Arguably Scorsese's finest hour.
Goodfellas (1990)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:54
Fresh:52
Rotten:2
Average Rating:8.8/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 28 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Based on Nicholas Pileggi's book WISEGUY, Martin Scorsese's GOODFELLAS is a wry, violent, and exhilarating film about the life of Henry Hill, an aspiring criminal who ends up in the FBI's witness... Based on Nicholas Pileggi's book WISEGUY, Martin Scorsese's GOODFELLAS is a wry, violent, and exhilarating film about the life of Henry Hill, an aspiring criminal who ends up in the FBI's witness protection program after testifying against his former partners. As a poor Irish-Italian growing up in 1950s New York City, Hill (Ray Liotta) rises through the ranks of his Brooklyn neighborhood's organized crime branch, and with money from the mob he begins living the good life, complete with a beautiful bride, Karen (Lorraine Bracco), a fancy house, and the best seats at the most exclusive restaurants. A botched robbery lands Henry in prison for a brief period of time, and when he gets released, his reckless infidelities and drug abuse damage his association with his adopted family. Scorsese's film is a visual and sonic onslaught, featuring a brilliant pop-music soundtrack and stunning camera work--including the infamous Steadicam one-take that introduces the audience to the Copacabana's patrons. He uses the songs to infuse a breathtaking, invigorating rhythm into every scene. As the psychopathic Tommy DeVito, Joe Pesci delivers an unforgettable performance that is alarming in its cold-blooded callousness, helping to cement GOODFELLAS' place as a classic portrait of life in the mob. [More]
Starring: Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci
Starring: Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Paul Sorvino, Frank Sivero, Mike Starr, Frank Vincent, Samuel L. Jackson, Sheila Howard, Kevin Corrigan, Henny Youngman, Tony Darrow, Chuck Low, Frank Di Leo, Christopher Serrone, Jerry Vale
Director: Martin Scorsese
Director: Martin Scorsese
Screenwriter: Martin Scorsese, Nicholas Pileggi
Story: Nicholas Pileggi
Producer: Irwin Winkler
Reviews for Goodfellas
Goodfellas is a tour de force that brilliantly evokes both the seductive glamour and moral degradation of organised crime.
You walk away, tantalized by a view into the darkest part of yourself, glad that that part is still behind bars.
Based on Pileggi's book, Scorsese's biopic of Henry Hill is so well-crafted, shot, and acted that it easily overcomes some of the film's shortcomings, such as its dramatic shaplessness and less than powerful ending.
A multi-generational tale of bad money, it is the defining American movie of the 1990s; Scorsese hasn’t made a film half as good since its 1990 release.
...one of the best-- and most influential -- American movies ever made.
Long and brutal, but Scorsese was never better at marshalling his cinematic tools to tell a story ... his definitive statement about the New York City mob.
A drama that injects your adrenal glands with the thrill of living from score to score and walking the streets with limitless power.
That Martin Scorsese's brilliant GoodFellas lost the 1990 Best Picture and Best Director Oscars to Dances with Wolves is one of the all-time miscarriages of justice in the history of the Academy Awards.
The iridescence of, and questions asked by Goodfellas place the film among the great American classics.
The best gangster movie of all-time and easily, one of the best overall flicks ever.
the film that Scorsese was born to make, and will be forever cited among Oscar's most glaring omissions
Brutal, stylish, hypnotic and addictive, GoodFellas remains Scorsese's best film.
Latest News for Goodfellas
June 12, 2008:
Crafting a Midnight Kiss - Behind-the-Scenes of a Lo-Fi Indie
It brought audiences to tears at Tribeca, kept them coming back at Edinburgh and warmed stone-cold critics' hearts at Raindance. In Search of a Midnight Kiss was described as... More...
June 22, 2007:
AFI Announces Top 100 Movies of All Time ... Again
Ten years ago the AFI gave us a list of the Top 100 American Films Ever Made -- and when that was done they churned out 15 other lists every few years. And then last night they... More...
June 21, 2007:
Scorsese & De Niro: Together Again
Do you even have to know the plot? It's the ninth collaboration between Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. Period. More...
February 26, 2007:
How Does "The Departed" Rank Among Oscar's Best?
So Martin Scorsese finally has his long-overdue, much-deserved Oscar. But where does "The Departed" stack up in the annals of Academy history? More...
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| 19% 19% | Transformers: Revenge … |
| 55% 55% | Orphan |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 88% 88% | Ballast |
| 67% 67% | The Merry Gentleman |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- Goodfellas at Rotten Tomatoes
- Goodfellas at IGN
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.



Top Critic

