Does anyone know if this film has a good message or morale? I think it does,I also think I know what is but I might be wrong. I'd like to know the message in this film and in The Godfather,if there is a message in that film.
shareYeah, the moral is not told in a sledgehammer on the head type obviousness or maybe it is to people such as myself. In any event the negatives of being involved in the mafia considerably outweigh the perks is the message.
shareOh,ok. I assume the message is never join the mafia or become a gangster for them;when you first join them you think life is being awesome to you,you get everything handed to you and you never have to suffer the consequences for your crimes,but there are always gonna be law inforcement agencies and government people spying on you,infiltrating youand reporting crimes and cause you to suffer the consequences in the future. That's what I thought.
shareYou never gave any thought to the idea that mafia guys are back stabbers such as when Jimmy whacked the guys who pulled off the heist rather than pay them? Or when Jimmy and Tommy killed Batts when you take into consideration that the reason in real life that Burke killed Batts was in order to keep Batts from taking back his loansharking operation? I think that in some ways the movie understated the daily tension which is present with those guys as their is a high degree of competition in that life. There really is very little respect between mobsters and if you can take another mobster's things and get away with it then it is a good bet that it will happen.
shareI agree. All they money they stole and crimes they committed, they never got to spend it all or end up living the way they wanted. You end up being a dead schmuck, a jailed schmuck, or a common schmuck in hiding.
shareYeah, it has a couple of great messages.
1/ Never rat on your friends
2/ Always keep your mouth shut
I don't agree with that line from James Conway as being a message in the movie, that's just a rule to make it easy with getting away with your crimes as a gangster.
share3/ Never whack a made man.
Before you could touch a made guy, you had to have a good reason. You had to have a sit-down, and you better get an okay, or you'd be the one who got whacked.
It is a miracle Jimmy wasn't whacked too. Especially in real life since there had to be other mafia families that knew Jimmy had taken over Batts' businesses while he was in jail.
shareI'm proud of you!
shareThe movie's lesson to me is that if you're going to be a criminal, do your homework.
Henry Hill was an extremely fortunate but stupid man who didn't understand or respect money. It didn't even matter if he was as murderous as Tommy, he was sloppy with his finances and driven by his Id. Even Paulie and Jimmy realized this when he was tripping on Karen and giving priority to his comare.
If Henry was just half as smart with his money he could have laundered it more creatively and set up trusts in family members names while creating the facade of being a bar manager. It's what millions of Asian immigrants do in the United States today with their small store fronts and franchises.
The well-baing in that lifestyle is an illusion. When you think that people really care about you, they would have no problem killing you if it benefits them. Just like all the gangsters who got whacked after the heist: it was easier than take the risk that one of them talks or to pay them.
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