Four Flaws with the Godfather
You know, I swore I’d never write a top four list, as five is the minimum acceptable number in my mind for that sort of thing, but let’s be honest, it’s The Godfather, and there isn’t much wrong with it.
But I don’t think it’s perfect, and after rewatching it again last night, I thought I’d just chime in with a few thoughts on things the masterpiece could have done better. Sure, it’s like telling Da Vinci his shading is a bit off on the Mona Lisa, but hey, it’s fun to play devil’s advocate every once in a while.
All these things being said, i do love the film, and the point of this post IS to encourage debate if you disagree and think it’s flawless, or contrastingly you could think it’s crazy overrated. I’m somewhere in the middle.
Read on to see what I’m nitpicking about.
1. Michael in Italy
The God father is a really, really long movie, so much so that the length often prevents most people from watching it. But I think it could have been shorter had an unnecessary plotline been cut heavily.
I have many issues with Michael’s trip to Italy, such as why in X amount of time a room full of people would forget he murdered two men in cold blood, one of whom was a police captain. Also, I don’t understand why the bruise on his face never seems to heal. But mostly, I don’t understand why these scenes are in the movie at all.
There’s about 20 minutes to half an hour of Michael wandering around the Italian countryside with two bodyguards. He visits his namesake city of Coreleone, where he’s kind of a big deal, and people throw him a party and donate to him their hottest girl named Apollonia. In what seems to be a week or so later, the two are married, though unfortunately practically the next scene is her getting blown up by a car bomb intended for Michael.
These events are interesting I suppose, but it’s an entirely self contained episode that has nothing to do with the rest of the plot. The attempt on his life is never mentioned again, and upon returning home he gets back together with Kay and Apollonia is now “that one Italian chick I was married to for two hours” who also is never brought up.
2. Sonny’s Epic Demise
The Godfather was known at the time for being brutally realistic in its violence, with people strangled and shot in the head completely in frame, with realistic (for the time) blood effects that populated few other movies.
I remember thinking when I first saw the Godfather himself get shot about six times, “wow, that’s a lot of bullets, I don’t think you can survive that.” Though I suppose it’s possible, and his eventual recovery seems plausible, albeit unlikely.
But then there’s Sonny’s death.
It’s a classic scene where he pulls up toll booth and a parade of rival gang members open up on him with tommy guns as he sits in his car. He takes dozens of bullets sitting in the passenger seat, and it’s really intense.
But then he GETS OUT OF THE CAR and is shot about two dozen MORE times. I just don’t understand that while the rest of the violence in this film is incredibly realistic, how they left in a man getting riddled with bullets to the point where he should be dead, but then he actually opens the door and stands up outside of his car to be shot even more. It’s like something out of an uber-violent Looney Tunes cartoon, and just seems really out of place in the film.
3. Carlo’s Betrayal
I also have some issues with the events leading up to Sonny’s death. Barzini’s plan, as I understand it, is as follows.
1) A woman calls Carlo’s house, Connie answers and thinks he’s cheating.
2) She flips out and breaks things
3) Carlo flips out in turn and beats her so she calls Sonny
4) Sonny races over there with no entourage, and must take one certain toll road
5) Gang ambush
That’s a lot of factors where the entire plan could have gone awry if any of the steps failed, but whatever, that’s not what I have an issue with. What I have a problem with is that despite it being blatantly obvious that Carlo was in on it (what, those guys were just waiting at the tollbooth all day every day just in case Sonny drove by?) he not only thinks he can get away with it, but it takes YEARS for the family to exact revenge on him, and they actually keep him very close by.
You would think after pulling a stunt like that, Carlo would have fled for the hills as there’s no way he COULDN’T be implicated, but why would Michael keep him around afterward for so long? Yes, he’s his sister’s husband, but he could be feeding info to the enemy, or decide to carry in a gun and blow Michael himself away on another rival family errand at a moment’s notice. And Michael knew all along he’d kill him eventually, despite being his brother in law, but why wait so long? It just doesn’t really make sense to me.
4. KILL EVERYONE
I’m not going to say that the end of The Godfather isn’t supremely awesome, watching the heads of the five families and Moe Green get murdered in various setups around the city and country, but it just seems a bit primitive for a movie that’s supposedly this sophisticated. Has all this drama and complex character relationships simply been leading up to the final solution of “murder everyone who isn’t you.”
Barzini is an obvious target, as it’s revealed he was behind Sonny’s death, but what about the other families? There’s an entire scene to say that it wasn’t Tattaglia who ordered the hit, rather it was Barzini, yet he’s killed as well. Same with Moe Green, who was kind of a dick in the one scene he’s in, but can you just up and acquire his property just because he’s murdered?
I’m not saying I don’t get the idea behind the mass hit. Murder everyone who means you harm, or probably means you harm, seems like a good plan. But what about the rest of families? Don’t each of these guys who were killed have a son or two who want to avenge them like Michael is doing for his family? Isn’t killing the dons just like bashing a hornets’ nest with a baseball bat? The Corleones didn’t fall in line when they lost family, why would these families behave any differently? I guess the idea is just that such a broad show of force scares everyone into submission, but it just seems like a crude ending for a smart movie.
