Goodfellas
Even after almost thirty years , Martin Scorsese’sclassic , Goodfellas , remains one of the most rewatchable film ever . The end of the cinema was to showcase the rightful reality of the Maffia life , where these guy wire are n’t the Italian sandwich they ’ve been portrayed like in the past . The story of Henry Hill , a former mobster turn informant , give spectator an unflinching face at how dangerous this life can be , despite them look like kings .
While the plastic film is entertaining from kickoff to finish , it deal to still be very exact to the story . That being said , there were certain aspects of the story that were n’t shown or just completely changed , most probable for dramatic purposes . Here are ten thing thatGoodfellaschanged from the real story .
Henry Wasn’t As Charismatic As He’s Portrayed
InGoodfellas , Henry Hill is shown to be a smooth - speak womaniser who knows how to get what he wants . That ’s pretty easy to show when you ’re being wager by the handsome and charismatic Ray Liotta . In reality , however , Henry was just a constant turnkey - up who just made mistake after misunderstanding .
He did n’t needfully have everything under control as the film would have you believe , which led him to become a drug addict and souse . The moving-picture show does show him gyrate out of dominance towards the end , but this was his lifestyle throughout most of his time in the crime syndicate .
Karen And Henry Had A Son Named Greg
Henry and Karen ’s kinship is at the center of this tale . As the film progresses , their marriage eventually devolve since Henry was n’t the loyal husband she thought he was . The cinema shows that they had two daughters .
In actuality , Karen and Henry had a daughter nominate Gina and a boy named Greg . It ’s not quite certain why the writer chose to omit Greg from the tale . Although it could have been due to Greg himself , who did n’t desire his story being told . In the years since the picture , Greg has not been shy about discussing who his father was .
Last Names Were Changed For Paulie, Tommy, and Jimmy
Three out of the five major characters , Paulie , Tommy , and Jimmy , all had their last names change in the film , which is distinctive in flick found on true news report . Tommy DeVito is actually Tommy DeSimone . Paul “ Paulie ” Cicero ’s real name was Paul Vario . Last but not least , Jimmy Conway ’s real last name was Burke .
Due to their notorious crime , it makes sense why they may need to change some illustrious detail . However , it ’s speculated that Jimmy Burke did not want his real name used in the plastic film because he was have a password hearing not long after and the film might ruin his chances .
The Air France Heist Was Planned Differently
Air France was one of the major robberies in the picture . Paulie ’s crew ends up slip over $ 500,000 . However , the elbow room they achieve success required a scrap more preparation than the flick showed . In the picture , the crew get the security keys for the vault from Robert “ Frenchy ” McMahon .
McMahon actually just tipped them off in real aliveness . What they actually did was steal the keys from a safety who could n’t be bribe . After a few week of surveillance , it was discovered that this security guard had a weakness for women . The guy get him super drunk and tug him to a motel where a sporting lady was wait . When he was distract , they were able to lift the key from his pants .
Henry Wanted Out Multiple Times
As far back as he could remember , Henry always want to be a gangster . This legendary quote is truthful to the floor , but the film is structured as if Henry was fully invested in the syndicate since he was thirteen . The real Henry actually want out multiple sentence throughout his sprightliness , though . He even join the Air Force in 1960 to escape but terminate up back in it .
Hill has lead on to say that he hold out in fear almost every daylight of his biography . He test go logical by purchase a club call The Suite , which did not work . Henry ’s decision to give up Jimmy and Paulie make much more sense when looking at how he actually felt most of the time .
Tommy and Henry Didn’t Grow Up Together
To set thing up easier , the pic show that Tommy and Henry and grew up together since they were teen after being inaugurate by Jimmy , finally becoming close-fitting partners in criminal offence . Tommy DeSimone was actually about seven old age younger and did n’t meet Henry ( 22 at the time ) until he was 15 .
He pretty much work under Henry , Jimmy , and Paulie for a long time before becoming a major player in the mafia . When first meeting Tommy , Henry said that he depend like a “ skinny child who was wearing a wiseguy courting and a pencil mustache . ”
Paulie Was Actually A Violent And Vicious Person
Paul “ Paulie ” Cicero is portrayed in the movie as an understanding Fatherhood physical body and mentor to Henry . He still has an intimidating presence but only because he ’s the foreman . In veridical life , Paul Vario was an exceedingly violent individual with a huge temper .
Paul was a made mankind in the Lucchese Crime Family , allow him to race his own gang in Brooklyn . He never hesitated to attack those who slightly wronged him . In an interview , Henry mention that Paul had once pulsate a female server with a baseball bat since she threatened to tell Paulie ’s wife about their affair .
Tommy’s Violent Side Was Toned Down Compared To Real Life
The movie did n’t needs get this damage but they definitely toned down the real Tommy DeSimone , which is state a lot since his character was already scary enough . Who can forget the now - iconic “ What do you think of I ’m fishy ? ” tantrum . Henry admits that he was genuinely terrified of Tommy , describing him as a “ coked - out sociopath .
Tommy was known for his temper that could go off at any moment . He would even drink down people just to essay out a novel firearm . Henry recounted a disturbing level where they were walking down the street and out of nowhere , Tommy decided to shoot and kill a random stranger for just pure enjoyment .
Billy Batts’ Murder Was Planned
One of the most famous scene in the moving picture is the opposition between Billy Batts and Tommy . “ Now go get your f****n effulgence box . ” The movie shows Batts ’s murder as a prod of the moment where Tommy ’s ego catch the near of him .
This encounter did materialize at one time , except Batts was killed a few weeks later . While Batts was in prison house for six - years , Jimmy had taken over the loan - shark commercial enterprise . Now that Batts was out , Jimmy feared he ’d have to give it back . Tommy and Jimmy plan to take him out at Henry ’s bar , The Suite , implicate Henry in the outgrowth . Batts was also never shoot to decease as the introduction shows . Instead , he was stabbed numerous times according to Henry .
Tommy’s Murder Remains Unsolved
In the film , Henry states that they shoot Tommy in the face so his mother could n’t give him an open casket . However , Tommy ’s consistence has actually never been found and his disappearing remains unsolved to this day . The movie portrays it as revenge for Billy Batts ’s slaying , who was a made military man and deemed untouchable . This is emphatically plausible since Batts was near friend with the notorious mobster , John Gotti .
There are multiple theories as to what could have happened . One has to do with a devotee Tommy had , who may or may not have been an FBI informant and had stolen $ 250,000 . Another much more tangled scenario is that Tommy had attempted to sexually snipe Karen while Henry was in prison house . Karen then told Paul Vario , whom she was having an say affair with . Paul then tell apart Gotti about Batts , as well as many other stories .
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