The rise and fall of Henry Hill, who spent his childhood in Little Italy idolizing the local two-bit hoods, rose in their rackets, and lived the live (including having participated in the record setting Lufthansa heist) before resorting to drugs and turning government witness, the ultimate betrayal to his friends and associates. After repeated viewings and a more than passing familiarity with the movie, Goodfellas is still a completely engaging and perhaps the most watchable of all films as it takes a dead on eye level, blinders off, deglamourized riff on the mob. After once more taking the journey into this violent, yet often humorous and seductive territory through the lens of Scorsese's never resting camera, who worked with Nicolas Pilleggi in adapting the journalist's seemingly insider book Wiseguy, it hit me just how good some of the lesser heralded performances are in the movie (Pesci still steals the film), specifically the work of Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco, also doubling as narrators as they provide an outsider's and often bemused view of the lifestyle. The soundtrack also bears mentioning as a great collage with artists varying between, Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton, The Ronettes, The Rolling Stones, and Muddy Waters.
