GoodFellas (1990)

Director: Martin Scorsese

Writers: Nicholas Pileggi & Martin Scorsese, based on the book by Nicholas Pileggi

Stars: Ray Liotta, Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino, Frank Sivero, Tony Darrow, Mike Starr, Frank Vincent, Chuck Low

Martin Scorsese's epic tale of the rise and fall of small-time Mafioso Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) and his associates is riveting storytelling that is often as densely packed with information about the details and culture of mob life as a documentary. 

As a boy, Hill aspires to the power and wealth of the wiseguys he sees around the neighborhood. 

As he rises through the ranks, accumulating money, power, and a beautiful wife (Lorraine Bracco), Scorsese shows us how seductive this lifestyle can be. 

Yet he never flinches from its basic brutality and the thuggish mindset that money cannot change. 

In the end, the concept of honor among thieves is shown to be a lie, a self-aggrandizing fiction that lasts only as long as it coincides with self-interest. 

This is perhaps Scorsese's best film and benefits enormously from complex, important supporting performances from long-time accomplices Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci.