Goodfellas | 100 Movies Bucket List

 

This was a first-time watch, and one that I'd been expecting and highly anticipating!

When I hear the phrase 'classic movies', my mind goes to Scorsese almost instantly. And as I've seen quite a few Scorsese movies now, this was one I was really hoping would be on a bucket list (not that I wouldn't have watched it anyway!).

I really liked this movie.

It was interesting to see this world from an outsider point of view. We are aligned with Henry from the very beginning, we learn things as he does, and we feel a connection to him that carries through the entire film.

The cast is amazing. Scorsese tends to use the same cast for multiple movies and it works really well, especially in similarly-themed movies. Ray Liotta was perfect in this role (as was Christopher Serrone who played the younger Henry), and the supporting cast does a great job of assisting in the telling of this story. Everyone feels so authentic in their roles, which adds to the realism of the film as a whole.

The chemistry between the characters is great - especially with Liotta and Lorraine Bracco. They worked so well together, their relationship felt real and I just loved seeing them together.

One thing that really surprised me was the soundtrack. I didn't expect so many recognisable songs, and I didn't expect them to work so well in the film. When you think of a gangster movie, you don't really think about music (or I don't at least). 

But the music choices were so interesting - there are different genres, different themes that not only fit seamlessly into the world of the film, but also into each specific scene they're used in. It's clear that the song choices were really carefully considered, and this pays off because the music stands out in the best way.

The story itself is really compelling. The events aren't too dissimilar to a variety of other gangster movies, but the writing in this one is what makes it stand out. I particularly thought the ending was great.

While this isn't my favourite Scorsese movie, I had a great time with it, and I'm really glad I've finally seen it! It's definitely one of the more classic movies on the list.