‘Greatest gangster movie ever made’ is ‘better than The Godfather’

If you asked 100 people what the best gangster film of all time is, there’s a strong chance that at least half of them would answer with The Godfather, before then going on to debate whether The Godfather Part One or Part Two was the better of the two.

But there’s another gangster film that many consider to be even greater — and it was made nearly 20 years after the Francis Ford Coppola classic.

It includes some of the best lines in the history of cinema, spoken by stars like Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco. There are also appearances from the likes of Michael Imperioli and Tony Sirico (both of whom went on to television superstardom with The Sopranos) and even Samuel L Jackson, who was yet to be propelled to the Hollywood A-list by Pulp Fiction.

It also included real-life criminals, like Louis Eppolito, a former NYPD officer who carried out at least eight contract killings for the mafia.

The film, if you haven’t figured it out by now, is, of course, Goodfellas. Made in 1990, it has a 94% rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and 8.7 out of 10 on IMDB.

It tells the story of real-life Italian mobsters in and around New York City in the 1970s and 1980s and revolves in particular around the life of Henry Hill, the gangster-turned-informant who inspired the film and opens it with the iconic line: “As far back as I can remember I always wanted to be a gangster.”

(The real Henry Hill was put into the Witness Protection Programme after becoming an FBI informant but was kicked out for repeatedly revealing his true identity and for continuing his illegal activities.)

The film depicts Hill’s relationship with other mafia members like James Burke (called Jimmy Conway in the film and played by Robert De Niro) and Thomas DeSimone (played by Joe Pesci), both of whom were associates of the Lucchese crime family, one of New York’s so-called “five families” who dominated organised crime in the city.

Although the film, directed by Martin Scorsese, was beaten to the best picture Oscar by Dances With Wolves, it has been hailed as an all-time classic film in the 35 years since its release.

“Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas is both a wildly entertaining gangster movie and a sobering cautionary tale warning against a life of crime,” says Ben Sherlock in Screen Rant, while David Denby writing for New York magazine says it is “the greatest film ever made about the sensual and monetary lure of crime, and the whole perversely brilliant movie comes into focus in a single, staggering shot”.

Hal Lipper in the Tampa Bay Times called it “an unparalleled achievement, the most chilling and savagely droll account of mob life ever recorded on film”.

But how does it compare to another all-time gangster movie great, The Godfather? Well, The Godfather does score marginally higher on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB, with 97% and 9.2 out of 10 respectively. So at least it seems that most people can agree on the fact that they are both outstanding films.

But writing in The Independent in 2020 on the 30th anniversary of Goodfellas’ release, Ed Power says it is “a masterpiece” and “still the greatest gangster movie ever made”. But his reason why is interesting. Detailing how the film set a record for the number of f-bombs (more than 300), Power says “it is also uproarious to watch and often hilarious”.

“That is arguably why it eclipses The Godfather Parts One and Two and Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America,” he says.

“These are important, austere gangster epics, caught up in their own tragic grandeur. Goodfellas is, by contrast, a hoot, a caper, a romp. Many of its best scenes are essentially comic. Morris ‘Morrie’ Kessler’s gonzo wig commercials. The exasperation of Henry’s mob pals as he separates from his wife. Hill’s cocaine-fuelled paranoia in the movie’s closing third. Scorsese understood the best way to reel in an audience into this dark and unpleasant world was with jokes and absurdist riffs.”

He adds that the film “took all sorts of risks”. In cinema previews of the film, audience members had walked out in the opening scene in which Tommy stabs Billy Batts where he lies in the boot of the car. Scorsese agreed to reduce the number of times Bats was stabbed.

Although Goodfellas was nominated for six Oscars, it won just one: Joe Pesci for best supporting actor.

Goodfellas is available on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and Google Play for £3.49. It is also available with a Now premium subscription.