Today in History – ‘Goodfellas’ premieres

CAIRO – 19 September 2017: September 19, 2017 is the 27th anniversary of Martin Scorsese’s Mafia masterpiece, “Goodfellas” starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, and Joe Pesci.

Based on the non-fiction book “Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family” by Nicholas Pileggi, the film follows Henry Hill, a former mafia who turned to the FBI as an informant. It follows his life from the beginning, chronicling his rise and fall within the mafia underworld.

Played by Liotta, Hill enters the world of crime as a teenager, growing closer to members of the local mob family by running errands until mob leader Paul Sorvino (Paul Cicero) decides to take him under his wing.

Hill’s loyalty to the family ensures he’d rather go to jail than rat out on anyone, which wins him favor amongst the mafia, where Hill works under James “Jimmy the Gent” Conway (De Niro) and Tommy DeVito (Pesci) to carry out crimes.

Ranked as one of the greatest crime films of all time, “Goodfellas” has become a cultural landmark and has received utmost critical praise, winning an Oscar and six other Academy Award nominations.

In 2000, the film was added to the National Film Registry on merits of being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”