Centrespread Centrespread 15 OCTOBER 25-31, 2015 OCTOBER 25-31, 2015

14 centrespread centrespread 15 OCTOBER 25-31, 2015 OCTOBER 25-31, 2015

GOODFELLAS, Pulling a Fast One 25 YEARS LATER On October 19, former Italian-American mobster Vincent Asaro, 80, went on trial in Brooklyn for his role in the 1978 robbery of over $6 million in cash and jewellery from a A fi lm which Lufthansa Airlines cargo building at the John F Kennedy Airport in New York. The incident constantly battles was immortalised by Martin Scorsese’s epic gangster fl ick Goodfellas which had, as key The Godfather and The Godfather II characters, some of those involved in the heist. The heist is one among several in the last in the minds of few decades which have left investigators and the public incredulous. ET Magazine takes cinephiles for the a look at these infamous heists and Goodfellas itself, for this year is its 25th anniversary title of the ‘greatest gangster fi lm ever’, :: G Seetharaman Goodfellas revived director Martin Scorsese’s career, when it came out in September 1990 as well as the careers of Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro. The LUFTHANSA ABN AMRO fi lm is based on the book Wiseguy by Nicolas Pileggi, who wrote the screenplay with Scorsese. Narrating the Allegedly planned by tale of Henry Hill, a Lucchese family associate, from his Asaro, a member of the rise as a mobster to his turn as an FBI informant, the Bonanno crime family, and fi lm had De Niro playing a role based on Jimmy Burke James Burke, a Lucchese and Pesci portraying a character based on Tommy family associate DeSimone who was involved in the Lufthansa heist. nicknamed ‘Jimmy the IRAQI Gent’, the heist involved The fi lm earned six Oscar six other people, CENTRAL nominations but managed to win only including Burke’s son. BANK ANTWERP one, the Best Supporting Actor trophy Carried out on the night DIAMOND for Pesci for his turn as an impulsive, of December 11, 1978, In March 2007, This may not exactly fast-talking, pint-sized gangster. the robbery at the John ABN Amro Bank CENTRE be a heist, but may be Scorsese won the Best Director award F Kennedy International discovered that a the single biggest Airport was fi rst thought man had made off bank robbery. Called the world’s at the Venice Film Festival to fetch $2 million, a with diamonds Hours before the fi rst largest safe-deposit In 2007 the American Film Institute ranked third of the actual bounty, worth $28 American assault box theft, the heist at the fi lm 92nd on its ‘100 Years…100 Movies’ listing which included jewellery million from on March 18, 2003, the Antwerp Diamond and German bank notes. its branch in the then Iraqi president Centre on February 16, In 2008 Empire magazine named it the sixth best fi lm One of the biggest heists diamond quarter Saddam Hussein 2003 involved 123 of ever, with The Godfather topping the list on American soil, little of Antwerp, ordered his sons and the 160 vaults and of the money has been Belgium. The man, personal advisor diamonds worth $100 recovered who had used the to lighten the million were stolen. name Carlos Hector country’s central Investigators called this PRIVATE Flomenbaum bank in Baghdad an inside job, carried BAGHDAD and an Argentine of a whopping $1 out by someone familiar BANK passport stolen in billion, about 90% of with the complex Israel a few years which was in $100 security system. The PARIS JEWELLERY STORE ago and who was bills and the rest crime was traced to a In July 2007 three said to have spoken in euros. Around fi ve-men group called guards who worked at English with an $650 million, which the ‘School of Turin’, the private In October 2007, four thieves posed as builders American accent, was believed to be led by Leonardo Dar es Salaam and entered the Harry Winston jewellery store had been a regular part of the loot, was Notarbartolo, who bank in Baghdad’s and walked away with items worth $35 million. trusted customer at recovered from was arrested and who Karrada district A year later, four robbers, three of them dressed as the bank for a year Hussein’s son Uday’s claimed they stole made off with over women, grabbed items valued at $79 million before he pulled palace during the only $20 million and $280 million. The from the same store. Some of the loot has been off the heist. The war, and another that it was part of an perpetrators remain recovered and eight men, including the mastermind case is yet to be $250 million was insurance scam. The on the run and the of both heists, Douadi Yahiaoui and a security cracked recovered from an diamonds are yet to money has not yet guard at the store, were convicted of the crime and armoured vehicle be recovered been recovered sentenced to nine months to 15 years Source: The New York Times, Associated Press, The Telegraph, The Guardian, IMDb