Good companions is widely considered to be one of Martin Scorsese’s best gangster films and has broken a very specific and fitting record in Scorsese’s career. Despite having explored different genres in his films, Martin Scorsese is best known for his gangster films, and one of the most praised is Good companions. Based on the non-fiction book Smart guyby Nicholas Pileggi, Good companions chronicles the rise and fall of mob associate Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), from his days running errands for Paul Cicero’s (Paul Sorvino) crew to becoming an FBI informant.
In the midst of this, Henry Hill became very close to some notable mafia names, such as Jimmy “The Gent” Conway (Robert De Niro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci). Together, they committed a variety of crimes, including the planning, execution, and deadly consequences of the 1978 Lufthansa robbery. Good companions was praised for its story, direction, cast and more, and is considered one of the best films ever made – and it also broke a lesser-known but very fitting record in Scorsese’s career, thanks to one specific word.
Goodfellas used the F-word 300 times
Goodfellas wasn’t afraid to use strong language
Given the themes and topics in Good companionsit is not surprising that there is strong language in this. It is even expected that a film about the true story of an ex-mobster will use words that may be controversial and others that, even though they are commonly used, may be too much for some viewers. Scorsese and Pileggi had no problem using the F-word as many times as they felt necessary in Good companionstaking him to break the record for most swear words used in a Scorsese film with 300.
While it may seem excessive when you see the number of times the F word has been used in Good companionsthe truth is that It makes sense within the story and doesn’t seem to be used that often when watching films. Characters like Tommy DeVito, being impulsive and aggressive, had to use colorful language in almost every interaction they had, which also brings more realism to the story of Henry Hill and company. The most-used F-words may not be a career high many filmmakers would like, but they are part of the essence of a gangster film like Good companions.
The Wolf of Wall Street Now Has the Highest F-Word Count of Scorsese’s Career
23 years later, the Wolf of Wall Street was louder than Goodfellas
Good companionsThe swearing record was broken five years later by another gangster film in Scorsese’s filmography. In 1995, Scorsese brought Casinobased on the non-fiction book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegasalso written by Pileggi. Casino is the story of Sam “Ace” Rothstein (De Nito), a gambling expert hired by the Chicago Outfit to oversee the daily casino and hotel operations at Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas. Casino was a critical success, although it did not receive as much praise as Good companions.
Casino has a total of 422 words with Fand held the record for the highest F-word count in Scorsese’s 18-year career. The record was broken in 2013 by The Wolf of Wall Streetbased on Jordan Belfort’s 2007 memoir of the same name. The Wolf of Wall Street tells the story of Belfort and his career as a stockbroker in New York City, including the corruption and fraud committed by his firm on Wall Street.
The Wolf of Wall Street has an F-word count of 569occupying third place on the list of films with the most use of this word. At the time of writing, the film with the highest F-word count is the 2014 black comedy. Swearnet: The Moviewith 935, and it remains to be seen whether there will be a film that goes beyond that in an organic way.
Goodfellas is a 1990 crime film starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Ray Liotta. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese and describes the life and times of mobster Henry Hill. It is based on the book Wiseguy, written by Nicholas Pileggi.
- Release date
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September 21, 1990
- Execution time
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145 minutes