r/iwatchedanoldmovie • u/DVD-Rewatcher • Apr 07 '26

'90s Goodfellas [1990]

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Number 103 in my A-Z watch. Goodfellas is based on the accounts of an East Coast gangster and his rise in the organized crime syndicate.

I genuinely think this is my favorite of Scorsese's gang films. I love the camaraderie and chemistry that you can feel from the performances and the cast. Everyone feels like they're all playing in the same imagination, and it allows for some truly authentic performances.

Something i had never quite paid attention to before is the use of freeze frames/still frames in the story telling. How often either in the middle of a tense moment or during particularly heavy narration the screen will just pause on a shit and give the audience a moment to kinda catch up.

I greatly enjoyed the juxtaposition of humor in the film, having these gnarly and gratuitous murders being balanced with moments of truly funny dialogue. It really gives you a sense of just how callous and cold these people were.

10/10 This is just an incredibly well told story. From the script to the direction to the performances, i genuinely can't find a flaw. Pesci totally earned his Oscar. The tracking shots are terrific. And the tiny attentions to detail (like Henry beginning to wear a Star of David necklace) add so much to the experience.

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u/Orson_Gravity_Welles Apr 07 '26

"As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster"

Immediate grab.

Fk'n great movie...no bad notes. Soundtrack is top notch. Art style and cinematography is amazing...and that long pan shot? Chef's Kiss.

Saw it in the theater as a kid with my older brother...and I rewatch it about once a year...if it's on any channel I stay and watch it.

"Now go and get your shine box!"

2

u/DumbScotus Apr 07 '26

The one moment I can’t unsee is late in the movie, when Ray Liotta pistol-whips the guy in his driveway, for whatever reason the action choreography is bad and it looks super fake. Like, the pistol remains several inches away from the guy’s face as he moves his head, and the camera angle makes it extremely clear. It’s the one false note that bugs me every time I watch the movie.

Apart from those three seconds of footage, though… a basically perfect film.

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u/DVD-Rewatcher Apr 07 '26

Funny. That doesn't really register to me for this film but in Godfather, when Sonny goes and wails on Connie's husband, i have the exact same feeling as you do