Goodfellas

            
             There is a surplus of ways one could analyze the hit gangsta flick Goodfellas. Two correlating approaches can be examined through the explicit and implicit meanings of the movie. Probing the general summary of the movie, people can produce deeper meanings that are implied in the film. After using these two forms of analysis one could come to the conclusion that being a gangster is glamorized. However it is implied that in the end, being a "goodfella- will eventually cause the gangster to endure a downward spiral. Thus by the hands of the judicial system, the "goodfellas- may be locked up or even worse meet a violent death.
             The movie starts off by informing the viewer that it is based on a true story. This can allow the viewer to assume that all the major points of the film are true. One must take into the consideration that filmmakers will add or change things to the movie for various reasons. However, Henry's character played by Ray Liota is a real one, which allows one to give merit to opinions on the implicit meaning of the film. Life is about learning based on past experiences. By looking at the life of the protagonist Henry, one can use this movie to come up with realistic opinions about living life based on how the viewer interprets the implied meanings of the film.
             Through the opening scene of the movie one see's the protagonist standing outside of a car, while two men (Joe Pesci and Robert De Neiro) stab and then shoot a man in the trunk of the automobile. Then the protagonist Henry tells the viewer that, "As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster-. Then the movie goes on to inform the audience about how he started his life of crime as a teenager. Explicitly, the viewer is told through Henry's narration, about his life and all the perks of being involved with organized crime. Neighbors will not park in Henry's driveway even though his family did not own a car.