4. GOODFELLAS (1990)

So you were wondering where all the hard-nosed, in-your-face edginess was in the Godfather trilogy? We got your violence right here, buddy. That grit doesn't show up in mafia films until Goodfellas, perhaps the greatest film by one of the greatest living directors, Martin Scorsese. The film bridges the gap between the nostalgic romance of early mob movies and the current Tarantino-inspired splatterfests. The gap is bridged almost single-handedly via the imbalanced Tommy DeVito, played by Joe Pesci, who delivers the famous "Do I amuse you?" cross-examination. The scene is a terrifying bipolar moment in which a moment of lightheartedness among friends is pierced with DeVito's interrogation of his friend, who remarks that DeVito is a funny guy: "Funny how, funny like I'm some sort of a clown?" These wild swings between the good times and bad, between romance and violence, fuel a terrific ride through the entire trajectory of one wise guy's mob career.

The story is Henry Hill's (Ray Liotta), who as a youth in New York grew up desperately wanting to become a member of the mob and live it large. His career begins as a valet for the local mob boss and progresses to petty crime and worse as he rises in the mafia ranks. Things turn sour as people get dead, and the film culminates in a frantic sequence involving a drug score, federal surveillance, and pasta preparation. Scorsese bases this film on the writing of a real Henry Hill, who joined the witness protection program to escape his life in the mob. With that foundation, Scorsese give much of the film a very gritty and real atmosphere that is a first in mob movies.

Perhaps the only disappointing aspect of this movie is that Pesci won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance, which has inspired him to play the exact same character in every movie role he has played since.

Notes:

  • Scorsese's mother has a bit part in the film. She ad-libbed a scene with Pesci about his borrowing a ridiculously large knife.

  • A naughty word beginning with 'F' is used 246 times.

  • Nominated for 6 Academy Awards (including Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actress, and Screenplay)

  • Won 1 Academy Award: Best Supporting Actor for Pesci

  • Placed #94 on the American Film Institute's "100 Greatest Movies" List