Goodfellas mentioned some of the terms used in the American mafia and briefly showed a bit of their rules and code of honor, but what exactly are these about? Martin Scorsese has become one of the most beloved and respected filmmakers in the industry, and while he has explored different genres throughout his career, he continues to be best known for his gangster movies, and the one often regarded as his best is the 1990 movie Goodfellas.
Based on the book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, Goodfellas tells the story of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), who went from a teenager fascinated by the mafia presence in his neighborhood and running errands for the crew of Paul Cicero (Paul Sorvino) to his full involvement with his crime family and his decision to become an FBI informant. During his time in the mafia, Henry became close to big names like Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci), through which the audience learns a bit about the rules and code of honor within the mafia, such as the concept of “made man” and its requirements and the code of silence, which is a very important one in every crime family and between them.
In the first act of Goodfellas, Henry and Tommy (still teenagers) are working together selling cigarettes when they are caught by the cops, but Tommy runs to tell Paulie and company while Henry is arrested. Henry remains silent and doesn’t say a word about his involvement in selling cigarettes nor the names of the people he worked with and for, which earns him the respect of Jimmy, who tells him he just learned the “two greatest things in life”: never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut, which are part of the mafia rules and code. The mob’s code of silence and honor is known by the name “omertá”, which originated in Southern Italy and is present in the Italian-American Mafia as well, which includes the Five Families that control New York, among those the Lucchese crime family, the one depicted in Goodfellas.
Omertà is all about what Jimmy Conway told Henry when he got “pinched” in just a few words: don’t tell the authorities a word about what you do and who you work for. The basic principle of the code is that those in the mob must not seek aid from legally constituted authorities and the suspicion of being an informant is the blackest mark against manhood – and those who have been wronged are obligated to look out for their own interests and get revenge, either themselves or through a patron. The code also includes not interfering in the business of others, and if they are aware or witness to illegal activities from others, they should also keep quiet – however, if it’s a physical attack on themselves or on their family, they can personally avenge by vendetta. As for those who are convicted of a crime they didn’t commit, they should serve the sentence rather than tell the authorities who the real criminal is, even if they have nothing to do with the mafia. Last but not least, breaking the code is punishable by death.
The mafia code of honor and silence is also the reason why many mafia-related crimes go unsolved, as no one will say a word, and is also why those who have chosen to cooperate with the authorities have to go on the Witness Protection Program, as the mob would go after them to kill them. Omertà was very present in Goodfellas even if it wasn’t explained or directly mentioned, but it explains a lot of events from the movie, and it further explains why Henry Hill had to go on the Witness Protection Program after becoming an informant, as many other gangsters have had to do.