Goodfellas: The Last Temptation of Karen Hill

     "This is not a movie with a lot to say, but it's a movie with a lot of great stories to tell."  This quote is from New York Times' film critic, A.O. Scott, on Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas," in reference to the film's fast-paced, docudrama narrative style.  Scott argues Scorsese is not interested in grand "Shakespearean" themes, but more in immersing us in the world of the Mafia.  This is a bit of departure from Scorsese's other work, such as Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, and Raging Bull, which are more of character studies dealing with inner conflicts on what society expects them to do.  The characters in "Goodfellas" are not conflicted at all about their roles in society.  They relish the power they have, the only laws they follow are those of the mob, and sometimes not even then.  When Henry Hill is put into the Witness Protection Program, the only thing he regrets is no longer being in the mafia, now he's just a "bum" like everybody else.
     The only true Scorsesean character in "Goodfellas" is Henry's wife, Karen.  From the beginning of their relationship, because her family is Jewish, she was concerned they wouldn't except him since he was an Irish-Italian American.  When Henry tells her to hide the bloody gun he used to beat her neighbor's face in, there is a shot looking down at the gun in her hands, she knew she should have left him right then and there, but she was also exhilarated by the whole event, at how dangerous and violent Henry could be.  When she is introduced to the other mafia wives, she can only think about how terrible they look, wearing too much make-up, awful clothes, and they all talk about how terrible their kids are and their husbands are never home.  She worries about ending up like them, and will it just be inevitable since the only people they interact with are the other mafia families?  Soon she excepts this new life, that these are the only people they spend time with, it all becomes "normal."  She is able to distract herself with the mafia lifestyle's perks, such as when she asks Henry for shopping money and he asks how much, she doesn't say a number, but indicates a size with the space between her index finger and thumb.  The one aspect of the mafia lifestyle she can't except is Henry's mistress.  She is so infuriated that at one point she goes to the mistress' apartment building with her two children and  screams into the intercom to stay away from her husband.  When she confronts Henry, she does so by pointing a gun at this face, perhaps the only way she knows how to fully get his attention.  Although only given a supporting role, Karen finds her place among the other Scorsese characters who struggle with what to do when they don't agree with what is expected of them.