Goodfellas

CrimeDrama 146 min Masterpiece Blockbuster Era

Henry Hill's memoir of 30 years in the Irish-Italian mob — from street kid to state witness.

Budget

$25M

Box Office

$47M

ROI

1.9×

Why It Matters

The kinetic editing and voiceover narration set the template for every crime film since. 'As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.'

Historical Context

Reagan-era materialism at its most seductive — the mob as aspirational lifestyle before the fall.

Historical Forces at Play

AIDS Crisis · 1981

As the AIDS epidemic destroyed creative communities in New York and Los Angeles, it changed how cinema depicted death, the body, and queer life — from Philadelphia to Longtime Companion.