Wiseguy

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Wiseguy is a book that author Nicholas Pileggi wrote in 1986 about the life of gangster Henry Hill . Based on the book, the film Good Fellas - Three Decades in the Mafia was made by Martin Scorsese , who later received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture .

action

Henry Hill was accepted into the witness protection program in 1980 and made a comprehensive confession. He describes his origins in the New York district of Brownsville . His Irish-born father, Henry Hill Sr., worked as an electrician, and his mother, Carmella, was from Sicily. Hill had seven siblings and grew up in poor circumstances. His father hit him regularly because he liked to take his frustration out on the family. Hill was fascinated by the life of local gangsters from an early age. Everyone in the district knew who belonged to a gang and the gangsters were "respected" accordingly. Hill noted in retrospect:

"As long as I can remember I wanted to be a gangster"

- Henry Hill

- a sentence with which Scorsese later started his famous film.

Paul Vario , Caporegime in the New York mafia gang “ Lucchese Family ”, dominates the district and Hill begins to work as an errand boy for his brother. At first he worked legal jobs in the pizzeria and at the taxi rank; after a while he is also used for illegal business. Hill illegally sells cigarettes, starts fires on orders, and breaks windows at night. He leaves school and only works for the mafia. As a teenager, he soon made more money than most of the neighborhood adults. Soon he met the gangster James Burke , who "trained" him to be a gangster. Later friends also include the killer Thomas DeSimone , whom Hill himself trains.

Hill joins the US Army in 1960, where he earns a side income from illegal business. When he returns home, he continues to pursue illegal business in the Varios service. As a half-Irishman, Hill cannot become a full member of the Mafia, but is a respected “associate”. Hill describes his marriage to the upper-class Jewish woman Karen and his extramarital affairs. Karen only realizes her husband's gangster profession when she has already fallen in love with him and she more or less accepts this kind of life. Hill does not face serious prosecution by the criminal justice system. Corrupt police officers, prosecutors and judges keep preventing Hill from really being held accountable. In addition to armed robbery against truck drivers, Hill's everyday criminal life also includes the cigarette trade, extortion of protection money and occasional torture for the purpose of intimidation. The Lucchese gang has excellent relations with employees at Idlewild Airport (which later became John F. Kennedy International Airport ). There the gangsters manage to win over and over again accomplices by means of bribery, threats or the waiver of gambling debts and to steal property and money. Hill recalls and describes the airport as "better than Citibank". In 1967 Hill landed a big coup: He robbed Air France and stole around 400,000 dollars. He pays tribute to Paul Vario and can afford a luxurious lifestyle. In 1970 he not only witnessed the murder of a member of the Gambino family , he also assisted in the removal of the body. The mutual murder and disappearance of corpses is part of everyday life within the Mafia society. Hill's friend Jimmy Burke takes killing for granted, and Hill estimates that he has at least 55 people on his conscience.

A Hills prison stay is used by him to get into the drug trade. Through liaison men in Pittsburgh, he built a flourishing business. When he was released from prison, however, Paul Vario forbade him to continue trading. Hill takes the risk of ignoring this order and moves on. This eventually leads to drug enforcement officers arresting him and threatening him with 25 years in prison. Through the arrest, Vario learns of Hill's business, and Hill believes that his ex-friends want to get rid of him. He goes into hiding with Karen and decides to testify against his former colleagues. He shows no remorse for his criminal life and only regrets that he can no longer lead the exciting life of a gangster. Sobered, he takes stock:

“I'm your average nobody. I'll spend the rest of my life like some fool. "

- Henry Hill

Years later, Martin Scorses will end the film Goodfellas with that very sentence.

Hill describes, among other things, the Lufthansa robbery from 1978 and the subsequent series of murders against those involved in this crime. His friend James Burke had carried out the robbery together with a team of gangsters and then had most of the people involved killed for fear of exposure. Hill himself only confessed to the crime and had not made any claims against Burke regarding the loot - a circumstance that likely saved his life.

writing style

The author describes Hill's life in 22 chapters and is not limited to the criminal business. Many passages come from Henry and Karen Hill themselves, who remember their lives. It is worth mentioning that Hill does not express any regrets for his actions, but does not justify them either. As a result, the book offers an unadorned and authentic insight into the everyday life of a gangster and the extent of corruption in state authorities.

Term Wiseguy

The term "Wiseguys" (literally translated: "Wise Guys") refers to the mobster community in the US-American La Cosa Nostra . It was the term the gangsters gave each other. The title "Goodfellas" was chosen for the film because a television series entitled "Wiseguy" had already appeared and Scorsese was looking for a unique selling point.

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