Goodfellas at FACT
Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor
Perhaps the most popular collaboration from Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, Goodfellas ranks alongside The Godfather films and The Sopranos as one of the most influential depictions of Mafia criminality. Telling the story of small-time gangster Henry Hill’s (Ray Liotta) rise (and subsequent fall) through the mob ranks, this dizzying trip through the New York underworld is populated with countless memorable characters (including De Niro and a never better Joe Pesci) and scenes of chilling casual violence. With impeccable, innovative cinematography (the Copacabana tracking shot alone sparked a thousand undergrad film essays), a sharp pop soundtrack and hugely quotable dialogue (“Funny how?”) it’s little wonder that Goodfellas has stuck around in the pop-culture consciousness.
Screening as part of Vintage Sundays: Scorsese and De Niro at FACT
