Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas depicts the crime lifestyle perfectly, despite an expert calling out one casting choice that upset his father. The legendary director has explored the mob milieu many times over his illustrious career, starring in 1973 with his third movie, Mean Streets, which was also Scorsese’s first of several collaborations with Robert De Niro. Though Mean Streets is considered by many to be one of the greatest gangster movies ever made, Scorsese’s Mafia magnum opus might be Goodfellas, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest movies ever made.
Over the years, Scorsese has explored many aspects of the Mafia and gangster lifestyle in Raging Bull, Casino, and Gangs of New York. However, it was his exploration of the Irish Mob in Boston, The Departed, that won Best Picture and earned Scorsese his only Academy Award for Best Director. More recently, Scorsese made The Irishman, what many believed to be his farewell to the gangster genre, though he could return to it once again in an upcoming film, described as a “Hawaii-set Goodfellas meets The Departed.”
A Former Mobster Rates Goodfellas
One Casting Choice Upset His Father
A former mobster rates Goodfellas, claiming it depicts the crime lifestyle perfectly, but calls out one casting choice that upset his father. Directed by Scorsese, who co-wrote the script with Nicholas Pileggi based on his nonfiction book Wiseguy, the 1990 gangster film follows the rise and fall of Mafia associate Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), his relationship with his wife Karen (Lorraine Bracco) and his mob partners Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci). Goodfellas‘ cast also includes Louis Eppolito in a brief appearance as Fat Andy.
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Goodfellas: The Real Life NYPD Cop Who Appeared (& What Happened Next)
A real NYPD cop had a cameo role in Goodfellas as one of the many gangsters Henry Hill met, and in real life, he was also associated with the mob.
For an Insider video, former mobster Anthony Ruggiano Jr. rated mafia scenes in movies and TV shows, including the portrayal of bust-out schemes in Goodfellas, which he claims depicts the crime lifestyle perfectly:
Most of it is accurate as far as the first scene of busting out that club. A guy would come to us that owned the club that was having problems, or people weren’t paying him, and we would make a deal with him. So we would tell them, “Okay, we’re going to help you. You’re going to be on record with us and we want x amount of dollars a month.” When the club is doing well, we’re not going to bust it out because we’ll make money with the guy so either we’re going to take a monthly payment off him or, on the other hand, we may go partners with him. Once the club stops making money then we’re going to bust it out. Just like it said in the movie, we’re going to order stuff, and we’re going to sell it. We would order liquor on credit and we would sell it, and then when the bills came in, we didn’t pay it because the place wasn’t making any money. It was a bust-out.
Anthony Ruggiano Jr. also discussed the appearance of Fat Andy in Goodfellas, who was his real father, Anthony “Fat Andy” Ruggiano, a made member of the Gambino family who rose to the rank of captain. However, the person playing his father is Louis Eppolito, a retired police officer who actually did hits for the rival Lucchese crime family. In turn, the casting choice upset the real Fat Andy:
So in that scene that’s supposed to be my father, Fat Andy, and my father was actually very good friends with them. My father was a made member of the Gambino family who rose to the rank of captain. But the person that’s playing my father is, we didn’t know at the time, was a retired police officer who later became indicted and was called “the mob cop.” He was actually doing hits for the Lucchese crime family and my father was not happy that they made a cop play him.
Our Take On Goodfellas’ Accuracy
Why It’s So Accurate
Goodfellas is widely considered one of the greatest movies ever made, particularly in the gangster genre, partially because of how accurately it depicts the Mafia lifestyle. Nicholas Pileggi, who wrote Wiseguy and co-wrote the screenplay for Goodfellas, was a journalist who specialized in reporting on the Mafia for more than three decades.
In the video, Anthony Ruggiano Jr., who was a government witness himself, goes on to talk about how accurately Goodfellas depicts the witness protection program and rated the film a perfect 10/10. It’s a testament to how great Goodfellas is that even those who have lived the life it portrays acknowledge its authenticity and brilliance.
Source: Insider
