By now, everyone has accepted that director Martin Scorsese's GoodFellas is one of the greatest films of all time, even rivaling The Godfather as the best mafia movie in existence. Who could deny its charm, from the music to the dialogue to the iconic directing? However, there's a more basic reason that becomes clear when reading Nicholas Pileggi's "Wiseguy," of which the film was based on. Protagonist Henry Hill is a fascinating character not because he exists in a mythical world of cinema where anything is possible. No, he is someone who existed in such a heightened way that it's hard to believe he was real - even as his lack of documented existence would suggest. Pileggi lets the story play out through Hill's own words and ends up creating one of the most powerful and real looks into mob life ever set to page. In some ways, Hill is an envious deity who never got what's coming to him. And that's what makes him an incredible figure to write about.
Hill's life story feels almost too good to be true. He was almost born into a mob lifestyle, down to working with con men across the street from his house. His abusive father made less than him and he was parking cars years before he was eligible for a license. In fact, he wasn't necessarily adamant about sticking on the straight and narrow. It was boring compared to the heists and murders that he became privy to. He was respected in his community and his associates could bribe the cops to look the other way. With exception to a few arrests, he could be seen as the golden boy who was untouchable and whose friends were never dull.
It helps that he is both a candid figure and one whose life is endlessly fascinating. As much as one could be repulsed by bad behavior, he so confidently makes it sound exciting that Pileggi's brief interludes detailing missing facts only make him sound more incredible as a subject. There's no editorializing, save for vague curiosities at the start of the true crime story. Who wouldn't be? As GoodFellas faithfully shows, Hill's life was in constant motion and always at risk of burning out. He even has moments that feel iconic, such as his scrupulous policy that he would tell debtors with excuses "F--k you, pay me." It's short and sweet and captures the menace that he carried.
As much as the story is about Henry, his wife Karen has her own side to the story that only heightens the drama. During Henry's few prison stints, she would talk about smuggling goods into the building. Her prose is just as fearless as Henry, even if there's a sense that she's only playing along for her safety. There's a colorful cast of characters, and what's more impressive is that Henry never once seems to be without an opportunity for corruption, even as he served years behind bars. His connections and know-how make him a character almost too perfect for a movie, yet he existed up until his death in 2012. While one could question how much of this is true, it's mostly because no normal person did half of the things that Hill did. It's why it's so fascinating.
Even if the book makes what he got away with into a fascinating journey into crime, it's the third act of the book that is probably the thing that solidifies its intensity. It focuses around a botched heist known as the Lufthansa heist. With his cool and candid prose, Hill details the spiral that lead him to his post-criminal life in brilliant detail so good that Scorsese didn't need to do more than lift some choice quotes from the book as dialogue. Even at his worst, Hill is an enviable figure whose outcome is both impressive and a bit despicable given the world that the reader has been in. Still, "Wiseguy" is a book that proves just how amazing the real world could be. There's never a dull moment, and Pileggi covers it nicely in intricate detail. It'll be hard to forget Henry Hill, even if his public records will have you believing otherwise.
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
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