Goodfellas is a film giving a story of the mob lifestyle of Henry Hill and his associates, Tommy and Jimmy. They were involved in mob activities and worked for Paul Cicero who had ties to the Gambino, crime family. There was involvement in the Air France robbery, which played a significant role in their luxurious lifestyle. Billy Bats begins to make fun of Tommy calling him the shinning shoe boy which Tommy took as disrespect and retaliated through killing him with the help of Henry and Jimmy. Billy was related to the Gambino crime family; therefore, his murder would require retribution where Paul would be asked to kill Tommy, Henry, and Jimmy. To avoid that situation, they decided to cover up his death. The camera shows through its lighting on the timing they choose to dispose of the body to avoid being noticed by anyone. It also shows the American culture of their observance of the rules among criminals where they should avoid killing each other. The scene shows how they feared retribution for their actions.
In prison, Henry sells drugs to support his family which is outside. Karen would assist in the smuggling of drugs into the facility. In 1978, Henry was paroled and was released from prison where he then expands his drug business without the knowledge of Paul. Jimmy and most of Henry’s associates partake in a heist and John. F. Kennedy International Airport where the getaway car was found by the FBI forcing Jimmy to kill most of the crew. It shows the panic on his face on the realization that the getaway car was found and to keep himself safe. He decides to take out the rest of the crew. It shows how the law enforcement of America was doing its best to capture criminals and they would do anything to protect themselves. Tommy, on the other hand, is killed as retaliation for the murder of Billy Bats. Henry, on the other hand, becomes very paranoid and begins snorting cocaine.
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Henry is involved in a drug deal with some persons from Pittsburg, but is arrested in the process by narcotics. He is later bailed out and given money by Paul Cicero as a way of separation for he felt betrayed by Henry. Karen, on the other hand, flushed cocaine worth 60,000 dollars in the toilet to avoid being found by the FBI as they conducted their raid. Henry then realizes that Jimmy intends on killing him while he was facing drug charges. Therefore, he decides on enrolling in witness protection. Eventually, Jimmy faces life imprisonment for murder and Paul die in prison at the age of 78 while Henry is released on probation. Henry reflects on his life and how he is now an average nobody living as a schnook.
There is the scene where Tommy faces bullying and insults from Billy Bats while calling him a shoe shiner. The scene shows how disappointed Tommy feels and the rest also get offended by Billy’s insults. There is the focus on Tommy’s face by the camera to show the irritation that he feels as he listens to the insults of Billy Bats. A focus is also made on the face of Billy as he puts a facial expression of mischievousness and sarcasm while making fun of Tommy. It shows the American culture where one’s work would define them when it came to their social realm. There was a high regard for those that were of high financial standing, and therefore those that did odd jobs were considered nobodies in the society.
Another scene seen is that of Karen confronting Henry and Janice who are having an affair despite Karen and Henry were married. Karen holds a gun on Henry due to his changed behavior. The camera is seen to focus on Karen’s face as she faces the gun at Henry’s face. He wakes up shocked by her actions and seems to be disappointed by her. The scene shows how the American culture has empowered women to have the ability to confront their men on extramarital activities. Karen is not scared to confront her husband and expresses her disappointment through facing the gun onto her husband’s face without fear proving that she can take his life.
Henry and Jimmy partake in demanding debt from a gambler where Paul sent them. The sister to the gambler informs the FBI, and they are both arrested. They are both arrested and are sentenced to ten years. In prison, Henry is seen to traffic drugs which are smuggled in by his wife Karen where they use the funds for survival. Karen is seen to go out of her way to ensure that she smuggles cocaine into the prison for the sake of the survival of her family. It shows how the American culture has embraced sacrifice despite the repercussions. It is seen that during the 70’s there was a high demand for drugs especially cocaine. They were readily available and accessible to smuggle in and out of prison. It is seen how Karen can smuggle the drugs comfortably without being noticed and the business was able to sustain her and the family for the years that Henry was imprisoned. The culture of drugs was embraced in all institutions and especially the prison because it was easy for Henry to supply his products and was able to gain his living through the business of drugs.
