being an individual masterpiece. What makes this film feel so believable is the fact that the universe is established as real. Right off the bat, we’re introduced to the gangsters, and to us, they seem like family, just as they do to Henry.

This Goodfellas universe was established very well. Did the story hold together, however?

Narration guided the film in the right direction, believe it or not. Narration is typically a way to cut corners and rush into the story. Instead, it gave the audience a closer look into Henry’s head, as well as his wife’s. Though the story is one that revolves around crime and bad people, humor was added in to brighten up the mood and humanize these characters.

They still retain menace, however, as we are constantly remind that the mob is a business of crime and not just a big happy Italian family. The story is unpredictable to a degree. No, spontaneous is a better word. Goodfellas had a lot of moments that turn the tables of the story. This movie wouldn’t be believable without the actors, however.

The trio of Liotta, Pesci, and De Niro is priceless.

Liotta owned his role as Henry Hill, a time bomb. De Niro embodied the level headed personality of Jimmy perfectly. Pesci, as always, was a hothead. They all had intimidation in their back pocket ready to be whipped out at any moment, which made them all dynamic and interesting characters. Paired with the stellar writing, each character in Goodfellas are complex and original.

Over all, Goodfellas was a Filet with a side of spaghetti and meatballs (with a sauce that is made with 3 whole onions.) The story was captivating up until a certain point towards the end, but it didn’t stop Goodfellas from being a great film. As a side note, the film is very accurate to the true story of Henry Hill. After watching a documentary on the guy, I can assure you that bad language in this film was underused. I’m not even joking. I’m no clown.

~Ddog