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RIP Henry Hill - Goodfellas

myworldisenoughmyworldisenough
edited June 2012 in General Discussion Posts: 1,143
Sad news to hear that Henry Hill has passed away aged 69. (June 11, 1943 – June 12, 2012)

The real life wiseguy turned federal witness.

His life as a wiseguy so brilliantly portrayed in the all time classic movie Goodfellas by Martin Scorsese.

Also very much worth a read is the biography Wiseguy (Goodfellas) by Nicholas Pileggi

'At the age of twelve my ambition was to be a gangster. To me being a wiseguy was better than being president of the United States. To be a wiseguy was to own the world.' Henry Hill

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Comments

  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Sad. Interesting guy and life. RIP Henry.
  • St_GeorgeSt_George Shuttling Drax's lovelies to the space doughnut - happy 40th, MR!
    Posts: 1,699
    This is a great read for those yet to discover it...

    http://www.empireonline.com/features/when-empire-met-henry-hill
  • DiscoVolanteDiscoVolante Stockholm, Sweden
    Posts: 1,347
    Interesting life. And portrayed in the wonderful Goodfellas.

    RIP Mr Hill
  • SharkBaitSharkBait
    Posts: 2,107
    What everyone said.

    Rest in Peace.
  • SirHenryLeeChaChingSirHenryLeeChaChing
    edited June 2012 Posts: 3,494
    Yes, HH was quite an icon for organized crime buffs. I actually liked the Pileggi book "Wiseguy" better than the actual movie, although the movie was much better than the "Donnie Brasco" movie treatment of the superb novel. Hill co-wrote a nice followup to "Wiseguy" in 2004 with Paul Russo.

    I get a kick out of the movie more for Joe Pesci as Tommy DeSimone, who in real life was pretty much the opposite of Pesci in stature and in other ways. Pesci's character portrayal was much closer to the real life persona of his good friend, the late Gambino capo Robert "Bobby Cabert" Bisaccia, who was close to Gotti and his go-to guy in North Jersey when he really needed something done.

  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    I actually saw GoodFellas again in the recent past and I thought while Liotta, did a good portrayal of Hill, he didn't actually resemble enough the man himself. The real Henry Hill (RIP) saw the 1990 release after it came out in theaters and told Liotta he was 'quite impressed'. I think Scorsese tries too hard to emulate Francis Ford Coppola sometimes in the mafioso genre or gangster movies and simply fails with it, I thought Casino was better, i.e. GoodFellas in the desert - which it is. Mr Hill didn't exactly cover himself in glory throughout a colorful life and did some rather nefarious deeds here and there and caused some suffering to others, but in any event, RIP etc

  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,492
    RIP Henry Hill.

    "I swear to my f***ing mother, if you touch her again, YOU'RE DEAD!"

    Best line and scene from the film.
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    I'm so pleased you didn't choice the awful Pesci sequence of 'Am I funny etc'

    In a word - no you're F'n not. I almost cheered when he was shot dead when he believed he was going to be made. A most nauseating and irritating character :-<
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,492
    @Baltimore_007, that scene was good the first time, but that was it. It became annoying really fast, and I'm surprised it didn't go on for another seven hours, for it had already felt as much.
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    The only bit I liked with him was when they were all around the table playing cards and the spider kid comes along with the drinks and DeVito insults him and says derogatory remaks that are half amusing before the inevitable rage and killing, that was about it for me, even Pesci said himself that he actually found doing those scenes awkward

    I've just realized I could be giving away important bits about the movie to anyone who hasn't seen it, so I apologize for that, but it's worth a watch of anyone's time, if only the once. But I do say, if you want a good tangible mafioso movie, check out The Godfather, Coppola shows how it's really done etc
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Spoiler tags are there for a reason.
  • RogueAgentRogueAgent
    Posts: 12,506
    RIP Henry Hill.
    One of my all time favourite films. Goodfellas really is a Scorsese classic!
  • thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
    edited June 2012 Posts: 12,837
    RIP. He lived a very intresting life. Goodfellas was a great film too, made Ray Liotta one of my favourite actors.
  • OHMSS69OHMSS69
    Posts: 2,341
    RogueAgent wrote:
    RIP Henry Hill.
    One of my all time favourite films. Goodfellas really is a Scorsese classic!

