Based on the book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, Goodfellas is arguably Martin Scorsese's masterpiece and came at a very crucial time in the filmmaker's career. Scorsese had been focusing on a very specific kind of filmmaking in the '80s, which involved experimenting with independent work, strengthening the depth of his narratives and prioritizing realism. However, some of Scorsese's best films are genre films and the director had to decide if he wanted to make more genre films by the time Goodfellas was on the table. Initially, Scorsese wasn't sure he wanted to do the film but ultimately found his own way into the material. Even though he embraced the genre conventions of the 1990 classic, Goodfellas is not strictly crafted by genre, and a big part of that is its non-fiction backdrop.

Goodfellas highlights the life and criminal history of Henry Hill, a New York-based Mafia soldier who rose...