These are the kind of posts that make Unreality such a great site. I get peeved whenever i see a repost of something on reddit here. Just keep doing this and i will love you long time
Thanks, I’d love for every post to be purely original content, but it just isn’t possible as this entire operation is run by two people who also have many other places to write and work for, and we sometimes have to turn to funny pics or videos that have appeared elsewhere on the internet.
But thanks for sticking with us!
You’d think with the inaccuracy of machine guns from several men performing a spray and pray that maybe a few of them would hit Sonny in the head in the first few seconds. Especially since the only place in the car there isn’t steel is the window, right where his face is.
Does the author of this piece have a brain? Or does he like to mindlessly watch movies and not pay attention to anything.
1. Michael in Italy
It’s not that the people who witnessed Michael gunning down the captain and the drug dealer are going to forget. It’s that the Corleones are going to ensure that those who saw Michael are going to be “encouraged” to either not remember seeing who actually pulled the trigger or simply killed. Not only that, but with their contacts in the press, they are going to leak information that the captain was on the take and shift the focus from who killed the captain to why he was killed. The longer he stays in Italy, the more people will forget about the incident (how long do you remember a particular crime once it dissappears from the front page of the paper or a website?).
While I agree that the bruis thing is a gaff, it’s relatively minor. As far as the meeting with Appallonia, it’s twofold. First, what else is he going to do in Italy other than find a woman to schtupp? Second, it goes to his development with her death showing him that he cannot leave family business unfinished because it inevitably leads to the death of those he loves.
2. Sonny’s Epic demise
What else was Sonny supposed to? The car was a death trap. He could not drive forward because his way was blocked. He could not drive backwards because more cars blocked him that way and then there was all the damage caused by the gunshots. So I suppose in some reality it would make sense to lay there and die, but…..
3. Carlo’s betrayal
The plan makes no sense if you have not been paying attention earlier. Remember, the Five Families could not get to Sunny in the Coreleone compound. Also, remember that the Coreleone compound is not in Manhattan proper, which is where Connie and Carlo live. Finally, remember, it is established in the movie that Sunny has poor impulse control.
The plan by e enemies of the Coreleone is to use Carlo and Connie as bait. Carlo does have one of his girls on the side call Connie just so that the incident will be provoked and draw Sunny out of his protection. If you know from where someone is coming and where they are going, there are only so many routes. Furthemore, when you are talking about coming into NYC, this further diminished because Manhattan is an island. If you have the manpower, you only need to watch a few crossings. Hence, those choke points become great ambush spots, especially when the target is enraged, acting impulsively, and disdaining an escort.
As for why he kept Carlo around after his return, Michael does it because of family dynamics. His sister was suffering from battered spouse syndrome and was unwilling to get free of her abuser. So, Michael had to wait until he could get rid of him while not arousing suspicion from Connie.
4. Kill Everyone
The Godfather is about family and Michael’s realization that family must be protected at all costs. This includes the family’s way pf life because that sustains the family. Cutting deals were only going to appease the wolves of the other Families for a time. Then they would be back to attack and destroy e rest of the family. The only way out, the only way to give the family a chance to transition to full time legit business was to destroy those who would not want to see them go, but wanted to take from the Coreleones’s that which Don Vito had developed from the illicit aide of the family deal is. Michael had to kill the other heads of the Families and Green because they blocked his family’s path to safety.
The Coreleones get green’s property because the businesses were partnerships. Green’s death left the partnership solely in the hands of the Coreleones, because really, who is going to contest them?
“…but hey, it’s fun to play devil’s advocate every once in a while.”
Says Crazy Al Pacino circa 1997.
@Bill
Insults aside, you answered none of my issues with anything you said.
1) If they had all that influence, why even take Michael to Italy? He had less protection there than he would have with his entire family guarding him at the compound. And the “people you love get hurt” thing was pretty clear with his father and brother being shot. I just don’t think this entire plotline was necessary for the story, and just bloats the film.
2) I was not questioning the thought process of why Sonny would want to get out of the car, I was questioning that a man who gets shot 30 times cannot physically do that, and the violence seems cartoonish in that scene.
3) I never said the plan didn’t make sense, I said a lot could go wrong, but that wasn’t what I had an issue with it. What you said doesn’t explain why Carlo thought everything would be perfectly cool when it was clear he was the betrayer. And when he was killed Connie immediately flipped out on Michael as it was pretty obvious what had happened, so waiting didn’t solve that issue.
4) The heads being killed should not pacify the entire family that sits beneath each of those heads, who would all want vengeance like Michael did for his family.
Did you even read anything I wrote?
@Bill
Ya, Bill. Respect the man!
