There's the Don/Boss in the top position.
A Consigliere is an advisor and special representative to the Boss.
The Underboss is second in command.
Caporegime/Captains are in charge of the individual crews. Paulie Cicero is a Capo of his own crew in the Lucchese Crime Family.
Soldato/Soldiers are the main enforcers for the crews. Performing the dirty jobs and providing the muscle for the crews. Henry, Jimmy and Tommy are all soldiers. Henry and Jimmy cannot attain a higher rank because they are only half-Italian and thus cannot become made men.
Lastly are Associates. Not direct members of the family, but people who do business with them. One day they may be invited to join a crew if they prove themselves.
A Consigliere is an advisor and special representative to the Boss.
The Underboss is second in command.
Caporegime/Captains are in charge of the individual crews. Paulie Cicero is a Capo of his own crew in the Lucchese Crime Family.
Soldato/Soldiers are the main enforcers for the crews. Performing the dirty jobs and providing the muscle for the crews. Henry, Jimmy and Tommy are all soldiers. Henry and Jimmy cannot attain a higher rank because they are only half-Italian and thus cannot become made men.
Lastly are Associates. Not direct members of the family, but people who do business with them. One day they may be invited to join a crew if they prove themselves.
In the movie, he is portrayed in being involved in the murder of Billy Batts. But as an unwilling participant. Keep in mind, the story is also being told from Henry's perspective. Henry is a thief, drug peddler and a liar. So It's entirely possible he was more involved in Billy's murder and even some of the other murders that take place. He's just not stupid enough to openly admit it.
Did she know he was involved in the mob? Probably. Did she know he was a murderer? Unlikely.
For detailed information about the amounts and types of (a) sex and nudity, (b) violence and gore, (c) profanity, (d) alcohol, drugs, and smoking, and (e) frightening and intense scenes in this movie, consult the IMDb Parents Guide for this movie. The Parents Guide for Goodfellas can be found here.
Goodfellas is based on Wiseguy, a 1986 book by Nicholas Pileggi. The title of Pileggi's book was changed to Goodfellas because it had already been used for a TV series and for Brian De Palma's comedy Wise Guys (1986).
Warner Brothers did not receive permission to use the airline's logo in the film. It was an American Airlines ticket and the company did not want to be affiliated with the illegal operation depicted in the movie (drug trafficking).
Actors who have had roles on the TV show The Sopranos who also made an appearance in GoodFellas include: Lorraine Bracco (Dr. Jennifer Melfi), Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti), Tony Darrow (Lawrence "Larry Boy" Barese), Tony Lip (Carmine Lupertazzi), Tony Sirico (Paulie Gualtieri), Vincent Pastore ("Big Pussy" Bonpensiero), Frank Vincent (Phil Leotardo), Anthony Caso, Tobin Bell, Gene Canfield, Nicole Burdette, Gaetano LoGiudice, Vito Antuofermo, Chuck Low, Frank Adonis, Suzanne Shepherd, Nancy Cassaro, Frank Pellegrino, Marianne Leone, Paul Herman, Frank Albanese, Anthony Alessandro, Victor Colicchio, and John "Cha Cha" Ciarcia. (A list with headshots can be found here.)
Both The Big Heist (2001) and The Ten Million Dollar Getaway (1991) cover much the same ground and feature the same characters but are more down-to-earth and tend to concentrate on the Lufthansa robbery and its aftermath. In some ways, they are more true to life; for instance, The Big Heist depicts Tommy's physical appearance much more accurately than Goodfellas does. Fundamentally it depends on how much Henry Hill's recollections are to be trusted.
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