Martin Scorsese mixed results, gangster epic "Goodfellas" (1990) was a return to form for Scorsese and his most confident and fully realized film since "Raging Bull". De Niro and Joe Pesci offered a virtuoso display of the director's bravura cinematic technique in the film and re-established, enhanced, and consolidated his reputation. After the film was released Roger Ebert, a friend and supporter of Scorsese, named "Goodfellas" "the best mob movie ever" and is ranked No. 1 on Roger's movie list for 1990, along with Gene Siskel and Peter Travers, the film is widely considered one of the director's greatest achievements. The film
Joe Pesci cast him in that film as real-life mobster Angelo Ruggiero. Pesci stated that he had gained for the role. He sued them for $3 million, which was the payment he had been promised. The lawsuit was settled out of court in 2013 for an unspecified sum, and the role, after many production delays, eventually went to Pruitt Taylor Vince. Pesci appears in the 2016 music documentary "Jimmy Scott: I Go Back Home" in which he is filmed recording "The Folks Who Live on the Hill" from Scott's forthcoming posthumous album "I Go Back Home". In 2017, Pesci was confirmed to