A nearly flawless masterpiece. Even the oversights, like neglecting to mention that protagonist Henry Hill has a brother he helps care for until he figures into the narrative late in movie, seem somehow part of the intentional texture of the third act momentum. Liotta Is note perfect throughout, swinging from deferential to authoritative to manic with shocking ease. (He also delivers what may be the best voice over in history? That's a low bar, I know, but this one is actually good.)

There’s also a montage where Scorsese shows us a sequence of murdered wise guys that’s like a true cinematic ballet, a masterful combination of tumbling bodies, slow zooms, crane shots and startlingly brutal visuals…it takes my breath away every time.