    I couldn't agree more. I thought "Casino" was a trainwreck of a movie. Long, overly violent, and just a mismash of WTF?
    "Goodfellas" is one of Scorsese's masterpieces.
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    Posts: 11,189
    Goodfellas is one of my all time favourites.

    Haven't seen Casino for ages but I remember not liking it as much as GF (that's Goodfellas, not Goldfinger ;) ).
  • SaintMarkSaintMark
    Posts: 7,653
    I do not have that need to celebrate a former criminal. Having seen Goodfellas which is in my book an overrated movie I cannot escaped the unlikable character he was, so the world lost another criminal, not a big loss imho.

  • Master_DaharkMaster_Dahark
    Posts: 4,813
    henry-hill-ap.jpg

    So that's him?? No, I will forever picture Ray Liotta ;)
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,492
    Ray Liotta gave an outstanding performance as Mr. Hill. It's just a shame he doesn't get much larger roles these days. I enjoyed the first 'Street Kings' film, and heard that the direct-to-DVD sequel starring Liotta wasn't half bad.
  • myworldisenoughmyworldisenough
    Posts: 1,143
    SaintMark wrote:
    I do not have that need to celebrate a former criminal. Having seen Goodfellas which is in my book an overrated movie I cannot escaped the unlikable character he was, so the world lost another criminal, not a big loss imho.

    The only thing about your comment I can agree with is that he was a criminal. Goodfellas is one of my most favourite movies and having seen reviews over the years so many fans and critics alike agree. Henry Hill was a very likable character, that's why he remained such a celebrity for all those years and why a book and movie was made about his life.

    Of course I cannot condone many of the things he did but his story is never the less facinating and learning about the man and his background and subsequent post criminal life, you would then find him not just 'another criminal'
  • SaintMarkSaintMark
    Posts: 7,653
    myworldisenough wrote:
    SaintMark wrote:
    I do not have that need to celebrate a former criminal. Having seen Goodfellas which is in my book an overrated movie I cannot escaped the unlikable character he was, so the world lost another criminal, not a big loss imho.

    The only thing about your comment I can agree with is that he was a criminal. Goodfellas is one of my most favourite movies and having seen reviews over the years so many fans and critics alike agree. Henry Hill was a very likable character, that's why he remained such a celebrity for all those years and why a book and movie was made about his life.

    Of course I cannot condone many of the things he did but his story is never the less facinating and learning about the man and his background and subsequent post criminal life, you would then find him not just 'another criminal'

    I am sure the families of the victims of the deeds he was involved with consider him a stand-up guy.

    I am just not in the celebrity-status of criminals. Especially ones that get "caught" and then go on to be "better' persons but are still living of the reputation of being a bad guy.

    Even if his life made a fascinating story.

  • oo7oo7
    Posts: 1,068
    <object width="420" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MeYq7EYS4fw?version=3&hl=en_GB"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MeYq7EYS4fw?version=3&hl=en_GB"; type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>
    He was a good fella
  • SirHenryLeeChaChingSirHenryLeeChaChing
    Posts: 3,494
    One thing Henry Hill was not, by criminal standards, would be a "stand-up guy". He was a rat who turned in his associates to avoid being killed by them. To the government, of course, a different story.
  • OHMSS69OHMSS69
    Posts: 2,341
    SirHenryLeeChaChing wrote:
    One thing Henry Hill was not, by criminal standards, would be a "stand-up guy". He was a rat who turned in his associates to avoid being killed by them. To the government, of course, a different story.

    The Mafia (and most criminal organizations ) are made up of "rats' nowadays. There is no honor among thieves anymore. Faced with mammoth prison sentences these bastards immediately turn witness. Gone are the days of Luciano, Capone, Costello. The 1920's-1960's.
  • SirHenryLeeChaChingSirHenryLeeChaChing
    Posts: 3,494
    OHMSS69 wrote:
    SirHenryLeeChaChing wrote:
    One thing Henry Hill was not, by criminal standards, would be a "stand-up guy". He was a rat who turned in his associates to avoid being killed by them. To the government, of course, a different story.

    The Mafia (and most criminal organizations ) are made up of "rats' nowadays. There is no honor among thieves anymore. Faced with mammoth prison sentences these bastards immediately turn witness. Gone are the days of Luciano, Capone, Costello. The 1920's-1960's.

    So true, so very true. There is no more honor in the "honored society".

