Goodfellas saw Henry Hill doing all types of criminal activities, but one his mob boss, Paul Cicero, wasn’t on board with was drug trafficking – and here’s why. Martin Scorsese has explored different genres throughout his career as a filmmaker, earning the respect of viewers, critics, and fellow filmmakers, but he continues to be best known for his gangster movies – and the one often regarded as his best is Goodfellas, released in 1990.
Based on the book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, Goodfellas chronicles the life of mob associate Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), from his days as a teenager fascinated by the mafia presence in his neighborhood, to his full involvement with the crime family of Paul Cicero (Paul Sorvino), through which he met some big names like Jimmy Conaway (Robert De Niro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci). After going through hell and back during his time working for the mob, Henry became an FBI informant and entered the witness protection program along with his family. Henry’s testimonies sent Jimmy and Paul to jail, proving that Paul was right in not allowing his associates to get involved in drug trafficking.
Paulie’s crew got involved in all types of criminal activities – from shady businesses to bigger plans like the Lufthansa heist, but one thing that he never allowed within his circle was drug trafficking. When Henry, Paulie, and Jimmy were sent to jail, Henry began dealing drugs in prison in order to support his family, but once he got out, he didn’t listen to Paulie and he continued with his cocaine business and even brought Jimmy and Tommy in. After more problems caused by Henry’s drug dealing and abuse, Paulie ended their association and gave him $3200. Although not explained in Goodfellas, Paulie’s reasons for not wanting to get involved in drug trafficking were all about the privacy and safety of his crew, and Henry’s actions at the end of the film showed exactly why Paul didn’t want him to continue with his drug business.
Paulie knew that if any of his men got involved in drug trafficking that would make them easy targets to become informers, thus destroying the “family”. In Goodfellas, Henry explains that Paulie didn’t like to use the phone, which along with his strict rules about drugs, could point at him being aware of RICO conspiracy charges and wiretaps, and so took special measures to protect himself and his crew. Now, many viewers have pointed out that Paulie didn’t seem to care about the drug dealing when they were in jail, but he did warn Henry about it when they were out. This is because when a member of the crew is sent to prison, they no longer have the support of the “family”, so Henry had to find a way to support Karen and their kids while in prison. Once free, Henry didn’t stop dealing drugs because it was a profitable business, but it ultimately backfired.
Henry becoming an FBI informant proved that Paulie’s concerns weren’t wrong, and ultimately, they all paid for most of the crimes they committed. The story of Henry Hill and Paul Vario goes beyond what Goodfellas shows, and the rules of the mob can be a bit complicated, but each boss has his reasons to not allow certain activities within his “family”.