Genre Theory and Conventions- Exploring Goodfellas as a gangster genre film through Chapter 3 Analysis and a Feature-Length Film
When the notion of the genre comes to mind, it is often assumed that, as readers, our thinking of genre is within the bounds of writing styles, including romance, comedy, drama, tragedy, and mystery. Our training as readers is limited to the cognition of the hallmarks and the conventions of these forms. Genre touches on extensive categories to include plays, novels, and poetry. In any case, we have a potent reliance on specific expectations and conventions in our responses to texts. However, the genre theory delves deeper because it provides a description of the genre as responding to a recurrent social situation. As such, genre theory provides a way of reasoning on the dependence of language on context. With this in mind, it suffices to say that the 1990 gangster genre movie Goodfellas provides potent examples of conventions and attributes of the gangster category that it belongs to.
Foremost, it is essential to understand that this category deals in “…films that deal with organized crime, often with mob families; originally timely topical crime dramas inspired by recent headlines, now almost as often nostalgic recreations of the past eras”( Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014). This genre is similar to the Western genre because crime drama is often rooted in the fight between evil and good. In this case, however, the audience is often tasked with identifying or having both empathy and sympathy for evil and not good, ironically. Here, the bad guys are often depicted as full of charisma. They have power and material wealth that they enjoy, making them more attractive and appealing in stark comparison with the good guys, whereby the good guys are portrayed as plodding, clueless, and have no charm whatsoever like their adversaries. As such, the good guys quickly run out of favour with the audience. In this movie, Henry and his family’s mob of gangsters make money by selling drugs and stealing. However, the audience associates with them even though they do so by killing people. They are appealing to the audience because they outsmart the police dragnets repeatedly and because the police did not have that attractive appeal.
Also, this genre is characterized by the fact that characters in these films often have a bloody thirst for power. In Goodfellas, Henry tries, right from childhood, to be part of the gang and gain their trust. The audience can have a view of life from the perspective of this teenage drug peddler to his full-blown status in the Mafia as a respected member. As such, “Unlike crime films with police protagonists or traditional westerns, in gangster films, we often find ourselves sympathizing with the man in the black hat” (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014). In these films also, gangsters are often portrayed as having a specific mysticism, which gives them a certain appeal that is almost heroic in their ability to survive certain challenges and emerge victorious in the end. In Goodfellas, Henry has a certain aura about him that the audience knows he will beat his challenges. His control of emotions is riveting. When he gets a hunch that he and his wife are about to be killed by Jimmie, he does the only thing available: betraying his former friends to keep his family safe by testifying against them in court.
Goodfellas is a film that starts with the protagonist, Henry, a young boy riveted by the notion of crime and the Mafia presence in the Italian-American neighborhood where he lives. He begins working for certain criminals in this area, such as Paulie, Tommy, and Jimmy. He rises above from committing petty crimes to more serious crimes, thereby making more money for himself, enchanting Karen with his glamorous life, and opting to marry him regardless of her parents’ warnings. By the 1980s, Henry degenerates into a nervous wreck from insomnia and abuse of cocaine. After setting up a drug deal, he is arrested and quickly runs broke. After meeting Jimmy and being asked to accompany him to a hit assignment, he grows instantly suspicious because he realizes that Jimmy intends to murder him and his wife. To survive, he becomes an informant and enrolls in the witness protection program. After providing sufficient testimony against Paulie and Jimmy, they are arrested, and Jimmy is safe at last.
Nonetheless, the use of wealth as a convention in gangster films is rampant. In this case, characters in these films are often depicted as having more money than they have used for. By acquiring this tremendous amount of money, they can live lives that they could not previously afford and have a general impression of other not-fiscally endowed characters. In this case, they are able to exert a certain amount of influence on them. Also, the fiscal power that they have increased their influence in the streets. They are, therefore, feared and respected. In Goodfellas, Henry’s financial success in his youthful years enchants Karen, a young Jewish girl he lies to, and he works in the construction industry after taking her on a date at a certain hotel in town. She falls for him, and they are shortly married.
Besides, the rise and fall of the gangster in the films is also a convention of this genre. In this case, the audience can see how a gangster rises from having nothing to gaining wealth and losing it all again. In this case, it is often through losing their lives to a rival gang as payback for their murderous lives, getting caught by police, or any other reason. In Goodfellas, Henry rises from a petty offender to a fearsome Mafia member, making money and getting virtually everything that he desires. “…We follow a single man as he makes his way up the various ranks of the structure” (Grant, 2012). Afterwards, he loses his wealth when the police bust his operations, betrays his friend Jimmy when they meet at a diner in town, and proposes that they go on a certain mission together. During this moment, Henry wonders at the novelty of Jimmy’s idea it dawns on him that if he goes on that mission, he will be murdered. After informing the police, he enrolls in witness protection and has nothing to say again.
Lastly, violence and murder is the most potent convention of the gangster genre. This feature expands the boundaries of the gangster genre because it is the primary feature that distinguishes the gangster genre from other genres. Murder is often the easy way for characters to have their way and gain wealth easily. This convention also expands the boundaries by providing “justification” for events in the films.
In conclusion, it is sufficient to maintain that Goodfellas provides numerous instances of conventions and attributes to the gangster genre. They include thirst for power in the criminal world, mystic appeal, rise and fall of a gangster or Mafia, presence of wealth at the disposal of these people, and violence and murder to hinge this film to the gangster gen.
References
Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From Watching to Seeing, San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.
Grant, B. K. (Ed.). (2012). Film Genre Reader IV. University of Texas Press.
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Question 
In your paper,
Explain genre theory and, using Chapter 3 of the text as a reference, describe the conventions and attributes of the genre you have selected.
Identify a feature-length film that fits your selected genre and briefly summarize the movie. As you develop this summary, remember the differences between a film’s story and a film’s plot, and be sure to highlight specific genre elements.
Genre Theory and Conventions- Exploring Goodfellas as a gangster genre film through Chapter 3 Analysis and a Feature-Length Film
Interpret at least two genre conventions exhibited in your chosen feature-length film that help classify it in the selected genre. Be sure to provide a specific example of each convention (e.g., a particular scene or plot component).
Provide an example of a third convention from your chosen feature-length film and explain how this convention expands the boundaries of the specified genre.
The Genre and Genre Theory paper