Why Goodfellas is my preferred film

Goodfellas is the best crime film I’ve ever seen and also my favorite one for several reasons. The film is ingeniously narrated, based on real life events. The actors in it beautifully perform their respective roles making it a believable experience. The director Martin Scorsese shows an amazingly, compelling story from start to finish, telling the events in a dynamic and inventive way. These reasons will make anyone fall in love with this fine piece of filmmaking.

First of all, the film is ingeniously narrated, based on real life events. It depicts the story of the rise and fall of three gangsters over three decades in New York. These “wise guys” were close friends, doing illegal jobs and gaining power all over the state. Their lives shattered when they could no longer control the power they had, filling their lives with excesses and wrong decisions. The experience of watching them crumble and the culmination of their lives is overwhelming . The film also shows how well-organized and operated the so-called gangster “families” were. They had control over the neighborhood and as the movie progresses, on several parts of the country. Becoming a “goodfella” in the family meant that loyalty and trust among the members were your ways now. It's thrilling watching the mafia's own rules, being capable of changing things at their will because of the power the had. The movie focuses in the life of the central character Henry Hill, which starts since he was a young boy. Henry Hill’s dream of becoming a gangster comes true as we witness the privileges he has when joining the “family”, but also the consequences of it among the years. This aspect is one of the strongest elements in the story, as the audience witness Henry's tragedy and becomes involved with it.

Secondly, the actors in Goodfellas beautifully and accurately perform their respective roles making it a believable experience. In the first place, Ray Liotta as Henry Hill does an outstanding job portraying an Irish-Italian man. He becomes a believable and likeable character and towards the end of the film he makes the audience feel the paranoia in which he falls on, as well as making them care for him and his family. Next, Robert De Niro’s portrayal as Jimmy Conway is marvelous. His violent, yet smart character has elegance and style, honorable of recognition. De Niro shows a cold, yet enjoyable character. Joe Pesci’s Tommy DeVito is one of the best performances I’ve ever seen. Having won the Academy Award for “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” for this portrayal, Pesci’s representation of the comic and over the edge gangster is captivating. He plays a twisted man that thinks every action he chooses is the right one. The film has must-see performances that are worth watching.

The director Martin Scorsese shows an amazingly, compelling story from start to finish, telling the events in a dynamic and inventive way with the use of several techniques. Firstly, Scorsese uses the first-person narrator technique; Henry Hill relates his life since he was a boy and as the story goes on, we hear Henry’s thoughts about the choices he had in his life. Thanks to the narration, we can understand how a “wise guy” mind worked, as well as the priorities he has. At the end of the film, thanks to Liotta’s performance and narration, the audience can think as Henry Hill thinks and experience the pain and confusion he feels towards the finale. Secondly, the music Scorsese uses timely helps joining all the scenes, making a wonderful soundtrack to listen. The director employs great classics that contrast with the shown scenes, turning it into a joyous experience. “Sunshine of Your love”, “Under the Sea” and “My Way” are some of the magnificent, well-used tracks heard in the film. Lastly, the director slowly expands parts of the mafia universe, showing new characters as the film progresses, everyday activities and various robberies the family plans. By expanding the levels of the family we get the whole picture of what being a “goodfella” implicates. The concepts of loyalty and trust are primordial in their life and we can understand why Henry Hill broke this principles at the end of the film, turning it into a joyous experience.

Goodfellas is well-narrated and magnificent told, based in the real Henry Hill’s life. The awesome performances of the leading actors truly excel, engaging the audience with the events depicted in the film. Martin Scorsese is successful in creating a believable, yet impressive film, being one of his greatest jobs. Goodfellas is acknowledged as the second best gangster film by the American Film Institute, supporting the previously mentioned arguments of the quality and greatness I had stated. With the forgiveness of The Godfather, I consider Goodfellas as the finest film ever made about crime drama, among with the previously mentioned reasons, being a movie I'll remember over the years.