I had the advantage of reading the book, and when the script was first submitted to me, it was just another gangster story - the east side taking over the west side and all that.
When I was growing up, kids used to talk about snitching... It never extended as a cultural norm outside of the gangsters.
We got skate parks in different states, but me skating? Nah, I'm too gangster; I can't rock with it. But I watch it.
Henry Hill: [narrating] As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.
I don't only like rap music. There's everything from R&B to crazy gangster rap, hip hop... everything! But it all blends together nicely. It's like a magical music rainbow.
How did we suddenly become entranced with gangster culture? I saw it this morning on campus. When did the black community say we should all look like criminals?
George Raft may or may not have gone both ways, but he was very sensitive to what they said about him, and it was one factor why he decided to play all those gangsters in the movies.
I consciously decided not to be a 'London' actor. Those gangster movies made a lot of East End actors think they were movie stars. And I was very aware that they were going to go out of fashion.
Dominic Cattano: Success. It's got enemies. You can be successful and have enemies or you can be unsuccessful and have friends.
Chinese General: It's not in my best interest to say this Frank, but quitting while you're ahead, is not the same as quitting.
Detective Richie Roberts: The number one fear of people isn't dying, it's public speaking.
[from trailer] Detective Richie Roberts: Frank Lucas is the most dangerous man walking the streets of our city.
Frank Lucas: What's with this outfit? You know what it says? You wanna know what it says? Arrest me!
Frank Lucas: I sell a product that's better than the competition at a price that's less than the competition.
No gangster is ever happy when he's at peace. The main reason he's in the business is to eliminate his enemies.
Christmas ought to be brought up to date,” Maria said. “It ought to have gangsters, and aeroplanes and a lot of automatic pistols.
As a child, I was always drawn to heroic characters. I decided I wanted to act when I realised that Superman and all those gangsters and Indians were just real people in costume.
You know the slow-motion walking shot in 'Reservoir Dogs?' That was in the Tommy Udo tradition. That strut, that way of wearing your suit, is what I think gangster chic is.
I've played some gangster roles, but that's obviously not me. When you're an Italian-American New York actor, it's just an easy way to get cast.
People want to classify and say, 'OK, this is a gangster film.' 'This is a Western.' 'This is a... ' You know? It's easy to classify and it makes people feel comfortable, but it doesn't matter, it doesn't really matter.
And remember, where you have a concentration of power in a few hands, all too frequently men with the mentality of gangsters get control. History has proven that.
