Henry Hill is a small time gangster who takes part in a robbery with Jimmy Conway and Tommy De Vito two other gangsters who have set their sights a bit higher. His two partners kill off everyone else involved in the robbery and slowly start to climb up through the hierarchy of the Mob. Henry however is badly affected by his partners success but will he stoop low enough to bring about the downfall of Jimmy and Tommy
Review
Scorcese & Pileggis masterpiece on the life of Henry Hill as a Brooklyn NY mob wiseguy.
As much as the true events of Henrys life have more than likely been dramatised and glamourised to a certain extent the essence of this film IMO is that it is still a brilliantly damning portrayal of the characters and lifestyle of mobsters.
The sham of the mafiosi is exposed preaching loyalty respect & principles but when it comes down to it they are just twobit criminals thatll stab each other in the back for money or power over others. Each of them has an inflated sense of selfworth and stature that comes with being a "wiseguy" breeding with it paranoia that others are not giving them the respect they deserve.
An example is De Niros portrayal of Jimmy Conway. His outward persona is that of a calm and reasonable nature. But really he is a paranoid killer who at the drop of a hat would kill even his closest associates for money. I use associates rather than friends as their relationships are of tolerance rather than kinship. Distrust hate and jealousy through the forced smiles.
Interesting that given this certain people envy their lifestyle and would have loved to have been a wiseguy. I personally couldnt think of anything worse that being tied for life with having to keep the likes of Tommy company but whatever rocks your boat. Some people have actually paid to see The Dukes of Hazzard film so I shouldnt be surprised.