By Jack Kelly

“O Henry, the pipes, the pipes are calling” Or more like, the grim reaper has finally come to pluck you from your insanely riveting yet, pathetic existence.  For those unfortunate souls who do not know who I am referring to, just google it and move along.  For the rest of us, the death of Henry Hill probably came not as a surprise or a shock of infinite sadness, but a curious glance of calculable minimalness.  My first reaction was “hmm, I am surprised he lived as long as he did.”  And then the song “Rags to Riches” by Tony Bennet came dancing through my head with the infamous image of Ray  Liotta , who played Hill in Goodfellas saying ” As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be was a gangsta.”

With this opening scene, the legend of Henry Hill was born, for better or worse.  For anyone who has watched Goodfellas, it is almost impossible to not be drawn into the magnetism of the cinematic version of Hill, played brilliantly by Liotta.  Although the flaws in his character are rightfully displayed by director Martin Scorsese, they are flaws you are immediately seduced by.  Scorsese portrays Hill as an unapologetic ‘gangsta’ and mocks you for not having a similar goal.  As a viewer, you keep thinking, I would never choose such a life, but I might want it. ……READ MORE“