@Paul Tassi While objective criticism can be useful, it can be also be a (not so thinly) veiled excuse to try to show someone up. I wouldn’t take any of it to heart. That being said, the Godfather is by far and away my favorite movie of all time. So much so that any dissection and discussion of the film is appreciated and fun to play along with. The ‘interweb’ is full of narcissistic assholes.
Great job on the site, it is a favorite
He’s got you on all fronts Bill. You’re arguments come off like you never actually read beyond the first sentence of each entry.
Oh Bill, you just got served a fresh plate of manigot with a side of shit in your hat.
Strong, Pauly. Very strong.
Great article, but you forgot the very worst moment! Sonny ‘hitting’ Carlo!
http://media.gunaxin.com/worst-part-godfather/47512
Except for #2, read the book.
Everything was in there b/c it needed to be in there. It may not have been handled perfectly, but it needed to be there.
Michael’s bruise was actually a broken jaw that he refused to have surgically repaired correctly.
This also happened in the 50’s, so photographic proof of what happened was non-existent. Only people who really know it was him that pulled the trigger were the other crime families and they were persuaded to look past it.
On #3, there is more backstory that the movie just didn’t go into, but to put simply enough, Carlo just wasn’t that bright and really thought that he could and did get away with it.
Yeah, like Skeebo said, read the book. The film is actually relatively faithful, but the book contains a ton more background information about characters, motivations, etc.
Not to say that they shouldn’t have cut or explained things better in the film, but anybody who enjoys the Godfather should do themselves a favor and read the book. It only serves to enrich a great film.
It is funny how smug people act on the net when replying to something….I never understood the reasoning of insults towards people who question or bring up questions.
Anyhow aside from that I have to agree whole heartily with the black eye that Michael had while in Italy….It seriously lasted longer than half of the movie.
Articles like this are proofs that pretty much all the great, classic films that the old farts as well as all the traditional media consider as sacred cows really aren’t what they are.
I would like to see Paul doing more dissecting articles like this on other sacred cows, such as 12 Angry Men and Citizen Kane, and reveal their flaws.
The ads on this site are getting out of hand. Loud commercials, forced ads, etc. I was a regular to your site, but I’m not coming back if this continues.
A lot of the plot issues you mention are explained fully in Puzo’s novel. In Sicily, for example, Michael is there for his own protection until the Corleone’s manage to find someone to take the wrap for murdering the captain and Solozo. Only then is Michael able to return home (and also giving the Godfather the ability to give that famous speech). Michael’s time in Sicily was instrumental in his formation as the successor to his father. Also, his black eye is explained in the novel as his broken jaw never healed correctly. In having to flee quickly, he didn’t receive medical attention (now, the fact that there weren’t any doctors in Sicily is harder to explain).
Again, not disagreeing with your points but the novel sheds light on many things that are impossible to include (unless the movie was five hours long).
If you haven’t yet, read the novel. It is worth it!
The film misses out huge chunks of the book – there’s a lot more detail on mike’s exile to italy and subsequent return when a scapgoat is found. There’s also lots more about Jonny Fontane and other west coast characters. the film doesn’t do the book justice.
My biggest Godfather flaw is the Sonny>Carlo fight in the street. James Caan is clearly not connecting any of his punches. There is one punch that misses by over a foot and Carlo pretends to be hit.
Yes, the book explains much of the “gaffes” that the movie didn’t fully cover.
Regarding Michael’s face…..it was more than a bruise. When Capt. McClusky slugged Michael at the hospital, he hit him so hard he crushed his cheekbone, and caved in the sinus on that side, leaving him with a constant drip from his nose. He eventually decided to have surgery to fix this problem.
Sonny’s movie death was pure Hollywood. As good as the movie was, the book was better. Anyone who really liked the movie should read the book.
If you read the book, all these events make perfect sense.
More proof that the internet is filled with clueless people. As has been pointed out by several before me, READ THE BOOK. Also if you studied actual New York Mafia history you would find many events in the book/movie were based on actual historical events, some loosely and some pretty much dead on.
This movie is focused on Michael, so you can’t have him disappear to Italy then pop back in the story again later. The mob boss in Italy guaranteed his safety, since he was a Corleone ally. There was a good chance no one would know where he was to begin with, so Italy was much safer than the US. It also showed Michael moved on, he wasn’t pining for his old life. He had finally embraced his inner Sicilian.
Sonny was supposed to be a pretty big guy(for a mobster) with great stamina and power. He had great personal force and will, just like his dad, but without the smarts. So that’s why it took so much to kill him, that and yeah it made for a big violent scene ala Bonnie and Clyde. It is also true to the book.
Carlo was not a bright guy. That’s why he took sides against his family to start with. Also, until Michael put the smack down, Carlo had every reason to believe Barzini would win(and Carlo too, by association). Why would he run? The plan worked. Carlo is not allowed in the inner circle of family business, so he can’t give any inside info- keeping him around costs them nothing important. Meanwhile, Michael is loathe to kill family members, even moreso with his dad(a family man) still alive. That’s why it’s not until his dad dies and all blood will be on Michael’s hands that he gets payback. Protecting family is the major theme of this story, killing a family member is huge even if he is a traitor.
