Goodfellas (1990)

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writers (WGA):

Nicholas Pileggi (book)
Nicholas Pileggi (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

19 September 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

"As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a gangster." -- Henry Hill, Brooklyn, N.Y. 1955.

Plot:

Henry Hill and his friends work their way up through the mob hierarchy.

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Mafia | Robbery | New York | Organized Crime

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 34 wins & 18 nominations

Cast

Robert De Niro	...	James 'Jimmy' Conway
Ray Liotta	...	Henry Hill
Joe Pesci	...	Tommy DeVito
Lorraine Bracco	...	Karen Hill
Paul Sorvino	...	Paul Cicero
Frank Sivero	...	Frankie Carbone
Tony Darrow	...	Sonny Bunz
Mike Starr	...	Frenchy
Frank Vincent	...	Billy Batts
Chuck Low	...	Morris 'Morrie' Kessler
Frank DiLeo	...	Tuddy Cicero
Henny Youngman	...	Himself
Gina Mastrogiacomo	...	Janice Rossi
Catherine Scorsese	...	Tommy's Mother
Charles Scorsese	...	Vinnie

Also Known As:

Good Fellas (USA) (original script title)
GoodFellas (USA) (promotional title (video box title) (poster title))
Wiseguy (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

146 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Brazil:14 | USA:R (certificate #30613) | Israel:16 | India:A | Poland:18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-16 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Italy:VM14 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Bern) | UK:18

Filming Locations:

2409 Thirty Second Street, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The film's soundtrack did not include many of the songs featured in the film, most of them being the tracks played during the lengthy scene where Henry rushes around trying to make his drug deal. The songs sampled during the scene are, in order, "Jump Into the Fire" by Nilsson, "Memo From Turner" by the Rolling Stones, "Magic Bus" by The Who (from the Live at Leeds album), "Monkey Man" by the Rolling Stones, "Mannish Boy" by Muddy Waters, "What is Life" by George Harrison, "Mannish Boy" again and "Toad" by Cream.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Karen is holding a gun in Henry's face, a different gun is used for close-up and long shots.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Henry Hill: The fuck is that?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in World of Warcraft (2004) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

One word: priceless

If there was one word that I could use to describe Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas": it'd be priceless.

A surreal and deeply fascinating take on life of Henry Hill who was involved in the Mob for three decades and his rise throughout the time span (and Nicholas Pileggi's book "Wiseguy").

There isn't a single moment in the movie where it doesn't miss a beat, you could only tell by the atmosphere of the time period and it seems so real.

The performances in this film simply make it even more memorable and how the characters are portrayed here especially by Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci (who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor), and Paul Sorvino are believable and easy to understand that they were a family, very close and tightly knit to the core. Also, how director Martin Scorsese lets the movie pace itself and keeps the viewer off guard in what happens deserves a lot of credit.