The most iconic line from one of the greatest films ever made. RIP.
It's frequently said that "there are no small parts, only small actors" and in the case of Frank Vincent, he was undoubtedly one of the best character actors around.
Following the sad news that the star of The Sopranos and Casino has died aged 78, film fans have been paying their respects to a man who leaves behind an extremely impressive CV.
Aside from The Sopranos and Casino, Vincent also featured in the likes of Cop Land, Do the Right Thing, Jungle Fever, Raging Bull, Wise Guys and countless others.
This being said, there was one performance that film fans will always associate with the Screen Actors Guild Award-winning actor, Billy Batts in
Martin Scorsese's masterpiece, Goodfellas.
In that iconic scene, Batts is entertaining a group of people before he greets Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci). The two men have't seen each other for six years and there's tension in the air. What unfolds is a masterclass in acting as Pesci and Vincent exchange verbal insults as they both compete for dominance in a world where nobody can back down.
Pesci goes off the rails, but Vincent's cold, calm and boastful demeanour is absolutely perfect in that scene.
According to the book that Goodfellas is based on, Wiseguy, Tommy DeSimone (DeVito) , did in fact pistol whip, stab and beat William (Billy Batts) Bentvena to death with a tire iron and shovel after Batts ribbed him about being a shoeshine boy, but the insult and the murder occurred a few weeks apart.
This being said, in the history of iconic lines, Vincent's delivery of that insult will always be remembered.
RIP.
https://twitter.com/jaketapper/status/908069890451558408
https://twitter.com/MichaelRapaport/status/908073401604034566
https://twitter.com/the_ironsheik/status/908133323603574785
https://twitter.com/Robert19203/status/908073071608844290
https://twitter.com/adamcbest/status/908070651721809920
https://twitter.com/Slade/status/908066981626212352
https://twitter.com/pattonoswalt/status/908084452961640448
Here's the scene in full.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeL8EYtbVw0
Clip via - LordValairium
