We knew it would happen.
We just assumed it would occur under very different circumstances. Henry Hill, the inspiration for Nicholas Pileggi’s book, Wiseguy -- later immortalized on the silver screen by Martin Scorsese with Goodfellas -- has died at the age of 69. It was almost certain that Hill's demise would come from a bullet delivered by one of his enemies. Instead, his heart gave out. It turns out that Henry's biggest enemy of all was himself. He lied. He cheated. He stole. Despite Goodfellas painting him as a spectator, several executions came at the hands of Henry Hill. He committed these heinous acts all before he committed the biggest crime of them all in La Cosa Nostra: turning FBI informant and ratting out everybody who was close to him.
The opening scene of
Goodfellas blares Tony Bennett’s famous song “
Rags to Riches”. Little did Henry know that his rags to riches story would end right back where it started. Very few are shedding tears for Henry Hill. Henry began his life with a fiery desire to belong and ultimately ended his life broke and alone.
When someone asks me for my favorite film, I always have a definitive answer:
Goodfellas. It has sat alone at #1 for many years and I doubt any film will unseat it. The brilliant use of voiceover to enhance the storytelling mixed with excellent performances by Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta, and Robert DeNiro, along with Scorsese’s masterful use of the camera, results in a cinematic tour de force. Despite the film being
fucking fantastic, it portrays Henry through rose-colored glasses making him seem like an angel by the mob's standards. Nothing could be further from the truth.
He was a despicable human being. To use any other word would be a compliment. The reason Henry’s time in the Mafia did not last is likely because the Mafia could not offer what Henry really wanted out of life. He did not care about money or power. Ultimately, he wanted the attention. He desired the love of his peers, adoration by women, and respect from the people. Unfortunately, he could never handle the pressure and responsibility that came along with those perks. When he was kicked out of witness protection in the early 1990s due to numerous drug related crimes, he figured he would take advantage of the success of Goodfellas. Henry Hill was a household name and he wanted to bask in the glory. How else can you explain a man leaving witness protection to go out in the open where there is a contract out on his life?
Henry fancied himself a celebrity. He began calling into the Howard Stern Show and became a regular fixture. He would talk about heists like I would talk about brushing my teeth. He would chat about burying bodies like Will Smith would converse about his upcoming blockbuster. Howard would flat out ask, “Be honest Henry. Did you ever kill anybody?” Henry would quickly respond, “Nah Howard, I never killed anybody,” followed by a
haunting laugh . Descendants from Henry’s old crew would call in
seething with anger daring Henry to come out of hiding in hopes of getting him within their grasp. In the later years, Henry’s appearances on the show became less entertaining and more tragic. In his
final appearance, he needed to drink so badly in order to keep his body from shaking. It was only a matter of time before the drinking, the smoking, and the stress finally made his body shut down.
Henry spent close to thirty years looking over his shoulder. He better hope the afterlife does not exist. The only thing worse than spending eternity in hell is having all of your enemies smiling as they greet you at the front door.
- Garytt Poirier (@Garytt)
Descendants from Henry’s old crew would call in seething with anger daring Henry to come out of hiding in hopes of getting him within their grasp. In the later years, Henry’s appearances on the show became less entertaining and more tragic.
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