As “Goodfellas” gets underway we see a trio of yet-to-be-introduced characters stab and shoot a man in cold blood in the backseat of a car, circa 1970. The movie then flashes back to 1955 to show us, through the eyes of a young and impressionable Henry Hill, how a kid could idolize and be seduced by the luxury and respect brought upon by joining the mobbed-up business in front of his Brooklyn apartment run by Paul Cicero (Paul Sorvino). By letting the audience in on the troubled times that lay ahead for young Henry Hill 15 years into the future writer/director Martin Scorsese plants the seeds of reality that will eventually intrude into Henry’s fairytale-like rise from rags-to-riches in the Italian-American mob. It’s a time-shifting cinematic technique that Quentin Tarantino would turn into an art form in his movies, but which Scorsese employed first back in 1990 to give “Goodfellas” one mother of a powerful opening sequence. It sets the tone for the 143 minutes that follow, which will most likely fly by the audience faster than any other 145 min. motion picture they’ve ever seen.

Being half-Irish (meaning he can never be fully ‘made’ into a member of the ‘family’) doesn’t stop the grown-up Hill (played by Ray Liotta in his breakthrough role) to associating with legendary tough guy Jimmy ‘The Gent’ Conway (Robert DeNiro) and hotheaded bully Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci in a tour-de-force Academy Award winning performance). Together and their associates (who are memorably introduced in Ch. 9, a scene that has made the phrase ‘I’m gonna get the papers, get the papers’ a popular catchphrase) Henry, Jimmy and Tommy commit all sorts of brutal crimes, steal millions of dollars in cash and merchandise, become incredibly wealthy and get connected to the right people. As indicated in the opening scene of the movie though, Tommy’s violent outburst against a made man from the Gambino family named Billy Batts (Frank Vincent) and a poor kid named Spider (Michael Imperioli) eventually lead to his, and his friends, downfall into the world of drug dealing and using. And yes, I realize how ironic it is that the two characters that Joe Pesci kills in “Goodfellas” went on to become cast members for HBO’s “The Sopranos”! :-)

Henry and his wife Karen Hill (Lorraine Bracco), a Jewish gal that’s attached to her husband despite his rampant cheating and abusive behavior, survive a long stint in prison by the former and complacency of her husband’s crimes by the latter. Only when Henry’s connections with the Lufthansa heist (Ch. 33) results in a pile-up of dead associates and his own drug consumption catches up to him (Ch. 40’s classic ‘Sunday May 11th, 1980’ montage) do the tables turn and Hill desperately tries to survive long enough to remain alive. By the end of “Goodfellas” has become the very thing he mocked early in his life as a tough guy: a paycheck-earning ‘schnook’ with a 9-to-5 job that gets no respect. At least he and his wife (whom the real life Henry Hill separated from in 1989) got out of the criminal life alive and in one piece. All of Henry’s associates (Jimmy, Pauley, Tommy, etc.) were either killed or died of old age in prison.

The crown jewel of the “Martin Scorsese Collection” Box Set, “Goodfellas” has been one of the most requested DVD double-dips for what seems like ages. The story of how Henry Hill rises from childhood obscurity to foot soldier in the most powerful organized crime family of New York (and then back to being a nobody) is fertile ground for director Martin Scorsese (“Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull,” etc.) to explore his obsession with strong men that deal with adversity in ways brought about by their upbringing, surroundings and innate self-doubts. It’s also jam-packed with lots of quotable lines peppered with amusingly profane dialogue (Joe Pesci’s classic ‘Funny Like A Clown’ scene in Ch. 10), cinematically interesting shots (the 4 min. unbroken shot of Henry and Karen walking into the Copacabana club in Ch. 13) and well-chosen music choices (Eric Clapton’s ‘Layla,’ Jerry Vale’s ‘Pretend You Don’t See Me,’ The Who’s ‘The Magic Bus,’ Sid Vicious’ punk rendition of ‘My Way,’ etc.). All that, a well-told story, brutal killings (a must for any good mobster flick) and Henny Youngman in the flesh (circa 1989) performing his classic one-liners! What more could anyone ask for?

Scripted by Scorsese and ‘Wiseguy’ author Nicholas Pileggi (with Henry Hill nearby as a consultant) “Goodfellas” is a rollercoaster ride filled with graphic violence, foul language and powerful acting by a cast of stars (DeNiro, Pesci, etc.) and then-unknown actors (Bracco, Liotta, Sorvino, Vincent Gallo, etc.) that went on to become big stars themselves following the critical success of the movie. It also set an early example for shows like “The Sopranos” and movies like “Analyze This” to juxtapose dark humor and shocking violence to complement a well-told story and good acting. Like the aforementioned “Sopranos” TV show, “Goodfellas” also gets a lot of mileage out of the lack of mobster movies/TV shows dealing with the foot soldiers of organized crime. Plenty of movies deal with the rise and fall of the leaders of the organized crime (“Scarface,” “Gotti,” “The Godfather” trilogy, etc.) but few offer as insightful, entertaining and scary look into the belly of the beast as this flick did back in 1990.

This movie also marks a sad milestone for film fans the world over. 14 years after its release “Goodfellas” continues to be regarded by many (yours truly included) as the last great movie that Scorsese has directed. “Kundun”? “Gangs of New York”? That Nicholas Cage movie in which he races around New York in an ambulance (“Bringing Up The Dead”)? Boring, mediocre and lacking (in no particular order!), and all three shadows of the greatness that Scorsese exhibits in the first 15 minutes of “Goodfellas” alone. Where has the Martin Scorsese of “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull” and “The Last Temptation of Christ” gone? :-(