This document provides an introduction to studying the comparative US cinema genre of gangster films through the films "Goodfellas" and "American Gangster." It outlines expectations for analyzing a key scene from "Goodfellas" where the main character Henry takes his date Karen to the Copacabana nightclub. Students are asked to consider how elements like mise-en-scene, camerawork, editing and sound construct Henry as the "man of the city" and a 'Prince' character based on Propp's theories. Theories from Engels, Warshow and Farrell are also introduced and students are assigned homework to analyze this scene in one page addressing how Henry obtained notoriety and wealth and how the scene