Forget ‘The Godfather,’ This Crime Thriller’s Opening Scene Still Has the Genre’s Greatest Quote

Martin Scorsese’s *Goodfellas* opens with Henry Hill’s declaration, “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” The article argues that the line captures the film’s central idea: Henry’s romantic image of Mafia life clashes with the brutality and self-interest behind it.

The opening scene shows Henry, Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito stopping their car after hearing a noise from the boot, where they find the badly wounded Billy Batts. Tommy stabs Batts and Jimmy shoots him, before the film shifts back to Henry’s childhood in New York. Set from the 1950s to the 1980s, the story follows Henry’s rise and fall, with money, power and respect drawing him towards organised crime.