Anyone who's seen Goodfellas knows why Ray Liotta's death last week was big news. It remains one of the greatest films ever made, a miracle of composition and editing. Tight as a drum, perfectly crafted, and it feels absolutely natural. Liotta's performance is key to that natural feeling. Being one of two narrators alongside Lorraine Bracco, Liotta adopted a conversational tone, really sounding like he was Henry Hill just telling you the facts, giving you his reasons, with all the instinct of a natural storyteller.
His eyes seemed to cut right through the screen, bringing focus to a dizzy tavern party or to a messy living room, neglected by drug addicts. He always kept you anchored right with Henry Hill's point of view, making you understand just exactly why a kid would go through life as a gangster, even with its attendant horrors.
Despite the greatness of this performance, Liotta somehow never found another film that connected on anything like the level of Goodfellas. The Place Beyond the Pines was pretty good. Blow wasn't really bad. But whatever his track record since, Goodfellas alone is a far greater legacy than most people could ever hope for.
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