[Viewing experience] [Good guys from all over the world] A sense of belonging is very important

Goodfellas is a 1990 American gangster crime film directed by director Martin Scorsese. The screenplay is adapted from the 1985 non-fiction book Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family by American author Nicholas Pellegi. The film recounts the rise and fall of Henry Hill and his friends from 1955 to 1980, a famous gangster in American history, and vividly and vividly outlines the unique life forms and distinctive values of the gangsters. <Wikipedia>

belonging is important

Why would anyone want to join a gang?

This question is raised at the beginning of the movie, and it is also the main axis that constantly wanders between various shots. As for the answer, it is actually very simple. Through the confession of the protagonist, the answer given by the director is straightforward and not twisted - when the others are still there. While waiting in line for the school bus, Henry Hill (played by Ray Liotta) was already helping the big brother in the group park the Cadillac, and when he was a little older, he earned more than the adults on that street. As well as the admiration from Zhou Zao's people, and a certain feeling of being close to power is hard to resist, especially for a 16-year-old boy.

And his father vented his unhappiness in life and his anxiety about poverty on Henry, which was also the main reason for pushing Henry farther and farther; without support in the family, he would naturally seek solace outside.

What's more, it's easy for these underworld elements with violence and power to follow loyally and faithfully to the little brats. In a section of the film, Henry received a notification letter from the school because he kept skipping classes. This made Henry's father beat him angrily and asked him to resign from the mixed part-time job. Henry's first reaction was naturally to ask his eldest brother Pauly for help with a bruised face. He followed Henry to the door of the post office and blocked the postman who delivered the letter to his house. After a wave of threats to draw a knife and get a gun, Henry's family would no longer receive letters from the school, and Henry also naturally joined this huge underground. The club has become the new blood in it.

During this process, couldn't Henry see that this place disguised as a taxi shop was actually a wicked distribution center that had been burned, killed and looted? Did Henry not feel the slightest hesitation about the drug transportation and theft work that Pauly had entrusted to him in front of him? Ever? I think Henry must understand and know that what he is doing is not legal. It's just the money, worship, and most importantly, the sense of belonging, that has made him regard the people and things in this place as his lifelong destination.

Leaving aside the pleasures brought by material things, being able to feel from the bottom of his heart that he belongs to a certain community, shares common values with this group of people, speaks the same language, and does the same things, is what makes Henry yearn for. The reasons for leaving, and the risks that may accompany him, were not worth the peace of mind that this sense of belonging brought him, but it was also because of this that the seeds of future tragedies were planted.

crazy world

In a primitive world full of drugs, violence, and guns, only a lunatic can feel comfortable and call the storm in it.

Tommy (played by Joe Pesci) is one of the best. As an immigrant from Sicily, Italy, he may be born with the blood of gangsters. Although he is small and likes to laugh at others, his moody behavior makes him. He becomes the most chilling character in the film.

Perhaps it is the contrast deliberately created by the director. Although the short Tommy is inconspicuous, his self-esteem is higher than anyone else's. He drew a knife to kill the opponent, and even shot several times in the face, which shows how much Tommy minds being a laughing stock in the eyes of everyone, even if the opponent is a mafia that everyone is afraid of.

And this unfortunate Billy happened to be one of the members of the Italian Mafia. At that time, there was an unwritten rule in the underground society - as long as you become a member of the Mafia, you can do whatever you want, and the Mafia can provoke other people. , but absolutely no one dared to resist, because the mafia organization is strict and vicious, and in the face of the enemy, even if it chases the ends of the earth, it will never let go.

Tommy, together with Jimmy (played by Robert De Niro) and Henry, drove the corpse to the suburbs for burial overnight after killing the killer. Perhaps it was also because he was afraid of the mafia's retaliation from the bottom of his heart, although Tommy still died in the future. in the hands of the party.

In the face of Tommy's madness, although Henry did not agree with him, he often enjoyed it. After all, the two were comrades-in-arms who debuted at the same time and worked hard together. Moreover, although Tommy behaved eccentrically and violently, he was indifferent to the insiders he identified. It is a dedication that can become his friend, and he will never want to become his enemy.

Smart calculation is the rule of survival

Jimmy's first appearance was graceful, he tipped everyone in the bar, and he didn't have the murderous vibe that most people think of gang members. The reason for the attraction is also another booster that makes him more certain to stay in this underground world. After all, as long as he is prosperous, even a rogue can be so decent. It can be said that Jimmy is a kind of example in Henry's heart. The kind of person who wants to strive for the top and has the most perfect image in face.

Compared to Tommy's cruelty and Henry's innocence, Jimmy can be said to be the most scheming and scheming gangster in the film. A scene where Henry is in court shows Jimmy's kind of hidden under the surface. , a character that no one believes.

