i’ve often heard that goodfellas is martin scorsese’s masterpiece, but while i was watching it, i didn’t really find it all that awe-inspiring. maybe it’s because i saw this movie so long after the initial hype surrounding it that i don’t fully appreciate the novelty it had at the time of its release.

what i did enjoy about the movie was the acting. ray liotta, robert de niro, and lorraine bracco do a phenomenal job in their roles. joe pesci was pretty good, too, although he was sort of the same crazy, murderous clown in home alone. everyone always oohs and aahs at de niro’s performances, but liotta here really stole the show; not that many people notice that he really is a great actor. furthermore, it’s amazing how many actors in this movie ended up in roles on the sopranos.

the story itself seemed a bit bland to me — been there, done that. i know it was based on a true story, but theatrically i didn’t think it was that special. what i don’t understand about italian mafia flicks is why italians always seem to embrace them without hesitation. do they appreciate the negative portrayal of italians, stereotyped almost always as criminals and gangsters? or do they just like the fact that italians are in roles of power, calling the shots, making important life-or-death decisions? personally, i hate the chinese movies that come out laden with asian stereotypes of triad gangsters and street racers. but that’s another story…