How Similar Is 'Goodfellas' to the Real Jimmy Conways Story?

May 2024 ยท 7 minute read

The Big Picture

Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas is a film that needs no introduction. The definitive mob movie, Goodfellas is not just one of the greatest crime films of all time, but one of the best films ever made, period. Goodfellas is based on the story of real-life mobster Henry Hill, played by Liotta in the film. Scorsese, De Niro, and screenwriter/author Nicholas Pileggi approached translating Burke to screen in a very interesting way, one full of care and consideration, but certainly some artistic license as well. Full of fantastic performances, the standout of the lot may be Robert De Niro's spine-tingling turn as mobster Jimmy Conway.

In the long history between De Niro and Scorsese, this may be their best collaboration. De Niro turns from charismatic to stone-cold killer at the drop of a hat, and the chemistry between him, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, and Lorraine Bracco is undeniable. Robert De Niro plays Conway as a coiled snake, and the audience is always unsure when he might strike. The famed diner sequence, as well as the scene between him and Bracco discussing Henry's case display this greatly. This does bring up the question of how close De Niro's performance is to his real-life equivalent, James Burke?

Goodfellas
RBiographyCrimeDrama

The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.

Release Date September 12, 1990 Director Martin Scorsese Cast Robert De Niro , Ray Liotta , Joe Pesci , Lorraine Bracco , Paul Sorvino , Frank Sivero Runtime 145 minutes

How Much of Jimmy Conway's 'Goodfellas' Story Happened in Real Life?

For Martin Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi's part, a lot of Jimmy Conway was taken directly from James Burke's real life, largely because the film was an adaptation of Pileggi's nonfiction book, Wiseguy, which details the life of Henry Hill. For his part, Burke was a gangster in the Italian mafia, one of Irish origin, therefore incapable of being a "made man". However, he mentored Hill and Tommy DeSimone, who became the basis for Joe Pesci's character. There was a lot that made its way into the movie, such as all three men murdering made man Billy Batts and stopping at Tommy's mother's house to get shovels and lime to bury him. It's also true that Billy was still alive in the trunk of the car when they opened it up and that Burke also orchestrated the Lufthansa heist and committed a series of murders afterward to keep his co-conspirators quiet.

The majority of Goodfellas' plot points are 100% real, but perhaps slightly sped up for effect. For example, Batts was murdered a week after the "shoe shine" incident in the film, not the same night. The points in which the film does miss the mark on is due to omission. For example, Burke was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his involvement in a point-shaving scandal at Boston College, due to Hill's testimony at the trial. While we see the trial dramatized in the film, we never see the crime happen in the movie. The point-shaving operation is only mentioned in passing by Morrie before his murder. Ultimately, Burke's life served as the basis for Scorsese and Pileggi to expand on, and as a vehicle for the story with some artistic license taken.

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Robert De Niro Made His 'Goodfellas' Performance as Authentic as Possible

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Robert De Niro's contribution to portraying James Burke is phenomenal. In terms of authenticity, he took as many steps as possible to mimic Burke. For example, in the famed dinner scene at Tommy's mother's house, many people have noted that De Niro puts ketchup on what is seemingly Italian food (an absolute sin) and that he also applies it in a manner that nobody really does. In his preparation for the role, he went as far as asking the real-life Henry Hill, did he like ketchup, and if so, how did he put it on food? Did he hit the bottle, did he use a knife, how did he do it? The rolling motion we see in the film was exactly how Burke did it in real life.

De Niro brings a sense of malice and cold-heartedness that makes your skin crawl without even speaking. The push-in on De Niro as he's smoking a cigarette set to "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream is just killer. The audience knows exactly what is going to happen, and De Niro doesn't say a word. There have been a lot of gangsters on screen, and many great actors have chosen to go for brash and bravado to portray them. Even in this film, Liotta and Pesci both use their charisma to make their performances great. De Niro is almost Alain Delon-esque in this role, cool and calm to a frightening degree. This isn't to say he's not funny in the movie, but he is playing Jimmy Conway very carefully, and that brings across the wonderful sense of dread that carries throughout the film.

'Goodfellas' Is Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese at Their Best

Robert De Niro's excellent performance and Martin Scorsese's masterful direction fuse to create perhaps the best collaboration the two have ever done, which is really saying something when you look at the sheer number of movies they've collaborated on. The aforementioned diner sequence at the end of the film is the perfect example of how De Niro portrays James Burke in the film, and how Scorsese elevates the portrayal through his direction.

Firstly, the scene is shot beautifully by Michael Ballhaus, the famed cinematographer who worked extensively with both Scorsese and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The Zolly, or Zoom Dolly shot is used to perfection. Essentially, Ballhaus moves the camera on a dolly while also zooming with a zoom lens, creating an effect where the foreground stays static while the background changes size, creating a feeling of unease. This was first innovated in Vertigo, and was also used to great effect in Jaws. Scorsese uses it to create this creeping feeling of death which works as Henry has already been arrested, and he's just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Henry knows that Jimmy is a killer and that their friendship no longer stands in the way of that. De Niro plays it very calmly, but you can see in his eyes what he's going to do to Henry. Henry knows he has to turn on him, and it's the moment the film hinges on. Both De Niro and Liotta absolutely nail it, the scene is crafted with the utmost sense of care by Scorsese, and it's perfectly edited by Thelma Schoonmaker, one of cinema's most influential editors. This scene shows you everything you need to know about how Burke's story was translated on screen.

How you take someone's true story and create a film out of it is crucial when telling a story like Goodfellas. Neither Scorsese nor De Niro were slouches in the field, and this film shows them at their best. As there were certainly creative licenses taken, the film exaggerates, heightens, and omits many passages of Burke's life. Yet, it paints quite an accurate picture of history. At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter if cinema's Jimmy Conway translates to history's James Burke. Goodfellas isn't about creating a facsimile of Burke's life, it's about expanding on it to create something larger. Goodfellas is a timeless film, one that was and still is critically acclaimed. It's the greatest achievement in a career full of excellence for Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese and is a movie that will be watched, studied, and loved by countless fans years after we're all gone.

Goodfellas is available to rent on Apple TV+ in the U.S.

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