GoodFellas

GoodFellas has quietly become one of the more dependable crime dramas currently available in Australia on Amazon Prime Video, and in the UK on Sky Go and Now TV Cinema. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. An 8/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Robert De Niro leads a cast that carries the story without ever feeling mechanical. Available now on Amazon Prime Video — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

There is a reason GoodFellas keeps coming up in conversation. The plotting gives GoodFellas its backbone, but it is the characters you come back for. The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourhood gangsters at an early age and climbs the ranks of a Mafia family under the guidance of Jimmy Conway. Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta lead a cast that never lets the mystery feel thin. GoodFellas came out in 1990. The plot mechanics of GoodFellas never overwhelm the human cost underneath them. It rarely drops the ball, and when it does, it recovers fast.

For anyone who wants their crime drama to earn its twists, GoodFellas delivers. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Watch Robert De Niro work — it is a masterclass in the genre. Few crime dramas earn their twists this consistently.