Wiping out your enemies, specifically the leadership, makes perfect sense. First off, it’s established that the ONLY reason the five families could fight the Corleones was because of Barzini’s leadership. He was a genuine badass and smart as hell. Therefore, with him gone the other families posed no legitimate threat. This means you can fire at will, there will be no payback from them, they will be cowed into submission. Anyone not killed will be too busy making a deal to save his life to try to rally an anti-Corleone crusade.
This kind of surrender is exactly what they were expecting Michael to do, but he had resources(his dad, the Corleone empire itself) behind him that none of the others have. That’s why he was able to get control back.
Dude, you do realize this story is based on real events, right? That aside, you will never understand anything in this movie unless you try to think like the characters think.
The storyline in Sicily was important. It was there to show that Michael actually was capable of love, and after Appolonia died, Kay was not a love interest as much as an offspring-machine for the family dynasty. Plus, she (Appolonia) looked good naked. Also, it was important to establish that even though Michael went to Sicily to hide, he was still tracked down and an attempt was made on his life, which is one of the reasons he came back.
The multiple murder scene during the Christening was not about killing those who posed a threat to the family. It was about Michael’s first act as Godfather, which was to settle all scores and consolidate the family’s power as the new head of the Corleone family. Most of the victims weren’t threats, they were obstacles.
+1 on reading the book. Then go watch the movie again.
You mention that the movie is “really, really long” – I used to think the same thing… it was slow, long, drawn-out – until I read the book. Now it kind of feels like it’s short and moves quickly. The book gives you a whole new perspective.
My main problem with the Godfather is that everyone in the movie looks more or less the same. You have old dark Italian guys, and young dark Italian guys. Then they all start dying, and I don’t care. Why? Because I have no idea who any of them are. To me, it will always play like a three hour saga about people talking about, conspiring against, and killing people that I can’t possibly give a damn about.
Bah, The Shawshank Redemption is still the superior movie.
#4
The murder of the heads of the various families is not about a solution to a problem. It signifies Michael’s full conversion to evil. He started off the movie as above the violence and brutality of his father and family, good in nature. But he consciously kills his remaining humanity by resorting to violence above anything even his father or family would have considered.
@Bill
*Sonny
I agree with all those who said that reading the book will illuminate most of the movie’s “gaping” holes. There were fundamentally many subtle complexities and strategies, as well as consequences, which the movie, given the limitations of the medium, could not expand on. Reading Puzo’s books will settle unanswered questions and will make an appreciation of the Godfather more complete.
reading the book answers all of the plot related questions, Mario Puzo even took an active part in the production of the film, as for Sonny’s extended demise…simple Hollywood eye candy is my best guess!
1) Michael in Italy is important for several reasons. First of all, he can’t just disappear for a couple of scenes, you would be wondering where he was the whole time. More importantly it shows his human side in his desire for Apolonia. Also they didn’t “throw him a party and donate to him their hottest girl.” He demanded to date her under penalty of death and then he met her family and later they were married. There was a reception at the wedding but none of this really constitutes a party. Also, nobody is forgetting that he killed two men, one of whom was a police captain. The entire point of the pre-murder planning was to deal with doing something like that. They decided on a smear campaign against Cpt. McClusky. Also during the meeting between the heads of the 5 families Don Corleone says he needs to bring his son back “cleared of all these false charges” implying the use of his extensive political influence to make the problem go away. Also, these scenes are important because it shows the attempt on his life showing that he still is not safe. It isn’t mentioned again because the truce was called and then he came home. Also he wasn’t married to her for a couple of hours. He was in Italy for years. In the first scene back in America he says hes been back for over a year. It would make sense then to assume an excessive amount of time passed during his stay in Italy as well. Also, his cheek was broken. That was why when he goes to Las Vegas Fredo remarks on what a good job the Dr. did. He finally got it fixed.
2) Sonny’s death was ridiculously over the top because it marked a turning point in the film. This was the moment that Don Corleone felt the most pain and decided to end the feud. Therefore his death had to have more impact than many of the other on screen deaths. The only way to do this would be to have him die in a ridiculous over the top fashion. Was it incredibly realistic? No. Was it a powerful moment? Yes, and that is more important.
3) Carlo was angry and stupid. He was locked out of the family business and it seemed to him like Barzini held all the power. As for why they waited so long. Don Corleone specifically says in one scene, “I want no inquiries made” and in another “I forgo the vengeance of my son.” It was at his father’s behest that Michael never did anything to Carlo. That’s why Carlo is killed so soon after the Don’s death. It is very similar to the second film wherein he keeps Fredo alive until his mother dies.
