(Photo by Courtesy Everett Collection)
Ray Liotta Movies Ranked
After exiting soap opera Another World where he had appeared from 1978 to 1981, Ray Liotta got his big break at the movies in 1986’s Something Wild, pursuing Melanie Griffith and Jeff Daniels all the way to a Golden Globe nomination. Major roles lined up quick for the actor, as he took the lead in family drama Dominick and Eugene and put in the footwork as Field of Dream‘s Shoeless Joe Jackson.
In 1990, Liotta as Henry Hill became the lynchpin of Martin Scorsese’s opus Goodfellas, delivering lines like ‘As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster’ with laconic cool. Liotta became associated with these quietly explosive characters possessing a gift for slippery gab, and he would reliably bring it in a eclectic pool of ensemble and crime movies. Among these include 1997’s underseen Cop Land, the gritty Narc, stylish Smokin’ Aces, Guy Ritchie’s mystical Revolver, darkly comic Killing Them Softly, Frank Miller’s Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, and Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Move from 2021. Cameos in Muppets Most Wanted and Muppets in Space made sure we didn’t take him too seriously.
Liotta’s close association with Vegas through Goodfellas meant obviously you had to cast him in a Rat Pack biopic someday. Sure enough, he became Frank Sinatra in the 1998 TV-movie biopic, co-starring with Joe Mantegna and Don Cheadle. Other popular Liotta movies include John Q, Blow, Identity, and Hannibal. Liotta’s final major role was as Uncle Sal in the Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark, referring to the New Jersey city where Liotta was born in 1954. —Alex Vo
#1
Critics Consensus: Hard-hitting and stylish, GoodFellas is a gangster classic -- and arguably the high point of Martin Scorsese's career.
Synopsis: Henry Hill, a poor Irish-Italian growing up in 1950s New York City, rises through the ranks of his neighborhood's organized
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#2
Critics Consensus: Observing a splintering union with compassion and expansive grace, the powerfully acted Marriage Story ranks among writer-director Noah Baumbach's best works.
Synopsis: A stage director and his actor wife struggle through a grueling divorce that pushes them to their limits.
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#3
Critics Consensus: While it may not be on par with his best crime capers, No Sudden Move finds Soderbergh on entertainingly familiar ground -- and making the most of an excellent cast.
Synopsis: Set in 1954 Detroit, NO SUDDEN MOVE centers on a group of small-time criminals who are hired to steal what
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#4
Critics Consensus: Boasting loads of quirky charm, a pair of likable leads, and confident direction from Jonathan Demme, Something Wild navigates its unpredictable tonal twists with room to spare.
Synopsis: Free-spirited Lulu (Melanie Griffith) sets her sights on uptight banker Charles (Jeff Daniels) for a little bit of fun. Their
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#6
Critics Consensus: Jason Patric and Ray Liotta are electrifying in this gritty, if a little too familiar, cop drama.
Synopsis: Tells the dark story of suspended undercover narcotics officer, Nick Tellis (Jason Patric), who is reluctantly drawn back onto the
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#7
Critics Consensus: Ambitious to a fault, The Place Beyond the Pines finds writer/director Derek Cianfrance reaching for -- and often grasping -- thorny themes of family, fatherhood, and fate.
Synopsis: In upstate New York, two men (Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper), and later, their sons (Dane DeHaan, Emory Cohen) must deal
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#8
Critics Consensus: Kill the Messenger's potent fury over the tale of its real-life subject overrides its factual inaccuracies and occasional narrative stumbles.
Synopsis: Journalist Gary Webb (Jeremy Renner) happens upon a story that not only leads to the origins of America's crack epidemic
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#9
Critics Consensus: Cop Land matches its star-studded cast with richly imagined characters while throttling the audience with carefully ratcheted suspense, although it lacks the moral complexity of classic crime thrillers.
