ⓘ Details

Movie TitleGoodFellas

Release DateSeptember 19, 1990 in limited U.S. release / September 21, 1990 wide

TaglineThree decades of life in the mafia.

Runtime146 minutes / 2 hours 26 minutes

DirectorMartin Scorsese

Screenplay Written ByNicholas Pileggi and Martin Scorsese

Based OnNicholas Pileggi’s 1985 nonfiction book Wiseguy

Is It a Remake?No. GoodFellas is an adaptation of Wiseguy and the real-life story of Henry Hill.

BudgetApproximately $25 million

Box OfficeApprox. $47.1 million worldwide / approx. $46.9 million domestic

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👥 Main Cast

Ray LiottaHenry Hill

Robert De NiroJames “Jimmy the Gent” Conway

Joe PesciTommy DeVito

Lorraine BraccoKaren Hill

Paul SorvinoPaul Cicero

Frank SiveroFrankie Carbone

Tony DarrowSonny Bunz

Mike StarrFrenchy

Frank VincentBilly Batts

Chuck LowMorris Kessler

Frank DiLeoTuddy Cicero

Henny YoungmanHimself

Gina MastrogiacomoJanice Rossi

Catherine ScorseseTommy’s Mother

Samuel L. JacksonStacks Edwards

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🏆 Awards

⭐ Academy Award Winner — Best Supporting Actor, Joe Pesci

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Picture

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Director, Martin Scorsese

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Supporting Actress, Lorraine Bracco

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Adapted Screenplay, Nicholas Pileggi and Martin Scorsese

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Film Editing, Thelma Schoonmaker

⭐ BAFTA Winner — Best Film

⭐ BAFTA Winner — Best Direction, Martin Scorsese

⭐ BAFTA Winner — Best Adapted Screenplay

⭐ National Film Registry — Selected for preservation by the Library of Congress in 2000

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📖 Short Plot Summary

GoodFellas follows Henry Hill from his childhood obsession with neighborhood gangsters through his rise as a mob associate alongside Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito. At first, the life is all status, money, nightclubs, favors, and power. But as violence, paranoia, drug dealing, federal pressure, and betrayal take over, Henry’s glamorous criminal dream collapses into a frantic survival story where everyone is either being watched, hunted, or sold out.

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❝ Key Quotes

“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” — Henry Hill

“Funny how? Like I’m a clown?” — Tommy DeVito

“Never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut.” — Jimmy Conway

“Now go home and get your shine box.” — Billy Batts

“Everybody takes a beating sometime.” — Henry Hill

“I’m an average nobody.” — Henry Hill

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💡 Trivia

Director

GoodFellas was directed by Martin Scorsese.
Scorsese co-wrote the screenplay with Nicholas Pileggi, who wrote the nonfiction book Wiseguy.
The film uses voiceover, freeze frames, rapid editing, pop music, and long tracking shots to pull the viewer into Henry Hill’s seductive, dangerous world.
Scorsese won the Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival.
The movie is often ranked among the greatest gangster films ever made.

Cast / Casting

Ray Liotta stars as Henry Hill, giving the film its central point of view and narration.
Robert De Niro plays Jimmy Conway, a character inspired by real-life mobster Jimmy Burke.
Joe Pesci won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Tommy DeVito.
Lorraine Bracco received an Academy Award nomination for playing Karen Hill.
Martin Scorsese’s mother, Catherine Scorsese, appears as Tommy’s mother in the famous late-night dinner scene.

Soundtrack / Score

The film does not rely on a traditional original score.
Scorsese uses a massive collection of period pop, rock, soul, and doo-wop tracks to mark time and mood.
The music moves with Henry’s rise and fall, shifting from romantic nostalgia to frantic paranoia.
The “Layla” piano exit became one of the film’s most famous music cues.
The soundtrack is a key reason the film feels propulsive, seductive, and eventually out of control.

Location

The story is set primarily in New York, especially Brooklyn, Queens, and mob-connected neighborhoods around the city.
Filming took place in New York, New Jersey, and Long Island-area locations.
The Copacabana tracking shot is one of the most famous location-based sequences in Scorsese’s filmography.
The film’s restaurants, bars, airports, homes, and back rooms make the mob world feel both glamorous and claustrophobic.

Behind-The-Scenes

The film was produced by Irwin Winkler.
Thelma Schoonmaker edited the movie and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Film Editing.
The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival before its U.S. release.
Warner Bros. released the movie in the United States in September 1990.
Box Office Mojo lists the domestic gross at approximately $46.9 million, while many summaries list the total gross at about $47.1 million.

Nostalgia

GoodFellas became one of the defining crime films of the 1990s.
Its dialogue, soundtrack, freeze frames, narration, and sudden bursts of violence influenced decades of crime movies and television.
The “Funny how?” scene remains one of Joe Pesci’s most quoted movie moments.
The movie’s portrayal of gangster life is remembered not just for violence, but for the way it shows the appeal before revealing the rot underneath.
For many movie fans, it is the modern gangster film that sits right alongside The Godfather in the all-time conversation.

Easter Eggs

The film’s title stylization, GoodFellas, became part of its recognizable branding.
The movie is based on real-life mob associate Henry Hill and the people around him, though many names were changed.
Jimmy Conway is based on Jimmy Burke, while Tommy DeVito is based on Tommy DeSimone.
Several real-life mob-connected details from Wiseguy were adapted directly into the screenplay.
Samuel L. Jackson appears in a small but memorable early-career role as Stacks Edwards.

Misc.

GoodFellas is rated R.
The film was nominated for six Academy Awards and won Best Supporting Actor for Joe Pesci.
The Library of Congress selected GoodFellas for the National Film Registry in 2000.
The American Film Institute ranked GoodFellas among its top American films and among the top gangster films.
Your 3 Guys and a Flick ratings page lists GoodFellas as Episode 63, with Don rating it 5.00, Ken rating it 5.00, Jon rating it 4.00, and an overall rating of 4.67.

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