I had been in New York for nineteen minutes and eleven seconds and I was already ruined. The Freshman 1990 starring Marlon Brando & Matthew Broderick & Bruno Kirby & Penelope Anne Miller & Frank Whaley & Jon Polito & Paul Benedict & Richard Gant et al, director Andrew Bergman, commentary
What I’m talking about is social order. ibid.
This is William Kennedy bringing you the second of a series of short pictures exposing the rackets of America, The Syndicate of Crime. A series of short pictures presented to the American public as a warning, to arouse them against a growing national menace – the modern racketeer. Bullets or Ballots 1936 starring Edward G Robinson & Humphrey Bogart & Joan Blondell & Barton MacLane & Frank McHugh & Joe King & Dick Purcell & George E Stone & Joseph Crehan & Henry O’Neill et al, director Wiiliam Keighley, Bogart and pal at the cinema, opening scene
But I’d say at least 40% is hijacking. Getting Gotti 1994 starring Lorraine Bracco & Anthony Denison & August Schellenberg & Kathleen Lanskey & Kenneth Welsh & Jeremy Ratchford & Ron Gabriel & Ellen Burstyn et al, director Roger Young, district attorney to new district attorney
He’s everywhere. He’s in on every crime. You people gave him the licence to extort, to steal, to kill, you name it. ibid. hero to FBI
The biggest cash robbery of all times. Bigger than the Great Train robbery. 10 Million Dollar Getaway 1991 starring John Mahoney & Gerry Bamman & Joseph Carberry & Terrence Mann & John McGregor & Christopher Murney & Tom Noonan & Wendell Pierce & Tom Signorelli & Mike Starr et al, director James A Contner
I got a plan to knock off twenty million bucks from Lufthansa. ibid. insider
You taste so good. ibid. her to him, Jimmy's homecoming
I love the smell of money. ibid. her to him
We roll. ibid. gang in van
Even though we only got half what we expected, ten million dollars still wasn't bad for an hour’s work. ibid.
He forgot to change the plates on the van. ibid.
What do you think our chances are of getting Ducks Corallo into the federal witness programme? ibid. rozzer
Well the house lost. A lot of guys lost. Maybe the guy who said crime doesn’t pay was right but I’ll tell you something he wasn’t a wise guy. A real wise guy can never say no to a good scam. ibid. hero’s commentary
A Hundred Million! … When you become a cowboy, that’s when I draw the line. 25th Hour 2002 starring Edward Norton & Philip Seymour Hoffman & Rosario Dawson & Anna Paquin & Brian Cox & Barry Pepper & Tony Siragusa et al, director Spike Lee, boss
Shit! Mr Brogan, I do believe you’re fucked. ibid. DEA rozzer
You could have done anything you want. ibid. dad
With a gun you feel more dangerous. ibid. gangsta
You go and you never come back. ibid. dad
You make a new life for yourself and you live it. ibid.
New York 1970 ... As far back as I could remember I always wanted to be a gangster. To me, being a gangster was better than being President of the United States. Even before I first wandered into the cabstand for an after-school job, I knew I wanted to be a part of them. It was there that I knew that I belonged. To me, it meant being somebody in a neighborhood that was full of nobodies. They weren't like anybody else. I mean, they did whatever they wanted. They double-parked in front of a hydrant and nobody ever gave them a ticket. In the summer when they played cards all night, nobody ever called the cops. Goodfellas 1990 ***** staring Robert De Niro & Ray Liotta & Joe Pesci & Lorraine Bracco & Paul Sorvino & Frank Sivero & Frank Vincent & Samuel L Jackson et al, director Martin Scorsese, Henry Hill
Hundreds of guys depended on Paulie and he got a piece of everything they made. And it was tribute, just like in the old country, except they were doing it here in America. And all they got from Paulie was protection from other guys looking to rip them off. And that’s what it’s all about. That’s what the FBI could never understand. That’s what Paulie and the organization does is offer protection for people who can’t go to the cops. That’s it. That’s all it is. They’re like the police department for wiseguys. ibid.
For us to live any other way was nuts. Uh, to us, those goody-good people who worked shitty jobs for bum paychecks and took the subway to work every day and worried about their bills were dead. I mean they were suckers. They had no balls. If we wanted something, we just took it. If anyone complained twice they got hit so bad, believe me, they never complained again. ibid.
They had bad skin and wore too much makeup. I mean, they didn’t look very good. They look beat up. ibid.
For most of the guys, killing’s got to be accepted. Murder was the only way that everybody stayed in line. You got out of line, you got whacked. Everybody knew the rules. But sometimes, even if people didn’t get out of line, they got whacked. I mean, hits just became a habit for some of the guys. Guys would get into arguments over nothing and before you knew it, one of them was dead. And they were shooting each other all the time. Shooting people was a normal thing. It was no big deal. ibid.
You know, we always called each other goodfellas. Like you said to, uh, somebody, ‘You’re gonna like this guy. He’s all right. He’s a good fella. He’s one of us.’ You understand? We were goodfellas. Wiseguys. But Jimmy and I could never be made because we had Irish blood. It didn’t even matter that my mother was Sicilian. To become a member of a crew you’ve got to be one hundred per cent Italian so they can trace all your relatives back to the old country. See, it’s the highest honour they can give you. It means you belong to a family and crew. It means that nobody can fuck around with you. It also means you could fuck around with anybody just as long as they aren’t also a member. It’s like a license to steal. It’s a license to do anything. ibid.
If you’re part of a crew, nobody ever tells you that they’re going to kill you. It doesn’t happen that way. There weren’t any arguments or curses like in the movies. So your murderers come with smiles. They come as your friends, the people who have cared for you all of your life, and they always seem to come at a time when you’re at your weakest and most in need of their help. ibid.
The hardest thing for me was leaving the life; I still love the life. ibid.
Henry Hill is still in the Witness Protection Program. In 1987 he was arrested in Seattle, Washington, for narcotics conspiracy and he received five years’ probation. Since 1987 he has been clean. ibid. caption