Directed by Martin Scorsese, Goodfellas is a classic film that shows the glamorous and ugly true stories of underworld characters, including the real-life Billy Batts. It tells the real-life story of the '70s and '80s New York City mafia and is based on Wiseguy, crime reporter Nick Pileggi's biography of gangster Henry Hill (future Many Saints of Newark star Ray Liotta). The other characters are inspired by Henry Hill's friends Jimmy Burke and Tommy DeSimone, who were brought to life in Goodfellas as Jimmy Conway (Robert DeNiro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci). In the movie, the three are thick as thieves, though Jimmy and Henry are even closer still because Tommy is a liability. He has a short-fuse personality and is quick to anger, which leads to some of Goodfellas' most memorable scenes.
One of Goodfellas' true story sources is the real-life murder of Batts (Frank Vincent), which helps to establish the three main gangsters' personalities. In fact, Goodfellas opens with his murder. Henry, the also real-life Jimmy Conway, and Tommy are driving in a car at night when they hear a strange noise that eventually turns out to be Billy. After pulling over, they open the trunk to reveal the badly beaten mobster, whom they had presumed was already dead. Tommy then takes a kitchen knife and stabs him multiple times before Jimmy fires a couple of bullets into him for good measure.
Later in Goodfellas, the moments that preceded this dramatic series of events are shown. An altercation occurred between Tommy and Billy Batts at a bar owned by Henry, in which the recently freed from prison Billy mocked Tommy's past as a shoeshine boy. It culminated with Billy snidely yelling, "Now go home and get your f***ing shoeshine box." Tommy left but returned when only Henry, Jimmy, and Billy were left in the bar. Billy was viciously beaten and stomped by Tommy and Jimmy. However, the real-life murder was decidedly different.
Goodfellas True Story Explained: The Real-Life Billy Batts
The Billy Batts true story is a bit crueler than Goodfellas shows. Batts' real name was William Bentvena, and he was a close associate of unseen but important John Gotti. At the time of his murder in 1970, he had just finished serving time for drug trafficking. The altercation between Billy and Tommy, including the shoeshine insults, did happen in real life, but at a bar owned by Jimmy.
The murder-by-beating of the real-life Batts, part of the Goodfellas true story, did happen at Henry's bar in Queens, New York. Tommy repeatedly pistol-whipped Billy in the head until he appeared to be dead. Billy was a "made" man, which meant that his status protected him from being touched by lower-ranking members of the mob. Resultantly, Tommy and his pals had to act fast to get rid of the body.
How Goodfellas Changes Billy Batts' Murder
Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas makes some changes to the real-life Billy Batts murder. The murder was not as immediate as in Goodfellas. Tommy had to wait two weeks to get his revenge. Like in Goodfellas, the initial beating had not done the job. When found to still be alive, Tommy and Jimmy pummeled Billy with a shovel and a tire iron. His real killers did not use the more efficient (and arguably more merciful) tools of a knife and gun. The Billy Batts true story was even more brutal than Goodfellas showed.
Henry Hill Gives Conflicting Accounts Of What Happened Next
Like in Goodfellas, the true story of what happened to Billy's body was that it was first deposited on the land of a dog breeder in upstate New York but had to be relocated a few months later when the land was sold for development. Henry Hill, whose memoir Wiseguy is the basis of Goodfellas including its depictions of Billy Batts, Frankie Carbone, and other gangsters, has given two stories about what happened next. In Wiseguy, Hill mentions that the body was compacted at a New Jersey junkyard, but he has also said that it was reburied elsewhere. As with much of Goodfellas, any knowledge of what really happened is filtered through Hill's perspective, but most of the story of Billy Batts' memorable murder comes from reality.
Why Goodfellas Made The Right Call To Change Billy Batts' murder
Movies change events taken from real life, usually for narrative purposes – and in this case, it was the right call. First off, the murder of Billy Batts was used as one of the opening sequences of the movie. This provided a bombastic jumping-off point, showcasing what audiences were in for as Goodfellas progressed. The scene introduced watchers to Goodfellas' version of the mafia and gave a taste of what was to come, providing plenty of exposition to integrate viewers with the world of the movie.
Secondly, while the brutality of Billy's real-life death would've been in line with what's shown in the rest of the movie, it makes more sense that Jimmy and Tommy would use a more lethal weapon to finish the job. Batts didn't get that luxury in real life, but since he wasn't killed the first time around, it makes more sense narratively that Jimmy would use a gun to make sure that he was dead the second time. Finally, showing the true (and longer) course of events leading up to Batts' murder wouldn't have changed the movie for the better. It would've acted as a drawn-out subplot that would've taken the focus away from Goodfellas' opening and the rest of the story.