Goodfellas: The Hidden Meaning In Henry Hill's Ending Scene
The final scene in Goodfellas has a deeper meaning than it seems, and it's all thanks to a subtle yet effective sound effect. Here's what it is.
Many scenes in Goodfellas are enhanced by the music and even the sound effects, as is the case of Henry Hill’s final scene, which holds a deeper meaning than it seems. Martin Scorsese has explored a variety of genres in his career as a filmmaker, but he’s still best known for his gangster films, which have some common themes such as redemption and the Italian-American identity. Although Scorsese’s gangster films have been very well-received by both critics and audiences, the one often considered his best in the genre is Goodfellas.
Based on the book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, Goodfellas follows the story of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), a mob associate of the family of Paul Cicero (Paul Vario), from his days as a teenager fascinated by the mafia presence in his neighborhood in Brooklyn, to his involvement in the mafia and his decision to become an FBI informant. When Henry chose to cooperate with the FBI, he and his family enrolled in the witness protection program, and with his help, Paul and Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) were arrested and convicted. Of course, Henry had to leave his gangster life behind after that.
Henry’s problems began when he and Jimmy were arrested after being turned in by a gambler’s sister. In order to support his family, Henry began selling drugs to fellow inmates and continued that business after he was paroled – even though that went against Paul’s orders. Henry was arrested again for drug trafficking, and Paul ended their association after that. Henry knew he and his wife Karen were in danger as they were no longer protected by Paul, so he decided to cooperate with the FBI. At the end of Goodfellas, Henry is shown at his new house, starting his new life under a new identity, and when he goes back to the house and closes the door, the sound effect says a lot about Henry’s life after the events of the movie.
The sound of the door closing is the same as a prison cell being closed, representing how Henry’s new life away from the mafia is his new prison. Prior to that final scene, during Henry’s fourth-wall-breaking moment, he explains that he now had nothing: when he was broke, he would go out and rob, and they ran everything as they paid cops, lawyers, judges, etc. That was all over once he testified against Paul and Jimmy and enrolled in witness protection, and he was forced to live a normal life – which was the worst thing that could happen to him after years of action, money, and lots of privileges.
In Goodfellas, Henry didn’t spend more time in prison after testifying, but a normal life was his own type of prison (even worse than the real thing), and Scorsese and company emphasized that with a subtle yet effective sound effect right at the end of the movie. As mentioned above, there are many scenes enhanced by sound and music throughout Goodfellas, and Henry’s final scene is one of the most clever ones.