Star Trek Star William Shatner's Favorite Crime Thriller Movie Is Endlessly Quotable

Actor William Shatner is something of a pop culture legend, having portrayed Captain James T. Kirk in "Star Trek: The Original Series" and its movie offshoots. Not only that, Shatner has also played plenty of other great roles, ranging from his incredibly quotable turn as a terrified plane passenger on "The Twilight Zone" to starring as Sgt. T.J. Hooker in the television series of the same name. When someone has that kind of impact on pop culture, though, it can make you wonder what movies and TV shows helped shaped them. Thankfully, Letterboxd asked Shatner about his four favorite films, giving us a glimpse into the actor's mind.

While sharing his four favorites in a quick Letterboxd video, Shatner revealed that he's pretty keen on the classics. He started out by professing his love for the David Lean film "Lawrence of Arabia" (which is also director Steven Spielberg's favorite movie of all time), along with the Akira Kurosawa classic "Rashomon." He also gave Spielberg a little shout with his appreciation for "Jaws," recognizing the ingenuity it took to create scares without showing the titular shark. One of his favorites was a little bit of a surprise, however, and that's Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas." Maybe it's just hard to picture Captain Kirk watching such a violent, vulgar crime thriller, but the actor shared exactly why he thinks the movie is so special, and it's hard to disagree.

For his third film in his four favorites, William Shatner chose "Goodfellas." Famously directed by Martin Scorsese, the movie is an adaptation of Nicholas Pileggi's non-fiction book "Wiseguy," which told the story of real-life mafia associate Henry Hill. Hill, as portrayed by Ray Liotta in Scorsese's film, became infatuated with the mobster lifestyle and started out as a petty criminal before working his way up, chasing his own version of the American Dream ... one that just happened to leave bodies and bullets by the wayside. As for Shatner, well, his love for "Goodfellas" is quite palpable. To quote the actor directly:

"So, 'Goodfellas,' a fantastic view of Americana. Martin Scorsese just made a furious, exciting film that you couldn't leave for a second and has been popular ever since he made it all those years ago."

"Goodfellas" is not only an excellent slice of Americana, it's also one of the most quotable movies of all time. It's kind of amazing to picture Shatner trying to replicate Joe Pesci's incredibly improvised "Do I amuse you" scene from "Goodfellas" in particular; the "Star Trek" legend's trademark speaking style (with its seemingly unnecessary pauses) would make the whole thing a very different kind of funny. More than that, it's always interesting to learn that an actor has a favorite movie that seems contradictory to their public persona. Regardless, "Goodfellas" truly is an all-timer that deserves a spot alongside the other classics Shatner selected.