Martin Scorsese may not have invented the gangster movie, but he has undoubtedly set the bar for the tough guy genre. And while he’s contributed some of the genre’s greatest entries going back to the earliest days of his career with movies like 1973’s Mean Streets, 1995’s Casino, 2002’s Gangs of New York, and 2006’s The Departed (which won the legendary director his sole Oscar), there’s no arguing the simple fact that 1990’s GoodFellas is his crowning achievement. And the kind of movie to which all other gangster films aspire.
As the big-screen adaptation of the life of gangster-turned-rat Henry Hill celebrates its 25th anniversary, we’re offering up 25 Reasons Why GoodFellas Is the Definitive Mob Movie of Our Time.