Mob Movies

While the three mob films we watched have many similarities, they are also unique in their own way. In "Goodfellas" and "A Bronx Tale" the main character is repeatedly told not to affiliate with the mob by their parents, while "The Godfather" depicts an entire family that runs a crime empire. In The Godfather, Don Corleone refuses to go into the drug business, while the latter half of Goodfellas revolves around the illegal cocaine trade. Goodfellas is also the only of the films to feature a mobster who is not a full-blooded Italian. The Godfather takes place in the 1940's and 1950's, when the mafia dominated the streets of major American cities, most notably New York. Goodfellas takes place in the mid 1950's to 1980. A Bronx Tale is set in the 1960's. Interestingly, Goodfellas and A Bronx Tale feature prominent roles by Robert De Niro. He would also star in the Godfather Part 2. Joe Pesci has a cameo in A Bronx Tale and a leading role in Goodfellas.

Stereotyping plays an important role in all three films. In A Bronx Tale, the neighborhoods are divided along racial and ethnical lines, and anyone who strays out of their neighborhood is subject to torment. C is looked down upon by his peers and even his own father for being romantically interested in Jane, who is black. These tensions lead to many important conflicts in the film. The Godfather conatins mostly Italian characters, as it mostly deals with members of the mafia families. Those who aren't Italian however are often very prejudiced against the Italians. Most of these men end up paying for disrespecting the family. While not necessarliy stereotyping, in Goodfellas, Jimmy and Henry are prevented from becoming "made" men because they are not full Italians.

Goodfellas is a based on a true story. It depicts the life of Henry Hill, who was a notorious mobster is the 70s and 80s. The film is very true to his life story, although it does not contain anything about his military service and some of the names of characters are changed slightly. Also, the movies only shows his dealing of cocaine, while in real life he sold many different drugs. Hill's testimony against the mob convicted more than 50 members of the crime family. Hill also played a huge role in the Boston College basketball point shaving controversy in 1978 and 1979. Throughout the rest of his life, Hill has had numerous drug and alcohol problems that continue to the present