Total Film critics crown Scorsese epic the Don of crime films
22/06/09– Movie experts have named GoodFellas the greatest gangster movie ever made, in a new poll carried out for the UK’s influential Total Film magazine.
Film critics were asked to create a list of the top 30 gangster movies as fans await the highly anticipated Public Enemies – starring Johnny Depp as one of America’s most notorious criminals, John Dillinger, and Christian Bale as FBI Agent Melvin Purvis.
GoodFellas, the 1990 film directed by Martin Scorsese stars Ray Liotta and Robert De Niro. It tells the real-life story of Henry Hill, and his pivotal role in the New York mob in the 1960s and 1970s. Highly acclaimed, GoodFellas won 32 Awards – including a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Joe Pesci.
Total Film’s greatest gangster movies
1. GoodFellas
2. The Godfather: Part II
3. Army in the Shadows
4. The Godfather
5. Heat
6. Reservoir Dogs
7. Miller’s Crossing
8. Once Upon a Time in America
9. Scarface (De Palma)
10. Pulp Fiction
In the critics’ poll, GoodFellas narrowly beat Godfather: Part Two into second position, closely followed by criminally underseen French classic Army in the Shadows in third and The Godfather in fourth. Also in the top 10 were Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs.
The list sees the legendary Al Pacino and Robert De Niro proving themselves as the undisputed kings of crime cinema – with both actors appearing in six of the top 30 gangster movies, jointly appearing in Godfather: Part II and sharing a scene for the first-time in the 1995 cops’n’robbers movie, Heat.
Jamie Graham, Deputy Editor of Total Film said:
“GoodFellas splices an incredible true-life story of the rise-and-fall of an American gangster with breathless stylistic brio. It demystifies the inner workings of the mob and pulses with violence, humour and energetic action. Loved by critics and public alike, it out-muscled the Godfather movies to take the number one position in the Total Film poll.”
The full rundown of the 30 greatest gangster movies of all-time appears in the latest issue of Total Film magazine, on sale Wednesday, 24th June with a cover price of £3.99.
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