Critique of Goodfellas from a Marxist Perspective

Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas in it’s very essence isn’t a Marxist text, however, upon viewing the film with a Marxist perspective it is hard to deny some of the underlying values of the film which seem to lambast Capitalism and support the idea of a Marxist society, whether it was the directors original aim or not is a question I am not able to answer. The key to critiquing a film from this unique perspective is to put yourself into the mind of a Marxist viewer and analyse the details of the film which coincide with the selected ideals.
Goodfellas is a brash and ballistic gangster film which follows the criminal escapades of central character Henry Hill as he moves up the mafia food chain, the film itself takes place in a very claustrophobic environment, with the world’s axis consisting of New York City, Philadelphia and prison. The world the film presents is a gritty and pessimistic one, with this Microcosm reflecting the state of the real world and society at the time. From the derogatory locations seen it is obvious that a Marxist would agree with this being a true reflection of the state of the world, as greedy Capitalists control the way the world works and has a didactic grip on the world’s economy. In this sense the mobs seen in Goodfellas fully represent the bigoted views of the Capitalists in charge and show how organised crime is the perfect analogy for the exploitative nature of society and how those who run society are only doing so for their own benefits, not caring about anyone else.
The best example of this abuse of power and poor treatment of the regular Proletariat can be seen within the restaurant owner whose business is infiltrated, corrupted and eventually destroyed by the rich mafia mob who take advantage of their power and use it to gain extra wealth for themselves whilst simultaneous bankrupting those poorer than they are. This egotistical pursuit of money fits not only with a mob mentality but also agrees with a Capitalist mentality in