4) The ending accomplished several things. First of all, the Corleone’s didnt “fall in line” because they never lost the head of their family. The Don was shot but he survived and they were able to regroup and figure things out. The heads of the other family all being killed at once would lead to extreme chaos and retaliation would be very difficult, especially with the imminent move to Las Vegas. It was also a statement of power and the way Michael plans on doing things. He will not be pushed around. He was demonstrating his power. Finally, it shows his decent into the system that his father was hoping Michael could avoid. The scene where Michael speaks with his father and Don Corleone explains that he was always hoping Michael wouldn’t have to deal with any of the family stuff. Maybe he would be a senator…or even president? These were the Don’s hopes but try is he might, Michael eventually falls into the family business, even though at the beginning he was outside of it. Michael cannot escape the fate that was laid out for him by being born into this family.
The point of Sicily is to show the change in Michael from American GI Joe/ College Boy to a mafia man, he had to see where his father came from and how he lived to fully understand what made the Don great. Michael’s face was busted and broken bones did not heal properly. Could be fixed in the States but not post war Sicily, which was a freakin mess. The Sonny killing was actually a sure thing as far as planning goes. First of all the family compound was on long beach NY. 1 bridge in those days. Perfect place for the ambush, now to get him there… Sonny’s temper was known to all in the underworld, beating his sister would definately get him in the way to the City quick. All Carlo has to do was beat her up, even if the phone call never came he still could have found a reason. Waiting to kill Carlo shows the cold heartedness of Michael, He was an enemy and could be dealt with at the proper time as he posed no threat at that point, plus killing him sooner would have shown Barzini then Tataglia by default that Michael knew what really happened, then they would know Michael sees them as enemies.
I go to movies to be entertained. The Godfather, in my opinion, is a very entertaining movie. You can pick apart just about any movie and you will find some flaw in it if you look hard enough. The folks who make these films are human just like the rest of us and no field of art will ever be perfect, including movies, so I choose to enjoy them imperfections and all.
The book covers most of your points, as others have pointed out.
Michael was sent to Italy, because killing a police captain was an extremely serious act, and he could not be protected by his father’s political connections from the repercussions. He spent a significant amount of time there, till someone else would take the fall for the murder (someone who was going to be executed for another crime anyway).
Sonny surviving for long enough to get out of the car is probably a way of illustrating the force of his character, and his physical strength. Not fully realistic, but it gets the message accross.
The way Carlo managed to draw Sonny out is a weak point of the movie and of the book – you are correct that it depended on a chain of events that was rather unpredictable. But the fact that Michael kept him around for years is not that far-fetched (ever heard of keeping your friends close, and your enemies closer?). The Don would not have sanctioned the murder of his son-in-law – Hagen says this explicitly at the end of the book, so he let Michael take over the family business, knowing Michael would do it. Carlo’s motive for fingering Sonny is clear – even looking at the film in isolation.
The movie tried to be faithful to the book, within its time constraints, and I think it should be more often viewed as an adaptation, rather than a stand alone movie. Another example of this is that Luca Brasi is given very little coverage in the film, but the book explains his importance in more depth. Unfortunately, because of time constraints big chunks of exposition are left out of the movie (the fact that it is viewed so favorably despite this is to its credit). One fortunate loss between movie and book, was the section about Lucy Mancini’s anatomy.
I love this movie, and the second… and the third I don’t care lol. I put this movie off for years and years until I was getting a tattoo by needle and thread in a cheap motel room in Boise, ID while on a comedy tour. It become one of, if not my most, favorite movie. I didn’t know it was a book, and I prefer books to movies. I haven’t read it yet, can’t find it. But its high on my to do list.
I know this has nothing to do with the thread, sorry, had to share.
Stoker
Hello, this is my first time on this website and I was just reading your post which I thought was pretty decisive. But I am actually watching the godfather right now and I wanted to say that the scene where sonny is killed makes more sense than you might fully grasp, not to insult your intelligence or anything and if this was already posted then I apologize for the repost but the idea behind it is that the deal with micheal’s sister is a setup to get sonny to leave the family home on long island. This is important because there is really only one way off the island to get to his sister’s house. So the brother in law set this whole thing up because he knew that he could only go one way. And the death itself, from my understanding there would have been enough adrenaline pumping through his body to keep him alive for what is realistically only about 7 extra seconds. I don’t know who would look at this post and if it’s still relevant, but reply if possible, especially to the writer of the original post.
Great article. Yes,yes..read the book and things the movie glossed over are detailed.
The police captain broke mike’s jaw. He suffered many years from getting his’ sinuses crushed. (Big deal was made of it in the book.)
Mike in Italy is simple. Slozzo’ was no big deal, but the NY.City police captain was. Cops could have just arrested mike in the compound with “cause”. More over, a gang war erupted. Sonny, Tom, ect figured it was bad enough they used Mike to kill, but his’ “pop” would go ape-**** if they didn’t have the sense to get him out of the country(Obviously, getting Vito mad is not a great idea). As others said, Sicily (NOT ITALY..OKAY?) was where Mike got an idea of his’ roots and learned the family’s real power. Also it is where we as viewers realize that Mike never did and never would love Kay. Always Apollonia.
