Goodfellas story

movie: Goodfellas (1990) · 1990-09-09

Goodfellas (stylized GoodFellas) is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is an adaptation of the 1985 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese. The film narrates the rise and fall of mob associate Henry Hill and his friends and family from 1955 to 1980.

17 total · 1 choice · 10 major · 6 minor

ThemeLevelMotivation
organized crime choice We saw how Henry grew up to become a mobster, a mob boss, and a drug kingpin.
drug abuse major mistress, Sandy, snorted a lot of powder. Later every other person seemed to be on drugs.
duty vs. self-preservation major there were various cases where people deliberated whether to betray their cronies in order to save their own skin - in the end Henry ratted on everyone to save his own skin
husband and wife major Henry and Karen got married
illegal drug trade major Henry started moving drugs mid-story.
loyalty major there was a big deal about being loyal to Paulie and the mob, each other, spouses etc. - in the end Henry ratted on everyone to save his own skin
murder major There were numerous murders.
romantic infidelity major Henry had a mistress, which made his marriage turbulent.
romantic jealousy major Karen was jealous of Henry's mistresses.
romantic love major Henry and Karen had a complicated relationship but seemed to genuinely love each other