Warner Bros. Pictures
Martin Scorsese’s modern classic Goodfellas has arrived on a special edition 25th anniversary Blu-ray. A true masterpiece and arguably the greatest work by one of America’s greatest directors, Goodfellas holds up as one of the best films of all time. What was true in 1990 is still true today. From top to bottom, Goodfellas is an amazing film. Iconic performances from De Niro, Liotta, and Pesci, the amazing shots, many of which set the bar for all that would follow, and who could forget the amazing use of music throughout. If somehow you haven’t already seen this film, stop reading and immediately go buy it and watch it now. For the other 99% of you, read on.
The 25th anniversary set includes all the special features that were available on earlier editions, plus an all new documentary interviewing the director, cast and other notable Scorsese collaborators, as well as a 36 page photo book and a letter from the director. The new documentary is interesting, it runs about 30 minutes and is full of some interesting stories, some of which were touched on in the old features included on the set. The original DVD features covered pretty much anything and everything anyone would want to know about Goodfellas, and while the new feature is nice, it’s just gravy on an already filling helping of behind-the-scenes info. The photo book is very nice but after flipping through it once it’s doubtful you’ll return to it, and the included letter from Mr. Scorsese is nice. As always you can feel the passion of cinema behind his words. Also bizarrely included on the features disc are several classic Warner Brothers cartoon shorts dealing with gangsters. WB has made a habit with many of its Blu-ray releases to include cartoon episodes or shorts that are peripherally related to the main feature but here it feels more out of place than any other set.
This release promotes the fact that it is a brand new 1080p transfer from a 4K scan of the original negative. While the film looks good, great even, it doesn’t look any better than any number of other Blu-ray releases of films from the same time, deep blacks, and a little film grain but crisp and full of rich color. The mention of 4K seems like more of a cash in on those who don’t know much about technical aspects of A/V equipment and will assume that 4K = better. It definitely looks better than the past DVD and even more recent Blu-ray releases but not to any extreme degree. The audio sounds great, well balanced and full sound. Over all a great quality transfer.
For those who already own the film on previously released DVD or Blu-ray editions, this set might not offer enough to warrant another purchase but if you’re a very technical type who really knows the difference between a good transfer and a great one, this set is right up your alley. For those who somehow haven’t picked it up yet or just have to have everything, it is a well done and very complete set for a wonderful film.
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