Goodfellas
Movie, 1990, The '90s, Set in Henry Hill's mob years
Goodfellas is #12 of 26 in release order and #12 of 26 in chronological order in the Martin Scorsese.
The story
The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourhood gangsters at an early age and climbs the ranks of a Mafia family under the guidance of Jimmy Conway.
Goodfellas recap
Goodfellas (1990) follows Henry Hill from his teenage errands for the mob in 1950s Brooklyn to his drug-fueled collapse in 1980. Martin Scorsese directs and co-wrote the script with Nicholas Pileggi, based on Pileggi's book Wiseguy. Ray Liotta plays Henry, Robert De Niro plays the hijacker Jimmy Conway, Joe Pesci plays the volatile Tommy DeVito, Paul Sorvino plays the capo Paul Cicero, and Lorraine Bracco plays Henry's wife Karen. Henry starts parking cars for Paulie's crew and becomes a career thief, stealing from trucks at Idlewild Airport. Tommy beats a made man, Billy Batts, almost to death in Henry's club; they finish him in the woods and later have to dig him up. Henry keeps a mistress and serves prison time for an extortion job in Tampa, then builds a cocaine business behind Paulie's back. Jimmy pulls the Lufthansa heist and kills the crew to stop them talking, and Tommy is killed instead of being made. Twelfth of the 26 films listed, it falls between The Last Temptation of Christ and Cape Fear.
Goodfellas ending explained
Goodfellas ends with Henry arrested on a frantic day of drug deals in 1980, paranoid and high, and Karen flushing their cocaine. Paulie cuts him loose with $3,200. Sure that Jimmy plans to kill him, Henry enters the witness protection program and testifies against Paulie and Jimmy. In the last scene he steps out of a plain suburban house to pick up the paper, complaining that now he has to live like a schnook. Onscreen text notes the real Henry Hill's later arrests and Paulie's death in prison.
Post-credits scenes
No. Goodfellas has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Goodfellas
Goodfellas isn't on a US streaming service right now. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 8.7/10, Rotten Tomatoes 93%
Where it fits
- Release order: after The Last Temptation of Christ, before Cape Fear.
- Chronological order: after The Last Temptation of Christ, before Cape Fear.
Cast
- Robert De Niro as James Conway
- Ray Liotta as Henry Hill
- Joe Pesci as Tommy DeVito
- Lorraine Bracco as Karen Hill
- Paul Sorvino as Paul Cicero
- Frank Sivero as Frankie Carbone
- Tony Darrow as Sonny Bunz
- Mike Starr as Frenchy
- Frank Vincent as Billy Batts
- Chuck Low as Morris Kessler
- Frank DiLeo as Tuddy Cicero
- Henny Youngman as Henny Youngman
Directed by Martin Scorsese.