A True American Crime Story

Words: 1895
Pages: 8
Open Document
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 …show more content…
And after multiple stabs to the mid-section, with Batts still alive, coughing up blood, Jimmy pulls out his revolver and lets three shots go into his face and chest. It is in this minor detail of the story where the viewer really begins to understand the emotional vice and immorality of these ever-so-smooth “gangsters.”

When watching the film, it’s not too hard for the audience to grasp the spatial order of the story – Scorsese is a genius when it comes to this. Taking into consideration that the story is told in the narrative perspective of Henry, naturally the viewer can expect flash blacks and or imaginings that will drive the plot in certain directions. For instance, the very first scene of the entire movie is when Jimmy, Henry and Tommy kill Billy Batts; and when the deed is done, the camera focuses solely on Henry’s face. It is here in the film when the epic quote: “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster,” comes full volume. The story then flashes back to Henry’s childhood and how he was influenced by the gangsters in his neighborhood, and soon, flashes forward, showcasing Henry as a twenty-one year old mobster on the come-up. The movie follows Henry all the way as he climbs the ranks, meets Jimmy Conway & Tommy DeVito, and even as he carries out robberies and drug trafficking. What makes the movie so unbelievable entertaining is the way the
Show More

Related Documents: A True American Crime Story

Goodfellas Movie Essay

Films like Goodfellas, introduces you to a young boy who starts out at the bottom of the organization and works his way through the ranks whom, becomes too absorbed into this new lifestyle he advanced himself in, and eventually loses it all. When Gomorrah was released, the entire mobster movie genre shifted. Gomorrah stomps on the typical philosophy behind this genre of movies. Gomorrah, focuses its plot of the criminal organization of the Camorra, and the strict business of the organization. Although…

Words 960 - Pages 4

Casino: Martin Scorsese and Sam Rothstein Essay

Cale Nevill March 27, 2015 Films Essay 2 “Casino” Casino, directed by Martin Scorsese, is a movie that was adapted from events that took place during the early days of Las Vegas. The premise of the movie revolved around the idea that the casinos in Las Vegas in its early days was a very mafia oriented institution and the rise and demise of a Jewish-America mobster, Sam “Ace” Rothstein, who ran the casino floor of the Tangier Hotel. How Sam got the nickname “Ace” was the fact that he had a gift of…

Words 1198 - Pages 5

Essay on becoming a heartland with more heart

Becoming a Heartland with Heart America is a top rank country most population of immigrants. Around a million immigrants move to America every year to pursue their dreams. The American dream thus becomes an ideal beautiful dream that motivates immigrants to come to the country where dream comes true. In this dream, America turns into the fairy tale full of freedom and opportunities, a land where all gold diggers can find gold, and a place where success won’t be hard any more. Gish Jen…

Words 1769 - Pages 8

The Age of Innocence and Edith Wharton Essay

EDlTH WHARTON AT THE CINEMA In 1921 Edith Wharton sold the film rights to her Pulitzer Prize winning novel, “THE AGE OF INNOCENCE”, for $15,000. Seventy-two years later, Martin Scorsese has filmed Edith Wharton’s novel at a reputed cost of $30 million. In 1920 Edith Wharton was paid $18,000 by the New York monthly “PICTORIAL REVIEW”, a popular journal of the day, for the rights to publish her next serial. She was at this time an established literary figure, a writer of travelogues, novels, novellas…

Words 5545 - Pages 23

'City of God' (2002) Represents Violence and Poverty as 'Spectacle'. Essay

Some scholars criticise Cidade de Deus / City of God (2002) on the grounds that the film represents violence and poverty as a ‘spectacle’ and fails to relate these issues to the wider socio-political context of contemporary Brazil. Is this criticism justified? ‘There are…two kinds of film makers: one invents an imaginary reality; the other confronts an existing reality and attempts to understand it, criticise it…and finally, translate it into film’ Fernando Biri, 1979[1] Fernando Meirelles’s…

Words 3949 - Pages 16