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The real life Henry Hill, whose life was the basis for an all-time classic gangster film (Image: Getty)
Ask a hundred filmgoers about the greatest gangster picture ever crafted, and numerous voices will declare The Godfather (with countless others championing The Godfather Part Two). However, there exists a competing crime thriller which many regard as surpassing both, arriving approximately two decades following Francis Ford Coppola’s masterworks, which featured Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and Robert Duvall. This 1990s production showcases some of cinema’s most unforgettable sequences, performed by an ensemble including Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta, Paul Sorvino and Lorraine Bracco.
Standout performances also emerge from Michael Imperioli and Tony Sirico, who subsequently achieved global recognition on The Sopranos, and Samuel L. Jackson prior to his breakthrough in Pulp Fiction. Authentic personalities like Louis Eppolito, a former NYPD detective with organised crime connections who perished behind bars, also appear in this saga, reports the Express.
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Henry Hill and Ray Liotta, who played him in Goodfellas (Image: Getty Images)
Marlon Brando as Don Corleone in The Godfather (Image: Getty)
For those still wondering about the identity, it is naturally none other than Goodfellas, the Martin Scorsese triumph acclaimed with an outstanding 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.7 rating on IMDB, alongside countless glowing critiques.
Goodfellas explores the existence of Italian-American lawbreakers in New York throughout the ’70s and ’80s, concentrating on Henry Hill, a criminal who became an informer.
His account provided inspiration for the picture, which commences with his iconic declaration: “As far back as I can remember I always wanted to be a gangster.”
The real Henry Hill’s story traced his path from a prominent organised crime leader to the Witness Protection Programme following his decision to become an FBI informant, only to face ejection for revealing his identity and continuing criminal activities.
Louis Eppolito played Fat Andy in Goodfellas before standing trial for drug crimes and murder (Image: Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Goodfellas, through its striking depiction of Hill’s connections to mob personalities such as James Burke (renamed Jimmy Conway in the picture and portrayed by Robert De Niro) and Thomas DeSimone (Joe Pesci), explores the core of New York’s organised crime underworld dominated by the notorious “five families”.
Although it failed to secure the best picture Oscar, which was awarded to Dances With Wolves, Scorsese’s Goodfellas remains hailed as a cinematic triumph three and a half decades after its release, with audiences calling it “unparalleled” and “unforgettable”.
“Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas is both a wildly entertaining gangster movie and a sobering cautionary tale warning against a life of crime,” says Ben Sherlock of Screen Rant.
New York magazine’s David Denby proclaims it to be “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”.
Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Paul Sorvino and Joe Pesci starred in Goodfellas (Image: Getty)
Director Martin Scorsese in action on set of the movie Goodfellas (Image: Getty)
Hal Lipper from the Tampa Bay Times has lauded it as “an unparalleled achievement, the most chilling and savagely droll account of mob life ever recorded on film”.
Yet how does it measure against another gangster film giant, The Godfather?
According to Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB, The Godfather narrowly takes the lead with ratings of 97% and 9.2/10, respectively, indicating widespread agreement that both films represent cinematic excellence.
Nevertheless, Ed Power wrote a piece for The Independent in 2020, celebrating Goodfellas’ 30th anniversary, where he praised it as “a masterpiece” and “still the greatest gangster movie ever made”.
Ray Liotta, Martin Scorsese and Paul Sorvino at the screening of Goodfellas in 1990 (Image: Getty)
Lorraine Bracco and Ray Liotta in Goodfellas (Image: Getty)
His reasoning proves particularly fascinating.
Highlighting the film’s record-breaking profanity (exceeding 300 instances), Power observes “it is also uproarious to watch and often hilarious”.
“That is arguably why it eclipses The Godfather Parts One and Two and Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America,” he argues.
He characterises these productions as weighty, serious gangster sagas, immersed in their own grave splendour.
By comparison, Goodfellas is depicted as a wild adventure, overflowing with comic genius.
From Morrie Kessler’s bizarre hairpiece advertisements to the gang’s frustration with Henry’s domestic troubles, and Hill’s drug-fuelled paranoia near the conclusion, Scorsese’s approach to lure audiences into this dark realm was through laughter and bizarre sequences.
Joe Pesci won the Academy Award for best supporting actor for his role in Goodfellas (Image: Getty)
Al Pacino and Robert Duvall in The Godfather Part 2 (Image: Getty)
Many believe The Godfather to be the best-ever gangster film – but there’s one that’s ‘even better’ (Image: Getty)
He observes that the picture “took all sorts of risks”.
During initial cinema showings, certain viewers were so stunned by the opening sequence, where Tommy stabs Billy Batts as he lies in the car boot, that they departed.
Director Martin Scorsese agreed to reduce the number of stab wounds delivered to Batts prior to widespread release. Despite being nominated for six Oscars, Goodfellas only managed to secure one Academy Award, with Joe Pesci winning the best supporting actor category.
Goodfellas is available for fans to watch on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Google Play for £3.49, or it can be streamed with a Now premium subscription.