Henry was arrested on the spot for selling stolen goods on the street, and was quickly tried. However, because he was a minor, the punishment was not severe (a few days of detention, etc.), and the point was to face the prosecutor repeatedly in court. The big bosses behind the leaks, namely Paulie and Jimmy's group, made Jimmy, who was on the sidelines from beginning to end, happily say to Henry after the trial results, "You learned the most important lesson today, that is loyalty, remember. , don't betray your friends."

But Jimmy didn't say the complete words in his heart - "Don't betray your friends, only I can betray other people."

After several successful thefts, Jimmy's character of distrusting anyone has become more and more obvious. No one related to the robbery case is not silenced by Jimmy, even old friends who have cooperated for many years. Forget it, Henry naturally saw all of this, but he didn’t say it, but secretly paid attention to it in his heart. After these few robberies, Henry has also learned to observe secretly, and gradually he did not worship Jimmy as much as he did at the beginning. Perhaps it was also during this period that the seeds of future betrayal of Jimmy were planted.

fans of the authorities

Perhaps the only outsider in this intriguing gangster world is Henry's wife, Karen, who offers a different perspective on this deviant lifestyle.

From the monologue in the film, we know that the reason why Karen is attracted to Henry is nothing more than money, charm, admiration, and the privilege of entering popular restaurants without queuing. Possessing certain powers not only makes friends widely, has a successful career, but also manages various social situations. This may be what Henry learned from Jimmy. He uses gentleman-like behavior to shape his image. A strong woman like Karen is extremely useful.

Of course, Karen has found more than once that Jimmy seems to be different, such as never revealing his work, or disappearing a few days a week, or even directly blasting Karen with the butt of a gun. Ex-boyfriend, all signs show that Henry is not suitable for marriage, but Karen still falls because of those admiration and worship.

And when you step into this world, all the people and things around you will never be the same as before. Karen later confessed why she knew her husband was committing a crime but she was indifferent, because those people, they would Caring about you and your family, coming to your wedding to help you celebrate your birthday, throwing parties together on weekends, letting each other's kids play together gives you a sense of belonging, and the only one.

In this criminal stratosphere, what we talk about and see are the same values. The closer we look at things, the less strange we feel. This is a kind of olfactory fatigue and cognitive fatigue. , then unconsciously treat everything as everyday.

Loyalty and the proportion of life

Loyalty is important in the gangster world, but we all know that life is more important.

Henry tasted great benefits in the subsequent drug trafficking, so he pulled Jimmy into this lucrative industry. However, he did not have a smooth life forever. In fact, Henry was targeted by the anti-drug team for a long time. He was caught on the spot during a raid. The arrest was right. Although Karen mortgaged the house to raise bail, the rumors had already spread, and the entire gang world already knew that Henry would be arrested sooner or later, so everyone began to draw a clear line with him, including Pauly, who happens to be the one who hates drugs the most in the Mafia, warns his subordinates from time to time to stay away from this business, and perhaps he never imagined that Henry was doing these things right under his nose.

Henry came to Poly with remorse and guilt, hoping to borrow some troubles, perhaps to make sure that Poly would not kill him. After all, Henry had worked under him since middle school, and he could be regarded as a proud student of Poly. Possibly wanting to show his last pity, Paulie gave a few thousand dollars to send Henry away, and asked him to disappear in front of his eyes, never to appear, this is the cruelty of this world, when you are in high water, everyone is around You, look up to you, and when you fall, no one will take a second look even if you fall to the ground.

I think the most important reason Henry chose to be a tainted witness in the end was because -- Jimmy decided to kill him.

From the previous robbery cases, Henry had glimpsed the deepest nature of Jimmy, ready to kill anyone who stood in his way; at the restaurant party, Jimmy kept asking if Henry had revealed anything to the police about his drug trafficking, then Henry had not yet woken up, and he was full of blood and said that he would never betray anyone, until Jimmy asked him to go to Florida to assassinate someone, at which time Henry woke up - Jimmy would never ask him to kill.

It was also at this moment that Henry clearly understood that the person who had fought and bleed with him had decided to betray him, and that the world that nourished him and thrived would eventually leave him. Only at this moment did Henry understand that it was time. I have made the final decision for my own life, and the sense of belonging is quite obvious.

He stepped into this world because of a sense of belonging, and finally realized what those bloody righteousness would look like under the distortion of interests. In the end, Henry became a tainted witness and testified against Pauly and Jimmy. The two were tried in the court. He will spend the rest of his life in prison, and Karen finally divorces Henry and has custody of the children.

At the end of the film, Henry confessed, "I am a nobody, and I will spend the rest of my life as a mediocre person."

After all this, perhaps mediocrity is the luckiest redemption for him.