Goodfellas is Martin Scorsese‘s fast-paced mafia masterpiece that throws viewers right into the glamour and violence of the lifestyle, starting with a gunshot that picks up speed until the film’s explosive finale. The narrator and guide is the film’s main character, Henry Hill, played by the charismatic Ray Liotta. He paints a vivid and seductive picture for the audience as he walks them through his journey from illegally selling cigarettes and taking beatings from his abusive father to his cocaine-fueled downfall.
Henry’s the main character, but is he the best character in the film? Although he’s the narrator and therefore essential to the story itself, he’s not really the main attraction. Tommy DeVito, played by the fiery, high-pitched Joe Pesci, is without a doubt the best character in the film, despite being the first of the major characters to be killed off. Tommy represents the raw, unchecked violence of the mob, and he’s an undeniably entertaining character to watch who’s able to pivot from gut-busting hilarity to furious barbarism. Here are a few reasons why Tommy’s the best character in Goodfellas.
5
Tommy Is the Perfect Blend of Funny and Horrifying
“I’m funny how?”
Tommy’s a really funny guy, but that’s certainly not something you’d ever want to say to him. He’s easily the wittiest character in Goodfellas, and that’s saying quite a bit given that it’s a film entirely composed of wiseguys. Tommy never misses an opportunity to crack a joke.
What’s most striking about Tommy’s sense of humor is the proximity all his jokes and witticisms have to death.
Right before he puts a bullet in Stacks (Samuel L. Jackson), he quips that he’s always late and that he’ll be late to his own funeral. Clever stuff. When his mother asks when he’ll settle down, he reminds her that he settles down every night and is a bachelor again come morning, and when he’s helping the guys dig up their good friend Billy Batts’ (Frank Vincent) decaying corpse, Tommy jokes that he found a wing. And who could forget the classic “you think I’m funny” scene between him and Henry? What’s most striking about Tommy’s sense of humor is the proximity all his jokes and witticisms have to death. He’s always saying something hysterically funny when he’s moments or inches away from a dead body.
4
Tommy Is the Wild Card of ‘Goodfellas’
“He’s a cowboy, he’s got too much to prove.”
To say Tommy’s unpredictable is a bit of an understatement. The kid’s a ticking time bomb ready to go off on any occasion. The fact that Paulie (Paul Sorvino) feels the need to warn Henry about him due to his wild behavior is shocking given that most of these characters are ruthless cold-blooded killers. Although this quality contributes to his fearsomeness, it’s also part of the reason why Goodfellas is such a banger from start to finish.
The lightest insults are prone to turn Tommy into a murdering maniac…
Audiences can never tell which way Tommy will go, or what’s likely to set Tommy off. A simple card game where everyone’s having a good time cracking jokes, lighting up smokes and having a drink can suddenly turn into a murder scene if Tommy’s there. When he messes with Henry over the funny comment he made about there’s a genuine sense that this guy might blow Henry’s head off right then and there. The lightest insults are prone to turn Tommy into a murdering maniac, as Billy Batts found out. Perhaps it was Batts that should’ve gotten his shine box.
3
He Represents the Purest Form of Mob Violence
“Oklahoma Kid. That’s me.”
Tommy’s not a calculated character who analyzes a situation and considers what an appropriate response might look like. He’s not conflicted or bound by any sort of code or rules. Tommy wouldn’t know diplomacy if it snuck up behind him and put one in his head. He’s an animal that’s driven purely by rage and impulse. He’s disturbingly violent and totally unapologetic about it.
…Tommy’s lack of inhibition makes him a terrifying and compelling character to watch onscreen…
Tommy’s excessively violent nature and complete abandon of all rules makes him the purest representation of violence in the mob. Unlike his partners who at least attempt to follow some semblance of a code, Tommy’s lack of inhibition makes him a terrifying and compelling character to watch onscreen, more so than his peers Henry or Jimmy (Robert De Niro). Even Paulie recognizes the danger of Tommy’s violent streak and warns Henry to stay away from him.
2
Tommy DeVito Is Joe Pesci’s Best Performance
There’s a reason Pesci won an Oscar for this role.
Pesci’s no slouch behind the camera. He’s got an impressive list of great movies under his belt. But it’s no stretch to say that his greatest and most memorable performance was as Tommy DeVito. Pesci’s electrifying performance of Tommy DeVito is delivered with a reckless and boyish abandon that’s punctuated by moments of shocking violence. Pesci seamlessly pivots from being a wise-cracking, joke-loving guy to a cold-blooded killer in one of the most essential ’90s films.
Pesci’s electrifying performance of Tommy DeVito is delivered with a reckless and boyish abandon that’s punctuated by moments of shocking violence.
The best examples of this are during the “funny how?” scene and the altercation with Billy Batts that’s followed by his heinous murder. Pesci plays Tommy with a glowing charisma that characterizes him as the life of the party, but that’s all shattered when he directs his focus at Henry and presses him on the comment he makes about Tommy being funny. Pesci gradually transforms from the roguish clown into an anxiety-inducing menace. His body language and facial expressions become increasingly cold and threatening as the rest of the guests fall silent. You can cut the tension with a knife right up until Henry realizes he’s kidding, and the two men laugh it off. And Tommy’s encounter with Billy Batts showcases Pesci’s ability to convey the characters’ fuming rage and unrelenting violence.
1
Tommy Represents the Downfall of the System
“He’s gone, and we couldn’t do nothing about it.”
Tommy’s uninhibited violence and his complete disregard for the rules and code of the mob are a perfect illustration of why the system of the mafia ultimately collapsed. Thematically speaking, Goodfellas illustrates the mob at the height of its reign and depicts the causes of its decay and ultimate downfall through the actions of the characters, but Tommy is actually a perfect representation of this decay. The mob is a system with rules like any other, and Tommy violates these rules more frequently than any other character in the film.
He’s such a cowboy that it’s a mystery he made it as far as he did.
Tommy kills innocents without hesitation, like Spider (Michael Imperioli), who disrespected him during a card game, and he even killed a made man despite not being a made man himself and not having the hit sanctioned by the families. On top of all that, Tommy also engages in the drug trade alongside Jimmy and Henry despite the mob having strict rules against the sale of narcotics. Tommy doesn’t follow any of the rules. He’s such a cowboy that it’s a mystery he made it as far as he did. Tommy’s execution as revenge for Bill Batts’ murder came as no surprise, and it’s one of the most significant moments in the film because it marks the beginning of the end for Henry, his crew, and the rest of the family. His brutal nature, terrifying unpredictablity, and mesmerizing screen presence are precisely why Tommy’s the best character in Goodfellas.
