Goodfellas

Goodfellas

Martin Scorsese's 1990 masterpiece GoodFellas immortalizes the hilarious, horrifying life of actual gangster Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), from his teen years on the streets of New York to his anonymous exile under the Witness Protection Program. The director's kinetic style is perfect for recounting Hill's ruthless rise to power in the 1950s as well as his drugged-out fall in the late 1970s; in fact, no one has ever rendered the mental dislocation of cocaine better than Scorsese. Scorsese uses period music perfectly, not just to summon a particular time but to set a precise mood. GoodFellas is at least as good as The Godfather without being in the least derivative of it. Joe Pesci's psycho improvisation of Mobster Tommy DeVito ignited Pesci as a star, Lorraine Bracco scores the performance of her life as the love of Hill's life, and every supporting role, from Paul Sorvino to Robert De Niro, is a miracle.

Director(s): Martin Scorsese
Production: Warner Bros.
  Won 1 Oscar. Another 43 wins & 37 nominations.
 
IMDB:
8.7
Metacritic:
89
Rotten Tomatoes:
96%
R (Restricted)
Year:
1990
146
33,986 Views
Three Decades of Life in the Mafia.
"As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a gangster."—Henry Hill, Brooklyn, N.Y. 1955.
Murderers come with smiles.
Shooting people was 'No big deal'.
In a world that's powered by violence, on the streets where the violent have power, a new generation carries on an old tradition.

Tommy:
Just don't go bustin' my balls, Billy, okay?

Billy:
Hey, Tommy, if I was gonna break your balls, I'd tell you to go home and get your shine box. (To his friends) Now this kid, this kid was great. They, they used to call him Spitshine Tommy. I swear to God! Now he'd make your shoes look like f***in' mirrors. 'Scuse my language. He was terrific, he was the best. He made a lot of money, too. Salud, Tommy!

Tommy:
No more shines, Billy.

Billy:
What?

Tommy:
I said no more shines. Maybe you didn't hear about it, you've been away a long time; they didn't go up there and tell you. I don't shine shoes anymore.

Billy:
Relax, will ya? You flipped right out, what's got into you? I'm breakin' your balls a little bit, that's all. I'm only kiddin' with ya.

Tommy:
Sometimes you don't sound like you're kidding, you know? There's a lotta people around...

Billy:
Tommy, I'm only kiddin' with you. We're having a party and I just came home, and I haven't seen you in a long time, and I'm breakin' your balls, and right away you're getting f***in' fresh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you.

Tommy:
I'm sorry too. It's okay. No problem.

Billy:
Okay, salud. (moment of silence as he takes a drink) Now go home and get your f***ing shinebox.

Tommy:
(smashes his glass in anger) Motherfucking mutt! You...you f***ing piece of sh*t...! (Henry and Jimmy restrain him)

Billy:
(taunting) Yeah, yeah, yeah, come on, come on! Come on! Let him go!

Tommy:
Henry, he bought his f***ing button! That fake old tough guy! You bought your f***ing button! Keep that motherf***er here, keep him here! (leaves)

Tommy:
Spider, that bandage on your foot is bigger than your f***ing head. Next thing you know he'll have one of these f***ing walkers. But you can still dance. Give us a couple of f***ing steps, Spider. You f***ing bullshitter, you. Tell the truth. You want sympathy, is that right, sweetie?

Spider:
Why don't you go f*** yourself, Tommy?

[Everyone, but Tommy, laughs]

Jimmy:
I didn't hear right. I can't believe what I heard. [giving Spider cash] This is for you. I got respect for this kid, he's got a lot of f***ing balls. Good for you! Don't take no sh*t off nobody! A guy shoots him in the foot, he tells him to go f*** himself. Tommy, you gonna let this f***ing punk get away with that? What's this world coming to?

Tommy:
[standing and shooting Spider] That's what the f***ing world's coming to, how do ya like that? How's that?

Henry:
What is wrong with you?!

Jimmy:
What is the f***ing matter with you?! What, are you stupid or what?! I was kidding with you. Are you a sick maniac?

Tommy:
How do I know you're kidding? You breaking my f***ing balls?!

Jimmy:
I'm f***ing kidding with you, you f***ing shoot the guy?!

Henry:
[inspecting Spider on the floor] He's dead.

