Goodfellas
Directed by Martin Scorsese
1990
Scorsese stated that the film's style comes from the first two or three minutes of Jules and Jim: extensive narration, quick edits, freeze frames, and multiple locale switches. It was this reckless attitude towards convention that mirrored the attitude of many of the gangsters in the film.
The long tracking shot through the Copacabana nightclub came about because of a practical problem: the filmmakers could not get permission to go in the short way, and this forced them to go round the back.
Two weeks in advance of the filming, the real Henry Hill was paid $480,000. Later, Liotta met him in an undisclosed city; Hill had seen the film and told the actor that he loved it.
More than any earlier Scorsese film, Goodfellas is memorable for the ensemble nature of the performances... The movie has been beautifully cast from the leading roles to the bits. There is flash also in some of Mr. Scorsese's directorial choices, including freeze frames, fast cutting and the occasional long tracking shot. None of it is superfluous. - Vincent Canby
No finer film has ever been made about organized crime – not even The Godfather. - Roger Ebert
In 2012, the Motion Picture Editors Guild listed Goodfellas as the fifteenth best-edited film of all time.