A masterpiece showing the trials and tribulations of being a gangster

Rating: 10/10 (17 July 2008)

One of the most famous lines in Goodfellas is "Ever since I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster." It turns out that Goodfellas shows that what one may ultimately want may not be the best for them. As a young boy Henry Hill looked up to the "gangster" life. There were many aspects of the "gangster" lifestyle that attracted Henry. A gangster does what he wants with no regard to anyone else. Gangsters often operate in groups or "families." It was when Henry takes his first job working at the local pizza shop that he was first introduced to the gangster life. Henry witnessed interaction between different gangsters and started to yearn for the lifestyle of a gangster. Henry's yearning became more evident when he began taking on small "odds and end" jobs for the owner of the pizza shop.
As a man in his early twenties, Henry continues on his quest for what he thought would make the "perfect" life as a gangster. The fame associated with the gangsters he witnessed as a young boy is what initially attracted him and now he started to experience the gangster life. Henry continued his experience by continuing to work jobs for mob bosses, such as Frankie Carbone. Henry continued working these "gangster" jobs, even after he was disowned by his mother and father. As Henry continued through his twenties, he continued obtaining everything that he wanted, including a gorgeous wife, cars, money, and respect. The wife, the cars and the money are all things that gangsters work hard to obtain and now Henry had obtained them. Henry continued to work hard and to build his wealth, as shown in the scene where Henry and all of his friends are gathered around a table and they dumb a huge bag of money on the table. This was after he and his friends pull off one of the biggest heists in history. With this wealth, Henry began to start new business ventures that would ultimately prove to be bad decisions. Like previously stated, gangsters do whatever they want to do. This sometimes even occurs against the "boss'" orders. One of the pivotal parts of the movie is when the boss, Frankie, finds out the Henry went against his wishes and was now in trouble. Frankie helps Henry one last time, and then tells him that he is turning his back on him. This isn't the first time Henry is smacked in the face. Frankie turning his back on Henry begins to show that Henry could potentially be on the down fall. It was after this point that Henry begins to watch his back wherever he goes. This even occurs around his friends, Jimmy and Tommy. This type of behavior might be seen as unordinary, especially around people that are friends. Another pivotal part of the film is towards the end. It is after Henry and his family go into the witness protection program. Henry and his family enter the program because Henry "folds" on Frankie and Jimmy. You can see the tension through a high angle shot that is focusing on Frankie and Jimmy in the courtroom. This truly shows that Henry holds the power. Henry and his family enter the program and are immediately moved away from New York. The viewer is able to see that Henry has lost everything. As Henry is on the porch, the camera begins to zoom in and Henry says that he is now a "nobody." This shows that he has come so far, and at the end he is not what he wanted to be. Henry looks as though he has lost everything and like he has hit rock bottom.
Goodfellas shows that you may want something, but it may not always be the best choice for you. Much like the film Scarface, it turns out that the money, the fame, and the gangster life it not a good decision. "Ever since I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster" was not a good choice for Henry. He lost everything and now feels that he is a "nobody." It turned out that all of Henry's hard work and dedication to be a gangster did not get him what he wanted. Ultimately, it made him a "nobody."