As a Fridge subpage, all spoilers are unmarked as per policy. You Have Been Warned.
Fridge Brilliance
- One might notice that the film is wall-to-wall pop songs — until Henry gets busted. Then the movie has no music score til the end of the film, which ends with Sex Pistols cover of "My Way". From the moment Henry gets busted, the good times are over, and there's no music — and the final song is a twisted cover of the original, representing his life now, mocking, "No, it's not your way anymore. Bang."
- Why does Billy Batts go out of his way to antagonize Tommy, given that Tommy is such a violent hothead? It's not as clear as it might be because Frank Vincent was only six years older than Joe Pesci, but in real life, Billy Batts was nearly 30 years older than Tommy DeSimone (the original of Tommy DeVito) and had gone to prison in 1962, when DeSimone was only twelve years old, and was released eight years later when DeSimone was 20. That's why he treats Tommy as if he were still a child: he has no clue what sort of guy Tommy is, or what he's capable of. And on top of that, Batts may have felt like his made man status protected him. Remember, Henry says that when you're a Made Guy you can screw around with whoever you want, and no one can screw with you in return without permission from your family's boss. Not safely, anyway, and Batts just didn't realize that Tommy would ignore that.
- Why weren't Henry and/or Jimmy whacked alongside Tommy for their part in Billy Batts' death? Perhaps it's that, despite the murder taking place in Henry Hill's bar, the only thing any outside witnesses saw was Tommy in a heated exchange with Batts, with Henry and Jimmy actively trying to defuse the situation. So with no other indication of intent or proof beyond that, Paulie or whoever is just going to presume that Tommy acted alone in killing Batts.
- Why did Scorsese use the piano coda from "Layla" during the "Kill 'Em All" montage after the too-successful Lufthansa heist? Normally, that part of the song plays like a wedding procession, a celebration of the joining of two loving souls. But the montage is leading up to the big Hope Spot of Tommy getting promoted to Made Man. As the piano piece reaches its apex, Jimmy is proud and happy like a father enjoying his son's wedding day. The song notably ends just as Tommy gets led into an empty meeting room and his death.
- After Tommy's murder, Jimmy and Henry begin their respective downward spirals. This troper wouldn't go so far as to call him their Morality Pet per se, but it could be that having a violent psychopath like Tommy around gave Jimmy and Henry the distracting task of keeping him in check, preventing them from fully indulging in their own most self-destructive behavior (Jimmy's paranoia, Henry's drug abuse).
- Henry's drug mule insists on going home for her lucky hat, which she's forgotten. They're busted by the cops the second they pull out of the driveway. Looks like she really did need it.
