Again, this is apparent in Goodfellas when Henry appears at home one day dressed in a beige double-breasted suit, silk shirt and tie, and black lizard shoes. When his mother opens the door she is aghast and exclaims, "My God! You look like a gangster-.
Gangster films are developed around the menacing actions of criminals, or gangsters, who operate outside the law, stealing and murdering their way through life. They are morality tales, in which the gangster lives in an inverted dream world of success and wealth. Although they are doomed to failure and inevitable death, gangsters are portrayed as the victims of circumstance - all other "normal- avenues to the top are unavailable to them. In his essay, The Gangster as Tragic Hero, Robert Warshow (1971 cited Neale 2000) suggests, "the typical gangster film presents a steady upward progress followed by a very precipitate fall-. This would appear to be the case as film gangsters are usually materialistic, street-smart, immoral, and self-destructive.
"They rise to power with a tough cruel fazade while showing an ambitious desire for success and recognition, but underneath they can express sensitivity and gentleness."".
(www.filmsite.org).
Both Don Vito Corleone and Michael Corleone from The Godfather are depicted as possessing these characteristics. In the opening scenes Amerigo Bonasera is asking Don Corleone "for justice- for the rape of his daughter. In his underlit office, seemingly the Don is a gentle, restrained old man, sitting behind his desk lovingly stroking his cat. Appearances can be deceiving; as Bonasera leaves the office, the Don gives instructions for Clemenza (his most trusted hit-man) to deal with the young rapists accordingly. The Godfather is full of these contradictions. Family loyalty and blood ties are juxtaposed with brutal and vengeful killings and the inevitable downfall of the family. Romanticised scenes of the domestic home life of members of the family - a family wedding, shopping, a baptism, cooking in the kitchen, etc.