‘Goodfellas’ Actually Has Bad Fellas

In case you were not aware, Goodfellas actually doesn’t have good fellas in it. I don’t mean the actors — the actors are great and are on par with every other Martin Scorsese film. What I mean is that there is no one in this movie to root for.

Or is there?

I’m fascinated by the ability of Goodfellas to attract such a wide audience despite having such clearly scummy characters. Very few characters have redeeming traits. Even our main character, Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), doesn’t have a very recognizable “good side.”

So, why do people, including me, keep coming back to it? How do we justify watching such horrible people do such horrible things? What draws us in?

Natural Born Killers…sort of

I’ve said it before and I will continue to say it until I die — humans are morbid. It’s why we watch Saw movies and why we rubberneck at gruesome car accidents. Deep down, we all have a primitive animalistic side that we keep tamed.

Movies like Goodfellas allow that animal to roam free for a little while. We all want to be Henry, just a little bit. Wouldn’t it be nice to live life without fear of what others think or having to adhere to society’s rules? Imagine not having to park down the street from your job because you can park wherever you want. Or think about all the money you could earn from selling a product that’s in high demand.

Goodfellas is a fantasy for all of us where we get to live the life that we secretly dream of but don’t tell anyone about. Even if it’s not something you’ve thought about before, you’ve thought of it now.

No “Good” Deed Goes Unpunished

I mentioned how humans have a morbid curiosity. Ever seen a car crash? You know what’s going to happen, but you can’t do anything. Instead, you sit and you watch the horror as it unfolds before you.

Many popular Scorsese films are like that. You know Henry is destined to fall hard. You know Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) is going to have to pay at some point for all the sins he’s committed. Even novices of foreshadowing know that this story doesn’t have a happy ending.

And yet, we can’t look away.

My favorite example of this phenomenon is the last half hour or so of the film. At this point, Henry is heavy into drugs and is so intertwined in the underground drug and mob world that he can no longer see a life outside of it. The drugs are messing with him terribly, he’s struggling to keep up with all the demand for his drugs, and the FBI are onto him. Like Henry fixating on the law enforcement helicopter that was following him all day, we fixate on Henry. Despite how chaotic the whole thing is, it’s hard to stop watching because you know what’s going to happen next. You know Henry needs to pay for all his crimes, but you just need to see the punishment.

Wise Guys Have Charm

To go off on a slight tangent, one of my favorite Frasier episodes has a “wise guy” of sorts who helps Frasier and Niles solve a legal issue. Niles is so thankful and taken with the wise guy’s charisma that he promises him anything he needs in return — which is a bad thing to say to a powerful man of the underworld.

As humorous as that situation is, it’s another reason why we are so drawn to these characters in Goodfellas despite their unforgivable deeds. To be a member of the wise guys, you have to have the charisma of the wise guys.

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