All of the performances are first-rate; Pesci stands out, though, with his seemingly unscripted manner. GoodFellas is easily one of the year's best films. [21 September 1990, Friday, p.C]
100
Mr. Showbiz
Mr. Showbiz
Director Martin Scorsese's spectacular, irreverent picture.
100
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Martin Scorsese scores again with his gritty, kinetic adaptation of Nicolas Pileggi's best-selling "Wiseguy."
100
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Stunningly acted. [21 September 1990, The Arts, p.12]
100
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
No finer film has ever been made about organized crime - not even "The Godfather."
100
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Washington PostDesson Thomson
One of Martin Scorsese's most brutal but stunning movies, an incredible, relentless experience about the singleminded pursuit of crime.
100
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Ferocious brutality is presented without commentary or judgment, yet with unmistakable moral understanding and vision. [21 September 1990, Daily Notebook p.E-1]
90
Film.comJohn Hartl
Film.comJohn Hartl
An appalling masterpiece.
70
Variety
Variety
Simultaneously fascinating and repellent, Goodfellas is Martin Scorsese's colorful but dramatically unsatisfying inside look at Mafia life in 1955-1980 New York City.
50
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
Scorsese's style, fierce as it is, doesn't accomplish what he clearly expected of it. Often, in many arts, fresh treatment can redeem familiar subjects, but it doesn't happen here. [Oct 22, 1990]