Goodfellas

GoodFellas, written by Nicholas Pileggi and Martin Scorsese, and directed by Scorsese, is the greatest film ever made about the sensual and monetary lure of crime, and the whole perversely brilliant movie comes into focus in a single, staggering shot.

Like everything Scorsese makes, it is crisp and clean, with exciting cinematography and superior acting. Despite its length, it is fast-moving and gripping. I walked away emotionally drained from more than two hours of tension.

We're taken in at our own risk, hooked on the film's speed, the power of its sights and sounds. Our nerve endings occasionally scream caveats... But we never doubt that a master at the top of his game is calling the shots.

With all the talent in this movie, singling out a specific performer seems capricious, but let me take a stab at it. I will grant you that De Niro is perfection... But let me reserve my loudest applause for Pesci.

They are treated like lab specimens, clinically normal looking, yet mutated by some corrupt gene into social monsters we'd rather not claim as our next of kin. All that dissuades one from making an early exit is Scorsese's magisterial detachment.

The authentic, obscene dialogue and Thelma Schoonmaker's highly-regarded editing combine to provide a dynamic that compensates for the absence of conventional dramatic development.

Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas is both a wildly entertaining gangster movie and a sobering cautionary tale warning against a life of crime.

All I take out of Goodfellas narratively is an unpleasant experience with unpleasant people, and that’s it ... I don’t like or care about any character.

Succinct filmmaking, satisfying performances and memorable dialogue assures Goodfellas position as a classic in the genre and Hollywood.

Goodfellas excels in detailing the protagonist's journey within the mob, with narration that enriches rather than detracts. Despite a slower final act, it remains gripping.