Essay on Goodfellas
A True American Crime Story – GoodFellas
When talking about a true American crime story, one can start and end the discussion with one of the most powerful and influential true stories ever told: GoodFellas. Based on the incredible true story, the film follows the rise and fall of Lucchese crime family associates Henry Hill and his friends throughout the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 1980s. Originally written as the non-fiction novel “Wise Guys” by Nicholas Pileggi, the story takes you deep into the world of arguably the most notorious crime posse America has ever known: the Italian Mafia. It is viewed by scores of critics and moviegoers alike as one of the greatest crime/drama movies ever filmed – so needless to say, with such a profound repute, it only seems fitting that perhaps the most prominent director in the industry took command to make such a masterpiece. Martin Scorsese delivers perhaps his best movie ever, which really speaks volume considering all the accolades and admiration his other films have received.
“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster” – what better way to start off a crime story than that? It was through this simple, compelling statement that begins the film, setting the nature and tenor for the rest to follow. Spoken by the main character Henry Hill (played by Ray Liotta), the film starts off following a young, adolescent Henry. Growing up in East New York, Brooklyn in 1955, Henry came up idolizing the local crime family gangsters of his blue-collar Italian-American neighborhood. Henry’s father realizes the susceptible juncture in his son’s adolescent life when he receives mail from Henry’s school that informs him Henry had not been in school for months, setting off beatings in attempt to steer him clear of the gangster lifestyle. But when the gangsters threaten the local postal worker with severe consequences about delivering letters from Henry’s school to his parents, the door into becoming the
When talking about a true American crime story, one can start and end the discussion with one of the most powerful and influential true stories ever told: GoodFellas. Based on the incredible true story, the film follows the rise and fall of Lucchese crime family associates Henry Hill and his friends throughout the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 1980s. Originally written as the non-fiction novel “Wise Guys” by Nicholas Pileggi, the story takes you deep into the world of arguably the most notorious crime posse America has ever known: the Italian Mafia. It is viewed by scores of critics and moviegoers alike as one of the greatest crime/drama movies ever filmed – so needless to say, with such a profound repute, it only seems fitting that perhaps the most prominent director in the industry took command to make such a masterpiece. Martin Scorsese delivers perhaps his best movie ever, which really speaks volume considering all the accolades and admiration his other films have received.
“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster” – what better way to start off a crime story than that? It was through this simple, compelling statement that begins the film, setting the nature and tenor for the rest to follow. Spoken by the main character Henry Hill (played by Ray Liotta), the film starts off following a young, adolescent Henry. Growing up in East New York, Brooklyn in 1955, Henry came up idolizing the local crime family gangsters of his blue-collar Italian-American neighborhood. Henry’s father realizes the susceptible juncture in his son’s adolescent life when he receives mail from Henry’s school that informs him Henry had not been in school for months, setting off beatings in attempt to steer him clear of the gangster lifestyle. But when the gangsters threaten the local postal worker with severe consequences about delivering letters from Henry’s school to his parents, the door into becoming the