Mafia the Film Goodfellas (1990)

Mafia

The film Goodfellas (1990) is a dramatization of the real workings of the U.S. mafia. In the film the draw of a child, Henry into the inner workings of an extension of the Italian mob in New York City. The depiction runs most of his natural life, showing the viewer the graphic nature of the mafia as it evolved from the 1950s to the present. (Paoli, 2003, p. 3) the film also shows the natural evolution of the mafia once boundaries were crossed and mafia families began to fight amongst themselves and recruit, outside the family despite early assertions that only Italians could become full members of the group, i.e. "made men." As the infighting escalated and the public and authorities lost their "respect" for the organization and its antics what started as a system of tribute, an organization of protectors of those who engaged in illicit business, the organization devolved into illegal activities that brought them to their knees, along with the individuals involved. (Paoli, 2003, p. 170)

Cold blooded murder, destruction of property and an expansion of the kinds of activities they engaged in, such as underlings, not getting enough of the action to support themselves seeking out illegal pursuits such as selling drugs. Henry in particular fell to the drug scene, as the only means he had to support his family, and in doing so he became a marked man. Henry eventually turned informant and entered the witness protection program but he and his cronies as well as the mafia itself showed serious signs of destruction at the close of the film. The mafia, lacking the ability to find either support or "respect" or a new fast money game, with limited consequences will likely never be the same, as is seen by the film and its devolution.

One stark example of the manner in which the mafia worked, when it worked was Henry's description of the mob boss of the Lucchese family, Paulie Cicero, whose character was based upon the real mobster Paul Vario. Int the description, relatively early in the film Henry describes the manner in which Paulie did business, and retained respect. He communicated with only 6 key men, and even though he moved massive and unknown amounts of money, and was the center of a huge organization of hundreds of men he communicated directly only with these six respected heads of various jurisdictions of the organization. He refused to have a telephone, spoke to no one via telephone and still managed millions of dollars, hundreds of men and hundreds of rackets. His main role was the head of the protection organization, again based on the tribute system brought from Italy. The secrecy of his organization was ensured by his communication style as was his respect, as he gave audience to only a few and maintained strict confidence that ensured he was never centrally connected to any decision, despite the number he made on a daily basis. (Paoli, 2003, p. 18) He also never took action, but instead made decisions so others acted. Changes have occurred in large part as a result of the fascination that has been garnered by the dramatic intrigue that the mafia holds and by the fact that over the last few years the secrecy of old has been replaced with drama and the potential to make money depicting the reality of the mafia for the fascinated public.

Since the late 1970s, a presidential commission, numerous congressional hearings, the legal testimonies and autobiographies of dozens of mafia members, and hundreds of criminal and civil cases have proved the existence of the Italian mafia in America, providing rich and valuable information about its structure and activities (Jacobs and Gouldin 1999). (Paoli, 2003, p. 4)

The mafia itself cannot be discussed without at least some history, as the film depicts the waning of the system, and not its hey day.

Initially, the American Maria was a prominent supplier of bootlegged liquor. That required good connections with the local police department and political machines. Paying off the local beat cop provided a speakeasy, with its conspicuous and regular flow of traffic, little effective protection. Instead, it was necessary to guard against any cop who might be on that beat; the efficient solution was buying the whole department, if it was for sale. In many cities it was. (Reuter, 1995, p. 89)

The mafia became large and respected as a result of prohibition and many would argue that once alcohol was re-legalized in the U.S. The mafia lost its cash cow and began to devolve. The mafia altered its source of income by providing illegal services, money laundering, white collar crime, illegal gambling and other illegal services after the close of the bootlegging trend. Once this occurred the mafia needed to develop extensive roles and front men and this largely began its decline as the trail of activities was far more traceable and most importantly far less profitable. Bootlegging was also relatively well tolerated in many places as a result of the fact that alcohol was a desired commodity among almost every class and providing it was glamorized and supported by a thirsty public. The reason other games were less profitable is because they held less public need and required far more men to support. (Reuter, 1995, p. 89) Another declining factor was the development of the drug trade, though as the film expresses the old guard was reluctant to delve into the hated drug game, far less tolerated by the legal system than liquor procurement it was the most logical next step in the development of mafia activities.

The leaders may be decisive, they may be shrewd at determining when to use force, but they are not strategic in their thinking. Colombian drug distributors are less sophisticated than suggested by highly stylized accounts, such as novelist Tom Clancy's Clear and Present Danger, but they do seem to have acquired a few contemporary business practices, particularly with respect to financial services. The American Mafia languishes in suspicion of such sophistication, with nary a computer in sight. (Reuter, 1995, p. 89)