[REVIEW] Goodfellas 25th Anniversary Blu-Ray

Most everything you could want is on Blu-Ray by now, if not via special treatment, most of our favourites are probably up there.  Goodfellas is a classic movie but never really got anything special put out there on Blu-Ray, just some bare-ish releases with an unremarkable transfer.  Fittingly, for its 25th anniversary Warner Bros gave the movie a dignified release.  A classy two disc celebration with cast members and famous faces not even associated with the movie showing up to pat the movie on the back.  Best of all, it has been given a 4k remaster.  The movie has never looked or sounded this good.

Goodfellas may be the seminal Martin Scorcese work.  I think it’s certainly his best gangster movie, the best edited, the most refined and well cast.  It’s really not an exaggeration to put this 1990 classic up there with the first two Godfathers and The Sopranos.  Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci put in a career best as the former’s aspiring gangster’s career is tracked from beginning to end, with three dimensional scope.  Before Tony Soprano’s ‘everyman’ Don there was Ray Liotta’s layman thug Henry Hill, who it’s nigh on impossible not to root for.  It is essential Scorcese and presented at the apex of his skills as a craftsman and artist.  To me, his work since has slipped with Casino being great, Gangs of New York being good and The Wolf of Wall St being trash.  Looking back, Goodfellas ages perfectly, it’s such a classic.

After the woeful and almost downright insulting ’25th anniversary’ release of Tremors recently, this one comes as a breath of fresh air.  Starting with the packaging.  It’s presented in a slick cardboard case, with sturdy yet glossy material being used.  Not one of those cereal box covers, it feels like it’ll last ten years and still look new.  Then inside is a letter from Martin Scorcese to his fans, he talks about the movie and thanks us for our support – already, this is feeling like a dedicated and sincere release.  Then there’s a thick booklet of rare pictures, making of trivia and more.

Inside the case of this two disc release is the movie itself and extras.  The film, remastered in 4k, looks about as fresh and breezy as you’ll ever remember, but still boasting depth and deep colours, without having an aggressive constrast.  There’s a nice grain layer there too, maintaining a natural look.  The extras are impressive, with multiple documentaries exploring the history and making of the movie.  Showing up to the celebration are the majority of the main players of the cast and some big names who weren’t involved, such as Leonardo DiCaprio.  Best of all, it’s all new, to me anyway.

If you haven’t gotten around to it, now is the time to buy Goodfellas on Blu-Ray.  It’s tier-one manly.