Karen holds a gun. She is looking at Henry with a bewildered expression. She is standing on the front porch of her parents' house. Image via Warner Bros. Pictures By Conor Sheeran Published Oct 16, 2026, 12:06 AM EDT Conor Sheeran is a Movies and TV features writer for Collider. He has a deep passion for cinema and watches everything from the biggest blockbusters to the smallest indies. While he specializes in movies and television, he has also written about politics, culture, and sports throughout his career. Based in New York City, Conor is also a massive fan of the New York Jets, Mets, and Knicks. He is still waiting for any of those teams to bring home a championship in his lifetime. A member of the National Writers Union and the International Federation of Journalists, Conor is a strong proponent of press freedom and collective action.
on Google Preferred Source Google Discover Like Like follow Follow followed Followed Listen Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap While many directors have embraced the gangster genre as a means to tell stories of excess, danger, and criminality, few have managed to capture the allure and brutality of organized crime quite like Martin Scorsese . From early movies like Mean Streets to later works like The Departed and The Irishman , no one has examined the world of the Mafia and gangsters quite like him. He has spent decades exploring the criminal underworld, all while creating some of the most compelling characters, both real and fictional, in cinematic history. For all his success in the genre, it is perhaps his magnum opus, Goodfellas , that has had the most staying power, along with the crime genre's greatest opening scene. More than three decades since it premiered, Goodfellas remains one of the best movies ever made, thanks in no small part to its incredible performances, unforgettable soundtrack, and Scorsese's direction.
For all the movie's iconic moments, nothing quite captures the brilliance of Goodfellas — and the gangster genre in general — like its opening scene. Movies like Francis Ford Coppola's legendary The Godfather open by suggesting that organizations like the Mafia can help those pursuing justice, but Goodfellas doesn't waste time establishing that; despite what they tell themselves, gangsters are out for themselves alone. In just 13 words, Scorsese establishes the thesis of his masterpiece, a line so unforgettable it is still quoted to this day and introduces audiences to a man whose fascination with organized crime will ultimately be his undoing.
Ray Liotta as Henry Hill in the opening scene of Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas (1990) Image via Warner Bros. Pictures Robert De Niro as James "Jimmy" Conway smoking a cigarette during a bar scene in Goodfellas (1990) Image via Warner Bros. Lorraine Bracco in a leather jacket in 'Goodfellas' Image via Warner Bros. Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta, and Robert De Niro on screen together in Goodfellas (1990) Image via Warner Bros. Ray Liotta in 'Goodfellas' Image via Warner Bros. Close Ray Liotta as Henry Hill in the opening scene of Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas (1990) Image via Warner Bros. Pictures Robert De Niro as James "Jimmy" Conway smoking a cigarette during a bar scene in Goodfellas (1990) Image via Warner Bros. Lorraine Bracco in a leather jacket in 'Goodfellas' Image via Warner Bros. Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta, and Robert De…