Tommy:
[after a brief silence] I'm a good shot, what do you want from me?

Anthony:
How could you miss at this distance?

Tommy:
You got a problem with what I did, Anthony? F***ing rat, anyway. His family's all rats, he'd have grown up to be a rat.

Jimmy:
Stupid bastard, I can't f***ing believe you. Now, you're gonna dig the f***ing thing now. You're gonna dig the hole. I got no f***ing lime, you're gonna do it.

Tommy:
Fine! I'll dig the f***ing hole, I don't give a f***. What is it, the first hole I ever dug? I'll f***ing dig the hole. Where are the shovels?

Karen and her children are visiting Henry in jail

Guard:
Mrs. Hill, this way. Sign this book, please.

Karen signs ledger but something catches her eye

Name of Inmate:
Henry Hill

Name of Visitor:
Janice Rossi

Visitor's center

Karen:
I saw her, Henry.

Henry:
What are you talking about?

Karen:
I saw her name in the register.

Henry:
Jesus Christ.

Karen:
You want her to visit you? Let her stay up all night, crying and writing letters to the parole board.

Henry:
What am I doing here? Where am I? I'm in jail. I can't stop people from coming to see me.

Karen:
Good. Let her sneak this stuff every week. [Karen dangles a bag of illegal drugs in front him] Let her fight these bastards every week!

Henry:
Look what you're doing! Stop it!

Karen:
I'm sorry. Let her sneak this sh*t in for you.

Henry:
Will you stop it, Karen? Will you stop it?

Karen:
Let her do it! Let her do it!

Henry:
STOP IT!!!

[Kids react to anger; Karen starts to sob]

Karen:
Nobody is helping me. I am all alone. Belle and Morrie are broke. I asked your friend Remo for the money that he owes you, and you know what he told me? He told me to take my kids down to the police station and get on welfare.

Henry:
Karen, It's going to be okay.

Karen:
Yeah? Even Paulie, since he got out, I've never seen him. I never see anybody anymore.

Henry:
It's only you and me. That's what happens when you go away. I told you that we're on our own. Forget everybody else. Forget Paulie. As long as he's on parole, he doesn't want anybody doing anything.

Karen:
I can't do it.

Henry:
Yes, you can. Karen, Listen to me. All I need is for you to bring me this stuff. I got a guy in here from Pittsburgh who'll help me move it. Believe me, in a month we're gonna be fine. We won't need anybody.

Karen:
I'm afraid. I'm afraid if Paulie finds out...

Henry:
Or I just say, Don't worry about him. He is not helping us out. Is he putting any food on the table? We've gotta help each other. We've just gotta-- Listen, We've gotta be really careful while we do it.

Karen:
I don't want to hear a word about her anymore, Henry.

Henry:
Never.

Henry has just been released from prison

Henry's Children:
Daddy! Are you out for good? Are you coming to my recital? Here is a picture I drew!

Henry takes a look at the low-rent tenement his wife and kids are looking in and reacts with disgust

Henry:
Karen, get packed. We are moving out. I am going to Pittsburgh tommorow.

Karen:
What? You have a meeting with your parole officer tommorow.

Henry:
Don't worry, they owe me $15,000. Who wants to go to Uncle Paulie's?

Children cheer. Cut to Paulie's house where people have a big dinner. Later Paulie speaks to Henry in private

Paulie:
I do not want any more of that sh*t.

Henry:
I have no idea what's going on here.

Paulie:
I mean the drugs! I do not want any more of that junk.

Henry:
Paulie, why would I want to get mixed up in that?

Paulie:
Just don't do it. I am not talking about what you did in the can. You get a pass for that. In there you had to do what you to do to support your family. I am talking about there here and now. I do not want to end up like Gribbs. Gribbs got twenty years just for saying good morning to some scuzz who was selling junk behind his back! Gribbs is 70 years old; the poor man is going to die in prison. So I am warning everyone, it could be my son, it could be anyone.

[Cut to Henry making cocaine]

Henry:
[voiceover] It took me two weeks of sneaking the stuff around, but when I did, it was a real score. In a month I had a down payment on my house and things were rolling. I knew as long as the cash kept rolling in; Paulie would never find out.


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1 Comment
  • Kiky Eirmbter
    Kiky Eirmbter
    Awesome! LOve hat movie!
    LikeReply 25 years ago

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