Synopsis: When hotheaded Superboy (Michael Rapaport) accidentally gets involved in an ugly racially-motivated incident, his uncle Ray Donlan (Harvey Keitel), a
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#10
Critics Consensus: Killing Them Softly is a darkly comic, visceral thriller that doubles as a cautionary tale on capitalism, whose message is delivered with sledgehammer force.
Synopsis: When rival crook Johnny Amato (Vincent Curatola) hatches a plan to rob a card game run by mob lackey Markie
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#11
Critics Consensus: Thanks to strong performances and a steady directorial hand, Dominick and Eugene successfully navigates potentially tricky themes in thoughtful, compelling fashion without resorting to trite sentimentality.
Synopsis: Two brothers -- Eugene (Ray Liotta), an ambitious medical student, and Nicky (Tom Hulce), a mentally challenged garbage worker --
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#13
Critics Consensus: Even as its storytelling chafes at the edges of its cinematic constraints, The Many Saints of Newark proves The Sopranos' allure is still powerful.
Synopsis: Young Anthony Soprano is growing up in one of the most tumultuous eras in Newark's history, becoming a man just
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#15
Critics Consensus: An uneasy blend of action and comedy, Date Night doesn't quite live up to the talents of its two leads, but Steve Carell and Tina Fey still manage to shine through most of the movie's flaws.
Synopsis: Dragged down by the daily grind, suburbanites Phil (Steve Carell) and Claire (Tina Fey) try to invigorate their marriage by
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#16
Critics Consensus: While it deserved stronger direction and a more fully realized script, Michael Shannon's riveting performance in the title role is more than enough to make The Iceman recommended viewing.
Synopsis: Hit man Richard Kuklinski (Michael Shannon) earns a well-deserved reputation as a cold-blooded killer but manages to keep his violent
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#17
Critics Consensus: Identity is a film that will divide audiences -- the twists of its plot will either impress or exasperate you.
Synopsis: When a vicious storm breaks out in the Nevada desert, 10 people seek refuge in an isolated motel. At the
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#19
Critics Consensus: While it evokes its time period with a keen sense of swagger, The Rat Pack is troubled by uneven lead performances and fairly routine biopic trappings.
Synopsis: The public and private lives of Frank Sinatra (Ray Liotta), Dean Martin (Joe Mantegna), Sammy Davis Jr. (Don Cheadle) and
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#20
Critics Consensus: Well intentioned and passionate, this docu-drama about the 1999 WTO protests is heavier on politics than character development.
Synopsis: In 1999, members of the World Trade Organization arrive in Seattle for negotiations that are closed to the public. Concerned
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#21
Critics Consensus: With elements that seem borrowed from movies like Goodfellas and Boogie Nights, Blow is pretty much been-there-done-that despite another excellent performance from Johnny Depp. It, also, becomes too sentimental at the end.
Synopsis: In the turbulence of the 1970s, the international drug trade underwent a fast, violent and lucrative revolution - and one
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#22
Critics Consensus: Though the actors pour a lot of energy into their roles, Heartbreakers is too drawn out, and the romantic subplot doesn't blend well. Also, the con women aren't particularly sympathetic.
Synopsis: Max (Sigourney Weaver) and Page (Jennifer Love Hewitt) are a brilliant mother/daughter con team who have their grift down to
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#23
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: The warden of a 2022 prison sends an ex-Marine (Ray Liotta) to a jungle island where inmates are left to
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#26
Critics Consensus: Bee Movie has humorous moments, but its awkward premise and tame delivery render it mostly forgettable.
Synopsis: Fresh out of college, Barry the Bee finds the prospect of working with honey uninspiring. He flies outside the hive
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#27
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Seemingly blind to the actual cracks in his marriage, a doctor (Tobey Maguire) blames a family of destructive raccoons for
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#28
Critics Consensus: Banderas is charismatic in the lead, and the dance sequences are captivating, but the story is too familiar and predictable.
