Thanks to its remarkable performances and realistic depiction of the criminal underworld, Goodfellas stands tall as one of the most iconic masterpieces in the world of mobster films. The 1990 film, a masterwork by Martin Scorsese, explores the life of Ray Liotta’s character, Henry Hill, as he navigates the dangerous and violent world of crime. One especially memorable scene features a knife attack by Joe Pesci’s Tommy DeVito, and it turns out that the actor learned a valuable lesson from the legendary Robert De Niro himself on how to properly stab a man in the ribs.
Well, the scene in question was the opening sequence from the WB Pictures film, in which Tommy DeVito (Pesci), Jimmy Conway (De Niro), and Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) drove into the countryside, carrying the body of Billy Batts (Frank Vincent) in their car. When it was discovered that Billy was still alive, Tommy stabbed him with seven knives.
Robert De Niro’s Knife Expertise Taught Joe Pesci A Lot
Joe Pesci, 80, tried to be as realistic as possible when filming the iconic opening scene in which his character, Tommy DeVito, stabbed Billy Batts (Frank Vincent) in the ribs. How? Well, to teach Pesci the proper technique, Robert De Niro took the time to explain the science of stabbing and the importance of giving a credible performance on screen.
The Eureka actor gave a speech for the AFI Life Achievement Award, in which he honored De Niro, explaining how the Taxi Driver actor helped him master the knife scene:
“I owe Mr. De Niro a lot, probably a lot more than most people. He was very very generous… I mean, I was on Goodfellas, which we’ll be seeing shortly. I was stabbing Frank Vincent in the trunk very viciously and enjoying it.”
Recognizing the significance of precise physical movements and angles of a brutal knife attack, De Niro gave Pesci invaluable advice to enhance the realism of the scenes altogether. The Death Collector star added:
“In between takes, I was breathing very heavily and couldn’t wait to get back in and do it again. Bob kept looking at me; I felt his presence staring at me. And I looked at him and said, ‘What’s the matter? He said, ‘nothing’. I said, ‘If you don’t tell me what it is, I am going to stab you with the knife and he said, ‘I think you’re going too fast with the knife. You could never get it in and out of the ribs that quickly’.”
But Martin Scorsese Was Forced To Tone Down This Brutal Scene From Goodfellas
The late Ray Liotta starred in the $47.1 million film Goodfellas alongside Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro. The audience was shocked by a particularly daring scene in the film, where Tommy gave Batts seven knife stab blows without editing. Consequently, after seeing it, a large portion of the audience left the theater. For this reason, the director felt compelled to tone down the Billy Batts’ death scene for the audience to appease them.
During a speech at the Montclair Film Festival, director Martin Scorsese disclosed:
“It was a nightmare. People were furious. They stormed out of the theatre. It turned out to be the mob humour and the extent of the violence. The glamour of evil. That’s what they got mad at. I said: ‘But that’s what it looks like to young people growing up, and at the end, you see in the last half hour of [Goodfellas] that they pay for it’. But the point is that sometimes evil is glamorous, and it is something that can be enjoyable [to watch] … sin is easy. Forgiveness is hard.”
However, on a positive note, the movie remained unaffected by this minor change.
Six Academy Awards were nominated for the movie, including Best Picture and Best Director. Pesci took home the Best Supporting Actor trophy.
You can rent Goodfellas on Apple TV.
