Jimmy Conway quotes from Goodfellas (1990)

Jimmy Conway

Don't buy anything. Don't get anything. Nothing big. Didn't you hear what I said? You're going to get us all ****in' pinched, that's why. What are you, stupid?

Jimmy Conway

He shot him in the foot 'cause he told him to go **** himself!

Tommy

****in' Drop-along Cassidy.

Spider

Why don't you go **** yourself, Tommy?

Jimmy

Whoa! I don't believe what I'm hearing. Check out the balls on this kid. Hey Spider, this is for you. [tosses money on the table] That's the way. You don't take no shit from nobody. Tommy, you gonna let him get away with that? What's the matter with you? What's the world comin' to?

Tommy

That's what the **** world is comin' to.

Jimmy

What is the matter with you, huh? What is the **** matter with you?! What are you, a **** sick maniac or something?! Tommy, I'm kidding with you.

Tommy

Kidding? How am I meant to know you're kidding? You're breaking my **** balls.

Jimmy

I'm **** kidding with you, you **** shoot the guy?

Henry

He's dead.

Tommy

I'm a good shot, what do you want from me? I'm a good shot.

Anthony

How could you miss at this distance?

Jimmy

You dumb bastard, I can't **** believe you. You're gonna dig the hole.

Tommy

Fine, I'll dig the **** hole. I don't give a ****. What, is this the first hole I ever dug? Where are the shovels?

Jimmy

Congratulations, here's your graduation present [Puts money in Henry's pocket]

Henry

For what? I got pinched.

Jimmy

Hey, everybody gets pinched, but you did it right. You told 'em nothing and they got nothing.

Henry

I thought you'd be mad.

Jimmy

I'm not mad, I'm proud of ya. You took your first pinch like a man, and you learned the two most important things in life. You listenin'? Never rat on your friends, and ALWAYS keep your mouth shut. [Gives Henry an affectionate light slap on the cheek and leads him out of the courtroom. Outside, Paulie and many of the other gangsters are waiting for him.]

Paulie

Hey, you broke yer cherry! [The other gangsters cheer and congratulate Henry]

Tommy

Hey Henry, Henry, hurry up, will ya? My mother's gonna make some fresh peppers and sausages for us.

Jimmy

Oh hey, Henry, Henry, here's an arm!

Henry

Very funny, guys.

Jimmy

Here's a leg.

Tommy

Here's a wing! [laughing] Whaddya like, the leg or the wing, Henry? Or do you still go for the ol' hearts and lungs?

Henry

Oh, that's so bad.

Tommy

Hey, Spider, that bandage on your foot is bigger than your **** head. Next thing you know he's gonna have one of these **** walkers. But you can still dance. Give us a couple of **** steps, Spider. You **** bullshitter, you. Tell the truth. You're looking for sympathy, is that it, sweetie?

Spider

Why don't you go **** yourself, Tommy?

Jimmy

I didn't hear right. I can't believe what I heard. [giving Spider cash] This is for you. Attaboy! I got respect for this kid, he's got a lot of **** balls. Good for you! Don't take no shit off nobody! A guy shoots him in the foot, he tells him to go **** himself. Tommy, you gonna let him get away with that? You gonna let this **** punk get away with that? What's the matter with you? What's the world coming to?!

Tommy

That's what the **** world's coming to, how do ya like that? How's that, all right?

Jimmy

What's the matter with you?! What is the **** matter with you?! What, are you stupid or what?! I was kidding with you. You a **** sick maniac?

Tommy

I don't know if you're kidding! What do you mean, you're kidding? You breaking my **** balls?!

Jimmy

I'm **** kidding with you, you **** shoot the guy?!

Henry

He's dead.

Tommy

I'm a good shot, what do you want from me?

Anthony

How could you miss at this distance?

Tommy

You got a problem with what I did, Anthony? **** rat, anyway. His whole family's all rats, he'd have grown up to be a rat.

Jimmy

Stupid bastard, I can't **** believe you. Now, you're gonna dig the **** thing now. You're gonna dig the hole. You gonna do it. I got no **** lime, you gonna do it.

Tommy

Who the **** cares? I'll dig the **** hole, I don't give a ****. What is it, the first hole I ever dug? Not the first time I dug a hole, I'll dig the **** hole. Where are the shovels?

Paulie

Karen came to the house. She's very upset. This is no good; you gotta straighten this out.

Jimmy

We gotta have calm now, ya understand? We don't know what the hell she's gonna do. She's getting all hysterical, she gets very excited.

Paulie

She's wild. And you, you gotta take it easy, you got children. I'm not saying go back to her this minute, but you got to go back. It's the only way. You got to keep up appearances.

Jimmy

I got the two of them come to my house every day commiserating, the two of them. I can't have it. I can't have it. I can't do it, Henry. I can't do it.

Paulie

Nobody says you can't do what you want to do.

Jimmy

Do what you wanna do, we all know that. I mean, this is what it is. Ok? You know what it is. You have to do the right thing, you have to go home to the family. Understand? You gotta go home. Ok? Look at me. You gotta go home. Smarten up. All right?

Paulie

All right. I'm gonna talk to Karen. I'll straighten this thing out. I know just what to say to her. I'm gonna tell her you're going back to her and everything's gonna be just the way it was when you were first married, it's gonna be romance, it's gonna be beautiful. I know how to talk to her, especially to her. In the meantime, Jimmy and Tommy are going to Tampa this weekend to pick up something for me. Instead you go with Jimmy.

Jimmy

Yeah, you come with me. We'll go down there. Ok?

Paulie

Have a good time, take some time for yourself, relax, sit in the sun, take a couple of days off. Enjoy yourselves. And when you come back, you'll go back to Karen. Please. There's no other way. You're not gonna get a divorce. We're not animale.

Jimmy

She'll never divorce him. She'll kill him, but not divorce him. [they laugh]

Henry

If you're part of a crew, nobody ever tells you that they're going to kill you. Doesn't happen that way. There aren’t any arguments or curses like in the movies. See, your murders come with smiles, they come as your friends, the people who've cared for you all of your life. And they always seem to come at a time that you're at your weakest and most in need of their help. So I met Jimmy in a crowded place we both knew. I got there 15 minutes early and I saw Jimmy was already there. We took the booth near the window so we could see everyone who drove up to the restaurant. He wanted to make sure I wasn't tailed. He was jumpy. he hadn't touched a thing. On the surface, of course, everything was supposed to be fine. We were supposed to be discussing my case. But I had the feeling Jimmy was trying to sense whether or not I'd rat him out to save my neck.

Jimmy

I been telling you your whole life, don’t talk on the ****in' phone, right? Now you understand? Huh? But it's gonna be ok, I think you got a good chance of beating the case. You know that kid? You know the one from the city we're talking about? You know who I'm talkin' about?

Henry

Yeah.

Jimmy

The kid turned out to be a rat. Soon as he got pinched he ratted everybody out. He ratted youse all out. But I know where he is, he's hiding out. You know what I'm saying? Would you have a problem going with Anthony on vacation and take care of that?

Henry

Mm-mmm. No, not at all.

Jimmy

That way they got nothin', huh?

Henry

Jimmy had never asked me to whack somebody before. But now he's asking me to go down to Florida and do a hit with Anthony. [Screen resumes] That's when I knew I never would have come back from Florida alive.