Iconic actor and Emmy-winner Ray Liotta has tragically passed away. Here are his best 5 movies, in honour of his passing.
Liotta was sixty-seven and died in his sleep while filming the upcoming movie, Dangerous Waters in the Dominican Republic. It has not been announced yet what Liotta died of, but there is no suspicion of foul play.
In honour of the legendary actor, we’ve rounded up the five best Ray Liotta movies. We highly recommend watching at least one of them this weekend as a tribute – we certainly will.
5. Something Wild
6.9 IMDb score, stars Jeff Daniels, Melanie Griffith & Ray Liotta, Comedy, Crime & Romance, released in 1986
Something Wild follows Charles Driggs who is ‘kidnapped’ by a free-spirited woman named Lulu. Lulu takes Charles out of town to her school reunion and the two pose as a married couple; however, when Lulu’s violent ex-husband – who was just released from prison – shows up things take a dangerous turn.
Liotta plays the violent ex-husband to perfection; he was even nominated for a Best Supporting Actor award at the Golden Globes for this role.
4. Bee Movie
6.1 IMDb score, stars Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, Matthew Broderick & Ray Liotta, Animation, Adventure & Comedy, released in 2007
It’s the kids movie that’s become weirdly popular with adults in recent years; particularly because it’s a goldmine for memes… Liotta plays a fictionalised version of himself in Bee Movie and it’s hilarious.
Liotta himself even loved doing Bee Movie; the actor posted on his official Facebook page in 2017, “A job that I would love to do again and again is voice in the Bee Movie with Jerry Seinfeld as the Bee.”
3. Narc
7.1 IMDb score, stars Ray Liotta, Jason Patric & Chi McBride, Crime, Drama & Mystery, released in 2002
When a young police officer is killed in the line of duty, Nick Tellis – a suspended narcotics officer, played by Patric – is asked to help solve the case. Tellis is paired with the dead cop’s partner, Henry Oak – played by Liotta – who is hell-bent on avenging his partner’s death.
Narc is a riveting crime thriller and Liotta’s performance is simply sensational.
2. Field of Dreams
7.5 IMDb score, stars Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones & Ray Liotta, Drama, Family & Fantasy, released in 1989
Field of Dreams follows Ray Kinsella, an Iowa farmer who hears a voice telling him, “If you build it, he will come.” Inspired, Ray builds a baseball field on his farm and the ghosts of Shoeless Joe Jackson and seven other Chicago White Sox players – who were all banned from baseball for throwing the 1919 World Series – appear.
This film is one of the rare times Liotta played the ‘good guy’ – Shoeless Joe Jackson – and he’s spectacular. Nostalgic and heartwarming, Field of Dreams is just a feel-good movie.
1. Goodfellas
8.7 IMDb score, stars Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta & Joe Pesci, directed by Martin Scorsese, Biography, Crime & Drama, released in 1990
Liotta leads an exceptional cast in Goodfellas and plays the small-time gangster Henry Hill. The film explores the Italian-American crime syndicate in a realistic and powerful way; making Goodfellas one of the best mobster films of all time.
Plus, Liotta is at his absolute best in terms of performance in Goodfellas.
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