Yeah, Sonny took a lot of bullets. But if you were paying attention he was a major bada$$… and really mad. He already beat Carlo (in the dumbest scene in the movie) for hitting Connie in a previous scene. It was a smart “set-up” to his’ demise. Again, if you were paying attention all these guys were extremely clever and devious including the enemies. The perfect set-up.
Mike couldn’t kill Carlo or any of the heads of the five families. Vito promised nothing would happen while he was alive and Mike honored that. Once Vito was dead Mike flexed his muscles. After the bosses we’re killed there was a possibility of more underlings getting wiped out too, but the Corleone family showed their’ power and most the hench men got absorbed into the Corleone family. Remember, it’s just business. They all just wanted to do “good business”.
Again great article, but you are no Godfather expert my friend. đŸ™‚
I’d have a thoughful criticism to this, but I can see from above that this Paul person is a whiny bitch.
hi
i agree with a lot you pointed out.
i often wondered what happened to the guy who put a bomb in michaels car.
it didnt seem realistic that carlo would beat up his wife again. even if sonny wasnt left alive at the end someone was going to kill him just for the assault alone.
i wanted to see the boys who beat the mans daughter get what was coming to them.
the corleone hitman who was pinned to the bar with a knife tho hand. that didnt stop him sliding to floor.
one of the bodyguards looked like veras husband jack duckworth from coronation street.
if you dont live in the uk you will be confused with the last comment.
all the best ronnie
Too good a subject to let die. Stumbled onto the site…and here are a couple considerations.
First and foremost, the film is in the style of “realism” but it is not reality. American realism is the perfect choice for the film because it was the dominant American style during the time period of the story. Arthur Miller’s Death of Salesman is in the style of Realism but no one would confuse it with a documentary reality; don’t misunderstand the Realism of The Godfather. Soooo…understand thatthis is art: You have to ask why the director did what he did. Some of this, as has been mentioned, simply fills out things that were required from the book. But Coppola distilled the book (and I believe created a better telling of the story in doing so). Nothing here is random. Try these things…
Why does Sonny get shot 25 gazillion times at the toll booth? Coppola has already talked about one of things he wanted to accomplish: An encomium to the final scene in Bonnie & Clyde. But why do that in the first place? Sonny, in the book is both larger than life and tougher than steel. In the movie, he dies like Rasputin: fighting for every moment to the end. The sequence has shock value and, even in the 70s, it was hard to be shocking without intense violence. Sonny’s death is larger than life to give it an emotional impact. You’re not expected to believe it, you’re expected to be affected by it. Once you feel it in the audience, you can also understand its impact on Don Corleone in the following scenes.
There is an incredible arc that Coppola dances over in respect to the women associated with the family. This are was more than suggested in the novel but really starts to come to fruition in the film. Let’s take just the part that affects Michael. At the sister wedding scene, Michael goes out of his way to tell Kay that his family is violent but that’s not who is. He thinks he’s a good guy. The story is about Michael coming of age as the Godfather; in fact, he is the Godfather of the title. While he was involved with Kay, he never says he loves her…but when finds Appolonia in Greece, he’s struck by the thunderbolt. This is his true love. In many ways, it is the peak of his humanity. As she is killed, so goes a huge chunk of that humanity. When he returns, and becomes Godfather, true love is beyond him…and it is nothing to manipulate Kay to become the figurehead wife he needs. We have the slow and steady dissolution of Michael that will make him a multiple murderer, not limiting himself to members of his immediate family (as is portrayed in Godfather II). If you understand what Appolonia means to both the character and this thematic arc, you know why she is there and why the time spent on it is necessary.
The Godfather is a good story. But what really makes this one of the top few American films of all time, some would say the best, is that it operates on multiple levels. At the time, Coppola thought he was making a cheap film adaptation of a “B” novel. He couldn’t see that the combination of his choice of cast, the things he demanded from the studio (a period-piece, and the taste of Sicily among others), and his amazing choices when shaping the script would end with this incredible result. And don’t discount the massive contributions of Gordon Willis’s lighting and cinematography. It wasn’t supposed to be a great film, Coppola crafted it into a great film.
Nothing’s perfect. But, for American commercial film, The Godfather comes damn close. We could talk a lot more about this stuff but not until someone coughs up a decent bottle of wine and a fine plate of Italian… My fingers tire at the keyboard, they cry out for sustenance.
At dinner table when carlo tells connie to shut up and sonny hits back , their mother tells sonny dont interfere so Corleones being old fashioned dont interfere matters within husband and wife . Also killing carlo would send alert bazzini and they wont suprise them at the mass killing at end .
If u see after Vito is shot there is chaos in Corleone family , they would have agreed to Sollazo deal if not for mike .
vito trains and prepares Mike for succession , but other families heads are not prepared, they wont make any person powerful within the family coz they would overthow them .
Ever heard of TajMahal guy Shah Jahan who once most powerful emperor was imprisoned by his own son in later life .
Regarding 2. :
When a human body receives sudden and lethal physical damage it often goes into shock. In such a situation it is capable of performing actions involuntarily (based on spinal cord impulses) before the heart completely stops beating. This is what, I suspect, was intended to happen with Sonny.
