Starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, and Paul Sorvino, the film narrates the rise and fall of Mafia associate Henry Hill and his friends and family from 1955 to 1980.

To prepare for their roles in the film, De Niro, Pesci and Liotta often spoke with Pileggi, who shared research material left over from writing the book.

In 2000, it was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress.

He begins working for local caporegime Paulie Cicero and his associates Jimmy Conway, an Irish-American truck hijacker and gangster, and Tommy DeVito, a fellow juvenile delinquent.

In 1970, Billy Batts, a made man in the Gambino crime family recently released from prison, insults Tommy at a nightclub owned by Henry.

Realizing that the unsanctioned murder of a made man would invite retribution, Jimmy, Henry, and Tommy bury the body in Upstate New York.

Jimmy organizes a crew to raid the Lufthansa vault at JFK Airport, stealing six million dollars in cash and jewelry.

After bailing him out, Karen explains that she flushed $60,000 worth of cocaine down the toilet to prevent FBI agents from finding it during their raid, leaving them penniless.

Henry gives sufficient testimony and evidence in court to have Paulie and Jimmy convicted, and moves to a nondescript neighborhood in accordance with the witness protection program.

[10] Martin Scorsese did not intend to make another Mafia film, but he saw a review of Pileggi's book, which he then read while working on The Color of Money in 1986.

[12] After reading the book, Scorsese knew what approach he wanted to take: "To begin Goodfellas like a gunshot and have it get faster from there, almost like a two-and-a-half-hour trailer.

[17] Scorsese and Pileggi collaborated on the screenplay, and over the course of the 12 drafts it took to reach the ideal script, the reporter realized "the visual styling had to be completely redone...

[3] Once Robert De Niro agreed to play Jimmy Conway, Scorsese was able to secure the money needed to make the film.

[22] To research her role, Lorraine Bracco tried to get close to a mob wife but was unable to due to the insular nature of Mafia communities.

"[29] Former EDNY prosecutor Edward A. McDonald appeared in the film as himself, re-creating the conversation he had with Henry and Karen Hill about joining the Witness Protection Program.

"[30] The film was shot on location in Queens, Upstate New York, New Jersey, and parts of Long Island during the spring and summer of 1989, with a budget of $25 million.

"[31] He added that the film's style came from the opening scenes of Jules and Jim: extensive narration, quick edits, freeze frames, and multiple locale switches.

[12] Bracco found the shoot to be an emotionally difficult one because of the male-dominated cast, and realized if she did not make her "work important, it would probably end up on the cutting room floor.

[3] Scorsese decided to film the sequence in one unbroken shot in order to symbolize that Henry's entire life was ahead of him, commenting, "It's his seduction of her [Karen] and it's also the lifestyle seducing him.

At two preview screenings in California, audiences were "agitated" by the sequence depicting Henry's final day as a gangster, which Scorsese argued was his and editor Thelma Schoonmaker's intention.

For example, he had "Layla" by Derek and the Dominos playing on the set while shooting the scene where the dead bodies are discovered in the car, dumpster, and meat truck.

The website's critics consensus reads, "Hard-hitting and stylish, GoodFellas is a gangster classic—and arguably the high point of Martin Scorsese's career.

"[48] In his review for the Chicago Tribune, Gene Siskel wrote, "All of the performances are first-rate; Pesci stands out, though, with his seemingly unscripted manner.

In his review for The New York Times, Vincent Canby wrote, "More than any earlier Scorsese film, Goodfellas is memorable for the ensemble nature of the performances...

There is flash also in some of Mr. Scorsese's directorial choices, including freeze frames, fast cutting and the occasional long tracking shot.

"[13] David Ansen, in his review for Newsweek magazine, wrote "Every crisp minute of this long, teeming movie vibrates with outlaw energy.

In 2012, the Motion Picture Editors Guild listed Goodfellas as the fifteenth best-edited film of all time based on a survey of its membership.

"[74] Indeed, the film shares a total of 27 actors with The Sopranos,[75] including Bracco, Sirico, Imperioli, Pellegrino, Lip, and Vincent, who all had major roles in Chase's HBO series.

This milestone was celebrated with Henry Hill hosting a private screening for a select group of invitees at the Museum of the American Gangster, in New York City.

[79] In 2014, the ESPN-produced 30 for 30 documentary series debuted Playing for the Mob, depicting the point shaving scandal orchestrated by Hill, his Pittsburgh associates, and several Boston College men's basketball players during the 1978–79 season.