"As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster" is a quote from which film?

"Goodfellas," the 1990 Martin Scorsese-directed crime film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, follows the 1955 to 1980 rise and fall of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) and his Lucchese crime family acquaintances. In the very opening moments of Scorsese’s “GoodFellas,” Henry says, "As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster. To me, being a gangster was better than being President of the United States."

Thus, this movie is about the trade craft and culture of organized crime in New York. Here, Hill narrates his own story; later he is joined by his wife, narrating her own crucial part (actions) in his life. It is not an outsider’s view. It is a point-of-view movie based on nostalgia and living a certain lifestyle. “The guys in Henry's life were blue-collar guys,” Hill’s wife said. “The only way they could make extra money, real extra money, was to go out and cut a few corners.” Power was intoxicating. “If we wanted something, we just took it,” Henry said. “If anyone complained twice they got hit so bad, believe me, they never complained again.”

Overall, this movie makes the point that gangsters use violence or the the credible threat of violence to deal with any and all challenges that they have while navigating the world. Also, one thing about being a gangster is clearly understood. It's a life-long commitment. Anyone who is in is always expected to uphold the criminal code until he dies.