Regarding 3 : Carlo had to be taken out along with all the other dons. This was the plan Vito and Michael came up with. Vito could not break his promise that ‘he would not be the one to break the peace they had made here today’. So they had to keep a close watch on Carlo till Vito died and then Michael had to eliminate him along with the other dons.
Regarding 4: A mini war did break out as a result of the elimination of the dons. However, none of the families had a strong enough successor to their respective dons which is why Michael was able to negotiate peace after forcing the Corleone’s to the top with that move. This was all part of the plan and one of the reasons it was formulated.
Furthermore, Moe Greene was a partner of the Corleone’s with a 50% stake in the casino. If he gets eliminated, his next of kin likely does not want to be a part of the casino trade (remember, Moe did not have a crime family of his own) and will gladly make the deal.
I will only answer on Carlo’s betrayal as the other posts brilliantly covered the other questions. The point of Sonny’s assassination is to show that the enemy is as cunning as strategic as the Corleones, they planned Sonny’s death with the same intelligence than the Corleones plotting to kill Sollozo. WE have the feeling that it depended on luck because we don’t see the enemy but when you think about it, when you reverse the whole chain of events, it seems plausible.
– All they had to do was to make sure Sonny was in the compound and was going to stay there. Easy, they have informers watching the compound. When they know Sonny is there, they know it’s time to operate and inform Carlo.
– Now, all they have to do is to make sure Connie would call Sonny : Carlo asks for dinner, he waits for the phonecall and let Connie answer, she’s angry, he makes her even angrier by telling her he goes outside, we all know what happens next.
– Connie is severely beaten, she doesn’t call Sonny for help, she calls the Family asking for anyone to come to take her, Mama answered the phone but the baby was crying so she gave it to Sonny, not bad luck, without the baby, Connie would have told the truth to her mother and Sonny would have known it anyway, and he would have left the compound driven by the same range.
– Whether he went with or without his bodyguards was pointless, the toll-booth squad was armed enough to handle them. Anyway, when Sonny left, whoever was watching them called Barzini’s men so they could directly go to the toll booth, and that’s that. And you could tell from the following scene that a car was parked next to the toll booth as to anticipate which side Sonny was going to pick.
Everyone knew Carlo was up to something, but this came at a time where the enemy was expecting to put the deathblow on the Corleone Family, even Michael was supposed to be killed in Sicily and Vito was still recovering … and Fredo was out. The Corleones were at their weakest point, so avenging Sonny at that moment was definitely not the smartest move, they had to make Carlo believe he could fool them, to let him lower his guard, the enemy would believe they’ve gone dumb, weak and stupid. if they tried anything against Carlo, it might have started an undesirable chain of events at a time where Michael was organizing the succession (besides Vito didn’t want to break his daughter’s heart)
It was calculated weakness and made the vengeance at the end even more powerful.
I agree with you in some areas, particularly on number 4. The confidence in the lack of a repurcussion by the mass killing is still unclear even after reading the book, but the other points, are mostly explainable and not necessarily by having to go back to the novel.
1- a) how did a room full of people forget? This one was answered by Don Vito’s speech at the meeting of the five families, in relation to (making arrangements to bring back my son and clearing him of these “false charges”). If you remember, Clemenza was insistent to Michael before the Sollozzo killing that he the gun is the cleanest and untraceable, and that he had to drop it at the scene. In the book it was mentioned clearly, that they could fix any witnesses and take care of any one through bribes, intimidation, and/or outright killing, as long as Michael was not caught with the gun. So the special arrangements was buying off the witnesses and bribing police officers to close the case (The police part was only possible of course thanks to the strong media campaign that showed the police captain was caught up in the drug business which was bad for everybody).
As for the jaw, the cheekbone was broken by the punch, and the funny speech Michael developed temporarily was a sign that he didn’t get it fixed until after the Solozzo murders. When he gets back they comment on his face that the doctor did a fantastic job.
b) Michaels time in Italy was important in terms of motivation for why became distant with Kay, why he became a full murdering mafia Don after being largely a civilian who only killed Sollozzo to protect his pop, why he went after all the dons and not just Barzini, and it was important because it showed that it gave him the rare oppotunity to connect with the deep rooted culture of Sicily, and seeing first hand what happens when there is mafia war. When he asks about why there are no young men and the bodyguards tell him about all the vendettas that finished most of them off, it creates the foundation of his disillusion with multiple families. When he falls in love and marries a girl who is later killed. It breaks his heart, and turns him completely over to joining the family business with all the killing. He takes over a year when he gets back to the states before contacting Kay, and he does so because “i need you”. It was his connection to normality.
2- Sonny only received a few bullets while in the car in his body. The car itself takes most of the hits. It’s only when he’s outside that he gets truly riddled. He was pumped on adrenaline already from the need and was markedly a young physically strong hot head. He could (plausibly with a stretch) withstand a few bullets to the torso that were softened through the car’s steel. Without a doubt though, that action scene was over the top and it had the hallmarks of show movie deaths of the seventies. (I actually don’t like Vito’s slow collapse to the ground after he received the five bullets, that was slower and a bit theatrical).
