Goodfellas" is one of the defining movies of the 90s and with good reason. While many of the films from this decade that were hailed as classics are incredibly overrated, "Goodfellas" completely deserves its status. Believe what you've heard, it really is a masterpiece and essential viewing for film buffs. I wouldn't call it Scorcese's best (that'd be "Taxi Driver" or "Raging Bull"), but he really is an expert craftsman working at his best here. No other director could make this epic mob tale work so well. Hes tried to replicate this success many times, occasionally with interesting results ("The Departed"), but he's yet to top what hes achieved here. In fact, I actually prefer this slightly to "The Godfather". That's a masterpiece as well, but the character development here is a bit stronger and there's more of a sweeping and strongly emotional feel.
As great as Scorcese's direction is, you need great performances to make this kind of film work. Fortunately, he had an incredibly skilled cast to work with to create some memorable characters. Ray Liotta, a performer I find usually to be rather wooden, is really good. Even better however are Robert DeNiro, Lorraine Bracco, and Joe Pesci. Pesci in particular creates a psychotic and seemingly unlikable character and manages to make the audience care for him. The screenplay doesn't have good or bad guys, as each character are presented as fully developed human beings.
All this talent comes together to produce a film on a level few have reached. Ultimately, the story is what matters the most here, and "Goodfellas" is one of the most compelling screen stories of all time. It may possibly be the greatest mob movie of all time. It was highly influential, and even though many came close ("Boogie Nights" in particular), nothing has yet to top it for this style of epic.
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