Hollywood has had countless crime thrillers, but only a few manage to make a lasting impression. A great example of such a film would undeniably be Martin Scorsese’s The Goodfellas, a biographical movie based on one of Nicholas Pileggi’s books.
The story of this 146-minute-long film centers on mob associate Henry Hill and his glamorous life filled with crime that results in his arrest & betrayal of the gangster family. Based on the years 1955 to 1980, this movie is an unforgettable gangster film that has the most real representation of the actual Italian mafia that was dominating NYC in those days.
Great acting from Robert and the others along with the intense storyline ended up becoming the reason why Goodfellas is one of the most successful films of its time. Once the movie was released, Scorsese’s career took off, with him starting production of various iconic films soon afterward.
The storyline certainly grabbed the attention of many due to its mafia & crime genre, but it would be surprising to know that Goodfellas isn’t a complete work of fiction, despite the extent of dramatic criminal activity we see in the film.
Is Goodfellas A True Story?
The Goodfellas story is all too real. The book it’s inspired by is a non-fiction story that was written by reporter Nicholas Pileggi in 1985. Henry Hill was a real criminal who had a deep interest in the neighborhood’s mobsters.
Ever since he was 11, he would wait outside and watch the mobsters socializing at the local cabstand. Paul Vario, a caporegime, eventually saw potential in Henry and when he was old enough, he was allowed to start working for the mobsters. In the movie, Hill starts working for Paulie Cicero, who is supposed to be based on Vario.
While the movie almost completely follows the storyline of Wiseguy, there are minor differences in some aspects. These were made by Scorsese and Pileggi himself to keep the movie interesting and compress the extensive pot to match the duration of the film.
Besides these minor changes, everything from Henry’s childhood to his meeting with Paulie Cicero is inspired by the real-life events of the infamous criminal. To obtain a thorough guide on the rest of Henry’s gang, actors Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, and the others would often converse with the real-life Henry Hill.
Just as we see in Goodfellas, Henry had to leave his world of illegal glamour behind and settle for a mundane life in a faraway place. The realness of the film makes Goodfellas a good representation of the actual mafia world from the 50s to the 80s.
Goodfellas: About The Real Henry Hill
Born in Manhattan, Henry Hill was of Irish, American, and Italian descent. Being a part of a working-class family took its toll on Henry, and he eventually left high school once he was able to get a job working for the local caporegime, Paul Vario.
Hill started doing all kinds of jobs for the Lucchese crime family, even going as far as burning down a new cabstand which became competition for the one that Vario operated. Henry and Vario’s son stole a credit card and used it without knowing the consequences. This led to Hill’s arrest and thorough interrogation.
He was later bailed out by Vario, who was impressed by the way Henry kept his loyalty and didn’t say a word to the police. This was the start of Henry’s life as a full-time gangster, living a life of luxury while dealing with drugs and all kinds of illegal substances.
Even when Henry was in the United States Army, he didn’t forget his gangster side and once he was out again in 1963, he went back to his old ways. Henry was caught multiple times for stealing cars, and trucks, and for arson. The real-life Karen met Henry two years later in 1965, through Vario.
Hill supposedly stood her up for a date, but they married later in a grand wedding that was attended by all of the gangsters and mafia men that Hill had come across in his life. Henry ended up passing away in June 2012 from heart complications.
While his criminal legacy remains unmatched for someone from the 50s, Henry’s chaotic and dangerous life became the reason why an award-winning film like The Goodfellas now exists.