Synopsis: When internationally renowned dancer Pierre Dulaine (Antonio Banderas) takes a teaching job in a New York City public school, he
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#30
Critics Consensus: A Dame to Kill For boasts the same stylish violence and striking visual palette as the original Sin City, but lacks its predecessor's brutal impact.
Synopsis: The damaged denizens of Sin City return for another round of stories from the mind of Frank Miller. In "Just
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#31
Critics Consensus: While superbly acted and stylishly filmed, Hannibal lacks the character interaction between the two leads which made the first movie so engrossing.
Synopsis: Seven years have passed since Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) escaped from custody. The doctor is now at large in
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#36
Critics Consensus: The Vietnam War would seem an unlikely backdrop for a family-friendly comedy involving an airlifted elephant, and Operation Dumbo Drop lands with a thud.
Synopsis: Soon-to-retire Captain Sam Cahill (Danny Glover) and his unit labor to build a secret relationship with a local Vietnamese village
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#37
Critics Consensus: A violent mess of a movie, Smokin' Aces has some Quentin Tarantino's style but not much of his wit or humor.
Synopsis: Sleazy entertainer Buddy "Aces" Israel (Jeremy Piven) incurs the wrath of crime boss Primo Sparazza when he agrees to testify
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#38
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Ella (Gretchen Mol) and Mark Brice (Ray Liotta) are on their honeymoon at a resort in Miami. When Ella meets
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#40
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: After serving 25 years in prison, a former hit man (Ray Liotta) tries to track down his daughter (Jessica Biel).
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#42
Critics Consensus: Washington's performance rises above the material, but John Q pounds the audience over the head with its message.
Synopsis: Story centers on a man whose nine-year-old son is in desperate need of a life-saving transplant. When he discovers that
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#43
Critics Consensus: Better Living Through Chemistry proves suburban satire and a talented cast can be mixed together to produce a disappointingly tepid blend.
Synopsis: A pharmacist's uneventful life spirals out of control when he has an affair with a trophy wife who enjoys sex,
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#44
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Wrongfully accused of murdering his wife, Dr. David Krane (Ray Liotta) is luckily acquitted through a technicality. As a free
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#45
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Finding himself stranded in the New Mexico desert, Jack (Ray Liotta) has a fresh collection of bruises but no idea
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#46
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A vengeful young woman recruits two men to help her track down a former cop who stalked and attacked her.
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#47
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: On a flight transporting dangerous convicts, murderer Ryan Weaver (Ray Liotta) manages to break free and cause complete chaos throughout
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#49
Critics Consensus: In attempting to meld his successful previous formulas with philosophical musings, Guy Ritchie has produced an incoherent misfire.
Synopsis: Jake Green is a hotshot gambler, long on audacity and short on common sense. Jake served seven years in jail
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#50
Critics Consensus: Needless stylistic flourishes and wholly illogical storytelling make The Son of No One a grisly, repugnant journey.
Synopsis: When he was a youth in the Queensborough projects, Jonathan White (Channing Tatum) -- then known as Milk -- killed
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#52
Critics Consensus: Wild Hogs is a dreadful combination of fish-out-of-water jokes, slapstick, and lazy stereotypes.
Synopsis: Tired of their humdrum lives, some middle-aged friends (Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence) decide to temporarily ditch their responsibilities
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#53
Critics Consensus: With wooden acting and hammy, overheated dialogue, Slow Burn isn't so much a noir as it is a mediocre parody of one.
Synopsis: As ambitious District Attorney Ford Cole (Ray Liotta) prepares for his mayoral bid, he faces conflicting stories surrounding a man's
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#55
Critics Consensus: With nearly every element ringing as hollow as the ersatz Elvis at the story's core, The Identical looks destined for a bright future on the ironic viewing circuit.
Synopsis: During the Great Depression, identical twins are separated at birth. One, Drexel Hemsley (Blake Rayne) becomes a wildly successful '50s
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