Rating: 
Summary: Ray Liotta's Oscar-Caliber Performance
Review: This movie has got to be one of Martin Scorsese's best. It ranks right up there with "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull". I have always thought of Martin Scorsese as of the best directors we have today. He always seems to a have a great attention to detail and always directs his actors/actresses into giving tour-de-force performances. The film won both Best Picture and Best Director awards from the New York Film Critics as well as numerous Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Pesci) and Best Supporting Actress (Bracco).The entire cast is exceptional, including Joe Pesci in his Oscar-winning role. I was very surprised that Ray Liotta never received an Oscar nomination for his performance. I thought he turned in one the best performances of that year. And Robert DeNiro.......what can I say except that he's Robert DeNiro, one of the finest actors working today. He has such a great scene towards the end of the film where he just finds out that Joe Pesci's character has been killed. He is devastated and in such pain that he tries to hold it all inside. Watching him try not to cry in that scene is remarkable. And Oscar-nominee Lorraine Bracco has many great moments in the film including angrily confronting her husband's mistress through an apartment lobby phone and holding a loaded gun to her husband's face over his infidelity. The soundtrack is another wonderful aspect of the film. Every single song was probably specifically chosen for a particular scene in the film. One of the disappointing things about this DVD is that it's not packed with extra's such as documentaries, director's commentary, deleted scenes, etc. It hardly has anything. In the future I hope they produce a Special Collector's Edition. If you haven't seen this film then you don't know what you're missing. It is a must-see !!
Rating: 
Summary: Cannot top this movie but the DVD extras are lacking
Review: Well as far as the movie itself goes it is my all time favorite. Its the best mob film ever and all the people who disagree and say the Godfather is does not appreciate the honesty of this movie. The Godfather is excellent but it is not Goodfellas. For one thing it is a true story and really exposes the sleezy side of the mob but it is also very cool. I have read Wiseguy by Nicholas Peliggi many times, from which this movie is based, but this is one instance where the movie is better than the book. Usually it is not that way. Martin Scorcese did a masterpiece in shooting this film. Just that long drawn out scene when Henry and Karen go into the restaurant the back way on their first date is just amazing because it is done in all one shot! The cast is amazing! In fact it was so amazing I guess that is why 7 of the actors have shown up in the best TV show of all time;The Sopranos, either as lead or supporting cast or extras! I can honestly say I have seen this movie well over 80 times, maybe a hundred and it is always entertaining. The dialogue, especially Joe Pesci's (Tommy) part is great. DeNiro (Jimmy the Gent) really shows why he is an all time favorite and Ray Liotta (Henry) is great as a newcomer which he was in this movie and I have always wondered why he didn't go on to great things after this. Obviously this was his role of a lifetime to date! This movie is a drama but it also has a lot of humor in it too. This movie is almost 15 years old but when you watch it you would never know it. Its so precise on detail it could have been made 6 months ago.
The way Scorcese covers all 3 decades is awesome. He gets every single detail right with clothing, sets, and cars! The soundtrack fits as well and the soundtrack is awesome too!
Now as far as the Special Edition DVD goes I really wish this DVD had a little more and now I have the original and now this as well as my OLD VHS!! Although the picture quality is awesome and the movie will never be anything but, I think it could have been done a little better. I did enjoy the Henry Hill commentary and thats about it. The documentary where filmmakers gave their viewpoints I could care less about and the commentary with the cast is dated! All in all I rate this DVD a 4 and thats only because the movie makes up for the extras!
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