Goodfellas: Main Characters Ranked By Likability

Goodfellas presents audiences with memorable characters. Personalities like Henry Hill and Jimmy Conway come together in one of director Martin Scorsese’s most highly rated films. Henry deals with a number of people in his journey through the world of organized crime, and some are more likable than others.

Some of the people audiences see in Goodfellas like Karen Hill are easy to like, having committed few malicious acts on screen. Others like Tommy DeVito fall lower on the likability spectrum thanks to their violent and unfeeling behavior.

Billy Batts

Billy is most important to Goodfellas in his function as a plot device. When Tommy needlessly kills Billy, he sets off the series of events that lead to the disintegration of their criminal enterprise. Audiences don’t see Billy for very long, but he reveals his unlikable personality in his few moments on screen.

When Billy is released from prison, he has a small party to celebrate. After he greets Tommy, who is in a humorless mood, Billy bullies Tommy about his past as a shoe-shiner. Billy appears to take pleasure in Tommy’s misery, relentlessly chiding him, ending with one of Goodfellas‘ most memorable quotes. His maliciousness leads to his untimely demise.

Tommy Devito

Tommy is perhaps the most violent and angry main character in Goodfellas. He is described as a “cowboy,” and audiences see him heartlessly attack and murder multiple times. He smashes a glass over Tommy Bunz’s head when asked about the money he owes. He kills Spider after he is mildly insulted. He viciously beats and stabs Billy Batts to death.

Tommy doesn’t show remorse for any of his violent actions and appears to think nothing of them. Tommy is funny, as audiences know from one of the Goodfellas‘ most iconic scenes, but his unfeeling demeanor makes him one of the least likable characters.

Frankie Carbone

Frankie is one of the less developed characters in Goodfellas. Audiences see him on screen less than people like Henry Hill, but his personality is presented in his few scenes. Frankie isn’t shown beating men to death or creating destruction in violent outbursts.

Frankie’s mild-mannered personality makes him more likable than some of his peers. However, his anger comes out when he is scolded for spending money on flashy items after the Lufthansa heist. He yells at his wife and forcefully shoves her out the door. His abusive behavior reveals he shares the vicious tendencies of some of his associates.

Jimmy Conway

Jimmy is one of several cold-blooded killers in Goodfellas. He arranges for the killing of Morris Kessler after he is owed money. Jimmy is annoyed at Morris’ nagging and kills him to silence him. Furthermore, Jimmy kills nearly everyone involved in the Lufthansa heist because he would “rather whack ’em” than pay them their share.

However, Jimmy also has several affable qualities. He seems to treat Henry as a father figure, and audiences see him behave like a proud dad after he is acquitted as a young boy, and when he is a man after the heist is a success. Unlike characters like Tommy, Jimmy shows his compassion in his behavior like when he cries upon learning about Tommy’s death.

Henry Hill

Henry is the protagonist in Goodfellas, and he is unsurprisingly one of the film’s more likable characters. Henry isn’t without poor qualities, however. He violently attacks his neighbor. He presents abusive behavior toward his wife Karen. He is complicit in the flippant killing of Billy Batts, among other murders caused by Jimmy and Tommy’s independent crimes.

However, Henry presents his sympathy several times throughout the movie. He never commits murder and shows care for others like his brother and wife Karen in trying to protect them. He is complicit in violent behavior but doesn’t seem to take pleasure in it like characters like Tommy.

Paulie Cicero

Paulie is one of the leaders of the criminal enterprise audiences see in the film. He is one of the smartest characters in Goodfellas. As such, he is responsible for much of the activity presented in the film, and the disastrous results that follow. However, Paulie is one of the most reasonable criminals viewers come to see.

Paulie is never shown killing or attacking others on screen. He appears to be mild-mannered and doesn’t act on malicious impulses. He is methodical and acts with purpose. Furthermore, he shows his compassion in his final meeting with Henry. Hill is has lost everything, and Paulie forgives him and gives him money even after he disobeys Paulie and jeopardizes their entire operation.

Karen Hill

Karen is perhaps the most likable main character in Goodfellas. Unlike nearly every other person viewers get to know in the movie, Karen doesn’t actively harm others. The closest Karen comes to behaving like her husband and his associates is when she points a gun at Henry in the midst of his affair.

Karen tries to distance herself from the crimes so engrained in her husband’s life. Henry chooses the mafia life wrought with death and despair, while Karen is sucked in as a consequence of her love for Henry. Karen is kind to others and treats people with respect when she meets them. Her warmth makes her rise above her peers.

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