Robert De Niro has had numerous comedic roles in his career, but the legendary actor's best performances have come when he played gangsters. One of his best-ever roles is that of James "Jimmy" Conway in Martin Scorsese's award-winning movie Goodfellas. The character is based on real-life Lucchese crime family member James Burke, aka Jimmy the Gent.
In the movie, Jimmy acts as the mentor of protagonist Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), molding him from an innocent neighborhood boy to a feared gangster in New York. Jimmy is also more likable compared to the other mobsters as he makes better decisions and doesn't get violent unless it's absolutely necessary.
"Never Rat On Your Friends And Always Keep Your Mouth Shut."
Snitching is considered a cardinal sin in the mob. A younger Henry knows this too well, despite not being a made guy yet when he gets pinched for selling counterfeit cigarettes. He doesn't tell the police anything and when he is released, Jimmy congratulates him by giving him a bundle of cash.
Jimmy tells him that he did well by adhering to the mafia code. But Henry's loyalty isn't everlasting. The scene foreshadows the end of the movie when Henry agrees to be an FBI informant. His testimony proves useful as several high-ranking mobsters, including Jimmy, get arrested. Meanwhile, Henry gets shoved into the witness protection program, forced to live in a boring suburb.
"Look What This F***ing Mutt Did To My Shoes."
A classic example of pushing someone's buttons happens when senior mobster Billy Batts gets out of prison. He is surprised to see how far the hothead Tommy DeVito has risen up the ranks. When Batts got locked up, Tommy was shining shoes for a living. Batts thus delivers one of cinema's best moments of provocation, asking Tommy to go get his shine box.
An upset Tommy asks him to stop but the stubborn old-timer doubles down on the mockery. As a result, Tommy begins assaulting him. Instead of stopping him, Jimmy aids and abets, joining Tommy in handing down the beatdown. After it's all over, Batts' state doesn't concern Jimmy. What angers him is that his once neat shoes are now blood-stained.
"You're Gonna Dig The Hole. I Got No Time. You're Gonna Do It."
Tommy DeVito does not understand the Golden Rule. He gets angry at Batts for mocking him but bullies a teenager, the low-level gangster named Spider who often serves drinks to senior mafioso while they are gambling. One day, Spider feels he has had enough so he curses Tommy out. Tommy's mounting rage is evident. Within seconds, he shoots the teenager dead.
Everyone is shocked, including Jimmy, who fanned the flames by asking Tommy if he was going to allow a kid to talk to him like that. Perhaps Jimmy expected a beating as the worst-case scenario, not a murder. Interestingly, what worries Jimmy the most isn't that the boy is dead — he just doesn't want to bury a body again.
"The Hoof."
Martin Scorsese sometimes gives his mother cameo roles in his movies. In Goodfellas, she is Tommy's mom. A scene shows her having dinner with Tommy and Jimmy. Tommy then borrows her a knife, claiming that they hit a deer on the way there so they'd like to cut off the paw that is stuck in front of the car. Jimmy corrects him, telling him that it's "the hoof" not the "paw." Deer don't have paws.
The knife isn't really meant for a deer. It's for Billy Batts, who is actually writhing in pain in the trunk in the car outside after the nightclub assault. They intend to stab him dead with the knife before burying him. The fact that Tommy is very comfortable killing someone with his mother's knife says a lot about his character.
"It's Gonna Be A Good Summer."
Losses and sadness for law-abiding citizens translate to profits for criminals. After one of their heists, Henry opens a briefcase and begins counting the money. It adds up to $60,000. This makes Jimmy very happy. He declares that the summer is going to be an enjoyable one.
It's a decent amount of cash for just a single job. The scene adds weight to Karen Hill's words. In a voiceover, she had explained how mobsters weren't like white-collar guys who waited for checks from their bosses. They simply went out every day and came back with money to feed and spoil their families.
"They Whacked Him. They F***in' Whacked Him."
No transgression goes unpunished in the mob and Tommy ought to have known this. While hanging out with Henry at a diner. Jimmy gets a call from Vinnie, who informs him that Tommy has been whacked. Jimmy is shocked and devastated by the news. He breaks it to Henry too.
Tommy's crime? Killing Billy Batts. Even though Batts was at fault, he was a made guy while Tommy wasn't. In mafia rules, a guy that's yet to be made isn't allowed to touch one who is. In the iconic murder scene, Tommy is escorted to a house, thinking it's his graduation ceremony. Instead, he is shot in the back of the head.
"Think Morrie Tells His Wife Everything?"
As Henry explains earlier, friends turn on each other rather quickly in organized crime. Jimmy's relationship with wig shop owner Morrie is a complicated one. Morrie owes Jimmy money, which he is reluctant to pay, At the same time, Jimmy also owes Morrie money as he participated in the Lufthansa Heist. Morrie just suggests that Jimmy uses his Lufthansa cut to cover the debt.
It's a sensible suggestion but Jimmy isn't too happy about it. He wonders whether Morrie talks to his wife about the mafia's activities. In a voiceover, Henry admits that he knew Jimmy was going to whack Morrie the moment he says those words. This turns out to be the case later on. Morrie is strangled inside a car on Jimmy's orders.
"What's The Matter With You?"
Several characters make questionable decisions in the show and this surprises Jimmy all the time. He says these words about 10 times in the movie. He can't help but wonder what's wrong with his colleagues.
For example, he says the words to Henry when he buys some guns but the silencers don't fit. He also says the words to Tommy when he kills Spider over nothing serious. Morrie is also asked what the matter with him is when he takes too long to pay back the money he owes.
"What Did I Say? Don't Buy Anything!"
The movie emphasizes one major disadvantage that members of organized crime have. Despite having plenty of cash, they can't spend it as they wish because the feds are always watching. One of the storylines in the movie involves Jimmy and his crew conducting a heist on an airport. They target cargo from Lufthansa Airlines and this brings them plenty of money.
One of the participants named Johnny Dio buys a pink Cadillac coupe for his wife. When he shows up at a nightclub with it, Jimmy is infuriated. He knows such kinds of purchases will attract the authorities. He thus gives Johnny a dressing down, reminding him what he said earlier, not to purchase anything expensive.
"You Have To Do What's Right. You Have To Go Home To The Family, Okay?"
No matter how deep the love is, no partner is ever okay with infidelity. One can't fault the over-the-top antics of Henry's wife Karen when she discovers he is seeing a woman named Janice Rossi. She even confronts Rossi at her apartment. To top that, she wakes Henry up with a gun pointed at his face. Henry soon grows tired of the endless arguments and decides to stay away from home.
Not one to give up on her marriage, Karen visits some friends and mentors, including Jimmy and Paulie, to complain about her husband's behavior. Paulie and Jimmy thus do an intervention, reminding Henry of the importance of family and reminding him to go back home.