The Director's Series: Martin Scorsese, No. 5

 


Throughout 2025 I'm turning my focus to Directors. They help craft the vision on screen that makes a movie work. This year I'm looking at five favorite films from 18 directors I admire and 10 films directed by different women that I have enjoyed. Join me Fridays and Saturdays throughout 2025 as we take this journey.

Goodfellas (1990)
Starring: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, and Paul Sorvino
Director: Martin Scorsese
About: Scorsese is a varied and prolific director. He continues today, but his roots go back to the 1960s. He's delivered a number of fascinating films. So, narrowing it down can be tricky. But for the final film in my Top 5, I had to go with one of his classics in Goodfellas. This is a quintessential mobster film and it's really well crafted. I love the drama and the way it's put together. The performances are strong, too, and there are some iconic moments. Liotta does some of his best work here as Henry Hill, the main character. But it's a great cast that is one of the more interesting modern mobster films. That's part of the reason this earned him a nomination for Best Director. It would be a few years before he'd win, but his filmography is incredible.

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