Goodfellas Review

Most people don't have the time, money, or energy to watch a lot of movies, so when you do get a chance to watch something, you want it to be good. That's why Rotten Tomatoes exists: to give a snapshot of whether a movie is worth your time. But does it always work? I'll be watching all of Rotten Tomatoes’ Certified Fresh movies from this Wikipedia list starting in the year 1990, the decade I was born, and we'll see if these movies are really worth the hype.

Movie 19 of 1990:

Goodfellas, directed by Martin Scorsese, has always been heralded as a masterpiece. That is a high expectation to live up to. I'm not the biggest fan of gangster movies, and my Scorsese experience with the genre started and ended with The Irishman, which I wasn’t a fan of. I truly was not expecting to enjoy this, or at least for it to live up to the hype surrounding it. I am pleased to say that I found this movie to be amazing and deserving of all of the praise.

The events portrayed in the film are based on a true story, but it doesn't feel like your standard run-of-the-mill biopic. The main focus is on Ray Liotta playing the real-life Henry Hill. We start with Henry as a young teenager learning the ins and outs of life as a gangster. He meets Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro), who immediately has an air of charisma that sets him apart from the majority of other men he encounters throughout his criminal career.

In contrast to Conway, we are also introduced to Tommy DeVito (an Oscar-winning performance from Joe Pesci). Tommy immediately comes across as unstable, as shown in an early scene that has become iconic at this point, where he is messing with Henry for calling him “funny.” The escalation of Tommy's actions was paced perfectly. We always know that he is impulsive and capable of anything, but the escalation from joking to assault to flat-out murder for a silly reason (RIP Spider) added a lot of tension to each of his scenes.

We also get to see glimpses of Henry's family life. Most notably, his wife Karen (Lorraine Bracco). The only time the narration of the film shifts is when we are in Karen's perspective. I really liked that choice because it illustrated how this lifestyle can be so damaging to loved ones, while also pulling them in with the comfort of the money and power obtained.

The direction and design elements are also incredibly cohesive, which adds to the experience of the film. I also thought every song choice and montage was excellently crafted. Every time the camera swept around a room in an unbroken shot, I was enthralled. It made me feel like I was actually engulfed in this world. It's no wonder this was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars because every element was firing on all cylinders.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

Is it worth the hype?:

100%, and this movie has a lot of hype surrounding it. I've never been more invested in a gangster flick. The pacing was perfect, and the performances were chilling in all the right ways. This is definitely a movie everyone should watch at least once because even if this isn't your genre, you might still be entertained.