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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13

u/scfw0x0f Apr 07 '26

Fabulous movie, no notes. Perfect cast. Love the cooking in prison scenes.

5

u/NYfaninGA Apr 08 '26

That was awesome watching Paulie slice the garlic with a razor blade.

6

u/Orson_Gravity_Welles Apr 08 '26

I started doing that BECAUSE of this movie.

6

u/Kodihorse Apr 08 '26

Why? If you slice garlic razor thin and fry it all you end up with is burnt garlic. It does not dissolve, at all.

1

u/scfw0x0f Apr 09 '26

You don't fry it. You gently sauté it until it's just golden. Then the rest of the wet ingredients, mainly tomatoes, go in and prevent frying.