Hill gets his start with the Mafia as a teen living in Brooklyn, when he starts working for a cabstand. This business is a front run by made member of an Italian crime family, Paul “Paulie” Cicero (Paul Sorvino). From the start, Hill is enamored with the power and respect Cicero and his associates command. Being a gangster makes you somebody. Taken under the wing of Cicero and James “Jimmy” Conway (Robert DeNiro), Hill is swept up into the gangster lifestyle, quickly skipping out on high school, and continuously taking on more serious crimes.

A highly revered mafia-centered movie, Goodfellas gives an extensive look into the life of a man fulfilling his tumultuous dream to become a gangster, and all of the violence that comes with this. You see Hill balance this life of crime with having a family–his wife choosing the lifestyle he can provide while turning a blind eye to his field of work.

Tension and paranoia are built beautifully throughout the movie, with a strict hierarchy that needs to be followed, and broken trust consistently putting the main characters on edge. Joe Pesci’s Tommy DeVito is especially compelling and erratic–he’s a loose cannon who often does not play by the rules. (This likely goes without saying, but you can expect to see some characters get whacked. If mobster violence isn’t your thing, this may not be the movie for you.)

Hill’s obsession with the lifestyle is unwavering throughout, even as he potentially destroys himself in fulfilling his teenage dream. Goodfellas is a fascinating study and remains one of the best of its kind for a reason.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ilzidi_J8Q

1990

dir. Martin Scorsese

146 min.