Clean Air Act of 1990; Clinton, Bill; Earth Day 1990;
Earth in the Balance; Gore, Al; Kyoto Protocol; Nuna-
vut Territory; Science and technology.
GoodFellas
Identification American gangster film
Director Martin Scorsese (1942- )
Date Released on September 19, 1990
Widely lauded for its skillful directing, Oscar-caliber perfor-
mances, and references to real-life events,GoodFellasis
one of the most critically acclaimed gangster movies of all
time and has earned its place in the American film canon.
The script forGoodFellasis derived from the Nicholas
Pileggi bookWiseguy(1986), which draws heavily
from the real-life experiences of Henry Hill, an
American gangster and confederate of the Lucchese
crime family. The movie follows Henry from child-
hood as he starts out performing menial tasks for the
local mob, run by Paul Cicero (played by Paul
Sorvino and based on real-life Lucchese crime fig-
ure Paul Vario). Henry’s crime activities increase as
he matures into a full-blown “wiseguy,” earning the
respect of his cohorts, including Tommy DeVito
(Joe Pesci), based on Tommy DeSimone, and Jimmy
Conway (Robert De Niro), based on Jimmy Burke.
One of the compelling aspects ofGoodFellasis the
surface appeal of Henry’s life as the story starts out.
The audience is introduced to extremely charis-
matic characters who are treated with respect and
living above the standards of average people. They
are shown to have a life of freedom and little respon-
sibility to the establishment. As Henry Hill states, “If
we wanted something, we just took it.”
However, as the story unfolds, the underlying vio-
lence and accountability of Henry’s world increas-
ingly surface. In a pivotal scene, Tommy shoots a
waiter named “Spider” in the foot. Later, as the ban-
daged Spider defends himself against Tommy’s
belittlements, Tommy murders him in cold blood.
This psychopathic action, one of the many shocking
scenes in the film, exemplifies how the seemingly
fun and prosperous life of the gangster can flip into
brutality at any moment. As the narrative progresses,
Henry’s life increasingly disintegrates as the nega-
tive forces play themselves out. In the end, after
Henry is busted by the police, he is reduced to be-
coming one of the most despised personas in the
mob world: an informant. Henry’s world has crum-
bled, and, as he says at the end, “I get to live the rest
of my life like a schnook.”
Impact GoodFellasnot only resonated with audi-
ences worldwide but also established a template for
many future gangster films and television series.
Martin Scorsese grew up in the Bronx, and through-
out his film career his understanding of street nu-
ance set a new standard in the entertainment in-
dustry. For example, the Home Box Office (HBO)
seriesThe Sopranosdrew influence fromGoodFellas
and Scorsese’s work, and many of the actors from
the film itself crossed over to the show. In addition to
artistic influence,GoodFellasbrought renewed atten-
tion to gangster life. Henry Hill has become some-
what of a celebrity, being expelled from the witness
protection program and appearing on various talk
shows.
Further Reading
Friedman, Lawrence S.The Cinema of Martin Scorsese.
New York: Continuum, 1997.
Scorsese, Martin.Scorsese on Scorsese. Rev. ed. Lon-
don: Faber & Faber, 2003.
Wood, C. J. Nicholas Pileggi and Martin Scorsese:
“Wiseguy” and “GoodFellas”—Mob Rules. http://
http://www.spikemagazine.com/1003nicholaspileggi
.php, 2003.
Jarod P. KearneySee also Academy Awards; Crime; Film in the
United States; Mafia. Gordon, Jeff
Identification American race car driver
Born August 4, 1971; Vallejo, California
As four-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion, three-time
winner of the Daytona 500, and four-time winner of the
Brickyard 400, Gordon has earned a permanent spot in the
histor y of auto racing.
As early as age four, Jeff Gordon was racing BMX
bikes locally, often competing against older chil-
dren. At age five, his father purchased two quarter-
midget racers for Gordon and his older sister. He
raced quarter-midget cars and go-karts successfully
before growing tired of the sport and temporarily
taking up water skiing. At the age of thirteen, Gor-376 GoodFellas The Nineties in America