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Director Martin Scorsese (Mean Streets, Raging Bull) returns to the gangster subgenre that made him a household name. Goodfellas is based on the true story of Henry Hill, a Brooklyn youth who quit his primary education to start working for the mafia. The story begins in the 1950s, as Henry (Ray Liotta) becomes the new favored son of mob boss Paulie (Paul Sorvino) and begins his decades-long life of crime, big money, sex, drugs, and violence. With him for all that time are his friends and ‘business associates’ Jimmy Conway (Robert DeNiro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci). He marries a woman (Lorraine Bracco) who matches his volatile temperament, and keeps a girlfriend (Gina Mastrogiacomo) on the side. His life is a hedonistic fantasy until he, Jimmy, and Tommy make a side deal that could jeopardize their standing with Paulie, and Tommy’s fire-hot temper results in a murder that could come back to haunt them.
Goodfellas is a fast-paced crime drama that’s easy to get wrapped up in. Liotta carries the film in the best performance of his career, supported by Scorsese’s usual smorgasbord of talent. As a character, Henry Hill is a little too unsavory for me to embrace or identify with very much, but even as an outsider, his story is still a fascinating one. The film is most compelling for its portrait of gangster brotherhood and codes of conduct. It’s easy to see why so many young men would be enticed to join a gang or mob to earn respect and feel like they belong somewhere. The film also underscores how shallow those bonds often are. When the police and feds start poking around, Henry and his pals let their insecurities — fears that someone may inform on them — get the better of them. When the chips are down, decades of camaraderie, no matter how warm and familial, are no match against a scared man’s sense of self-preservation.
DeNiro and Sorvino play it icy cool, but highly effective. The standout performances are from its loose-canon characters. Bracco shows considerable range as Henry’s wife. She’ll collapse into tears when Liotta berates her, but then we’ll see her threaten ‘the other woman’ and even hold a gun to Liotta in bed. Joe Pesci has the flashiest role, though. As Tommy, he’s all too eager to wield a gun and pull the trigger. In one of the film’s more shocking scenes, Tommy shoots down a waiter who dares to argue with him after forgetting his drink order. Whenever he’s on screen, you never know what might happen. Pesci picked up the film’s lone Academy Award for best supporting actor.
Look for Samuel L. Jackson in a small role, and Martin Scorsese’s mother, Catherine Scorsese, in a sweet, humorous appearance as Tommy’s mother.
Academy Award: Best Supporting Actor (Joe Pesci)
Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actress (Lorraine Bracco), Adapted Screenplay (Nicholas Pileggi & Martin Scorsese), Film Editing (Thelma Schoonmaker)