    A few of my closest friends in school were transplanted Italians from South Philly, and one of my best ones was the son of a well connected man. He could have been "made" but he was at least for sure an associate and a neighborhood guy doing very well for himself. I remember one time I couldn't go over there because the father had the then boss of Philly, Angelo Bruno, and (wait for it O'Brady) Frank Sinatra among his dinner guests. I didn't find out about who was there until the next day. Normally I was always very welcomed there by his father and the whole family and spent so much time there that I was basically "Tom Hagen" being the blond haired, blue eyed German descended kid I was, but this night must have contained some sort of serious discussion for the father to insist that even his kids needed to make plans away from home until a certain time. Anyway, I knew a lot of the mob slang and attitude and actually met Mr. Bruno very briefly in passing. He appeared to be just how law enforcement has described him, a gentleman, friendly but very low key, and if you didn't know who and what he was like I didn't at the time, you'd just think he was an ordinary elderly Italian guy.

    RICO and draconian jail sentences are among the things that made many of these guys start squealing, but there is much more to it than just that. All of it became "me" instead of "we".


  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,492
    @SirHenryLeeChaChing, that's an insanely cool story. Thank you for sharing.
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,571
    We shouldn't compare The Godfather with Goodfellas. The former concerns the mafia hiararchy, the family at the top of the food chain, and it has a grand epic feel to it. Goodfellas is about the foot soldiers, the lower ranked guys who do so much of the dirty work themselves. It's faster paced, chaotic and noisy.

    Although they are all mafia the films really are about different people leading different kinds of lives.
  • OHMSS69OHMSS69
    Posts: 2,341
    @NicNac
    Interesting you mentioned the Godfather films. They were epic and I really liked them but the scene in Part III when Michael leaves the family to his bastard nephew Vincent Mancini and the family accepted him was kinda "hollywood crap". In reality the American mob had become so Americanized and nepotism was not tolerated. Such a promotion would have led to all out war as other "made members" would have felt slighted and that Mancini had not "pad his dues".
  • JBFan626JBFan626
    Posts: 1,497
    SirHenryLeeChaChing wrote:
    OHMSS69 wrote:
    SirHenryLeeChaChing wrote:
    One thing Henry Hill was not, by criminal standards, would be a "stand-up guy". He was a rat who turned in his associates to avoid being killed by them. To the government, of course, a different story.

    The Mafia (and most criminal organizations ) are made up of "rats' nowadays. There is no honor among thieves anymore. Faced with mammoth prison sentences these bastards immediately turn witness. Gone are the days of Luciano, Capone, Costello. The 1920's-1960's.

    So true, so very true. There is no more honor in the "honored society".

    A few of my closest friends in school were transplanted Italians from South Philly, and one of my best ones was the son of a well connected man. He could have been "made" but he was at least for sure an associate and a neighborhood guy doing very well for himself. I remember one time I couldn't go over there because the father had the then boss of Philly, Angelo Bruno, and (wait for it O'Brady) Frank Sinatra among his dinner guests. I didn't find out about who was there until the next day. Normally I was always very welcomed there by his father and the whole family and spent so much time there that I was basically "Tom Hagen" being the blond haired, blue eyed German descended kid I was, but this night must have contained some sort of serious discussion for the father to insist that even his kids needed to make plans away from home until a certain time. Anyway, I knew a lot of the mob slang and attitude and actually met Mr. Bruno very briefly in passing. He appeared to be just how law enforcement has described him, a gentleman, friendly but very low key, and if you didn't know who and what he was like I didn't at the time, you'd just think he was an ordinary elderly Italian guy.

    RICO and draconian jail sentences are among the things that made many of these guys start squealing, but there is much more to it than just that. All of it became "me" instead of "we".



    Yeah, such good upstanding citizens those guys were. What happened to the good old days?

    Give me a break...
    :|
  • SirHenryLeeChaChingSirHenryLeeChaChing
    Posts: 3,494
    Creasy47 wrote:
    @SirHenryLeeChaChing, that's an insanely cool story. Thank you for sharing.

    You're welcome Creasy. The older I get, the more of a raconteur I seem to become. I've had an interesting life at times for sure.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,492
    @SirHenryLeeChaChing, I would feel pretty complete if I either knew someone who knew or had an idea that I was in the vicinity of Frank Sinatra. Very, very cool.
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