3- Carlo not running immediately and seemingly getting away: Don Vito immediately says after hearing news of his son’s death, that he wants no inquiries made into the matter. Brokering a peace arrangement and bringing Michael back became paramount. Carlo wasn’t a smart man, he always thought he could have gotten away with it. If he was confident he was going to be caught he wouldn’t have done it in the first place, the guy want the brightest, after all he was stupid enough to beat up the daughter of a Mafia Don the first time!
When they specifically made him the right hand man in Vegas, they gave him the false sense of security. They did that to keep him close (keep your friends close, and your enemies closer). They wanted him to continue feeding bad information to Barzini as part of their plan to look weak. When Michael came to him, he said “today i settle all the family’s business”.
4- the peace that was brokered at the five families meeting was fickle, but it was marked by an agreement: “if anything happens to Michael, I am going to blame some of the people in this room, but i promise you this: that i will not be the one who breaks the peace that was made here today”.
With Vito’s death, Michael became fair game and as he had been planning for quite some time with his late father, Michael knew that it was now kill or be killed. Barzini confirmed it right away by asking for a meeting and it came through the traitor just like Vito predicted. Michael didn’t trust either Tessio and Clemenza and kept both of them in the dark about the whole plan as shown in the scene when Vito was telling them to just trust his judgement and be a friend to Michael even when the Corleone were apparently losing territory to the Barzinis.
When it was time to move, it had to be everybody. The Barzinis used the Tattalias, they weren’t completely innocent, the mafia families had to all go to end the vendettas (remember Clemenza story to Michael that a war happens every 5 to 10 years, and Michael’s time in Italy highlighted the losses of ongoing vendetta). As for Moe Greene, he was a traitor that was skimming from the top. Moe Green said it out loud “are you saying i am skimming from the top?” but then he tipped his hand when Michael angered him and spilled his guts admiting to being with the Barzinis and knowing the Corleone are weak and don’t have the muscle anymore. They were there because the casino was losing money and so this one was really about business and tying up loose ends.
No one was at a state of war so protection was minimal, everyone thought the corleones were weaker and were hours away from being decapitated (the hits were orchestrated and planned to be on the day of the intended meeting and assassination of Michael, ending the Corleones effectively), so it was totally unexpected and it was easy to make the well-rehearsed assassinations.
What i do not get, is not having major repurcussions in terms of the family heads having sons and next-in-line dons who would have held the families together and going to war. Michael does not seem bothered at all after the killings about personal security and seemed confident that there will be no violent reaction. I did not see a feasible explanation there.
Drop the Alfalfa haircut and maybe I’d give your complaints more credit.
1) Michael in Italy. These scenes are important in the book. They’re also important in the film. When Michael kill McClusky and Solazo (sp?) he’s acting to protect his father. This is an act of love from a man who still has compassion. While in Italy, Michael is an unknown, he’s no Pezzanovante, he’s under the protection of Don Tommasino. At most Michael would be curiosity to the locals that he’s living in Don Tommasino’s house and has body guards. What’s critical about this section of the story is that Michael and Appolonia are struck by the “thunder bolt”, a rare and special things to the Sicilian’s in the story. It makes their love very deep and very strong. Appolonia is NOT the target of the car bomb, Micheal is, we know this when Fabrizzio asks if she is going with Michael when he leaves. When Appolonia is killed the last vestiges of Michael’s humanity are burned away, leaving a cold, calculating man in it’s place. This makes Michael even more dangerous than his father. We never see Michael show emotion again after this scene.
2) Sonny’s demise, other than being dramatic and taken from the book, I can’t say.
3) Carlo’s Revenge. There is a Sicilian proverb, “Revenge is a dish best served cold”. After Sonny’s death Vito’s calls off any attempts at revenge and arranges a sit down. To murder Carlo at this point would be a violation of this order. Michael can’t do it in any case because he’s still in Italy. When Michael returns he works to protect the family business and structure it under his command. He also works to take revenge against the families that plotted against the Corleone’s in Vito’s hit. To kill Carlo would be to upset the apple cart and tip his hand.
4) Kill Everyone. This is the final piece to the puzzle Michael is building. The book makes this much clearer. Michael wants payback for the attempt on Vito’s life and the death of Appolonia. The book describes that Micheal tracks down Fabrizzio in America and identifies the family that sponsored him. I don’t recall which, but they’re connected to Barzini. In the Godfather Compellation we see the cut scene of Fabrizzio’s death as part of the Kill everyone scene. In any case, Michael is working to consolidate his power and take out everyone who might be a threat to him. Sure, there may be son’s who like Michael who would seek revenge, but keep in mind Michael has been planning this for years, he’s created an entire Capo regime that reports only to him made up of highly skilled gangsters who appear on the families books in lesser roles than their worth demands as a smoke screen. It’s this capo regime who work to gather the necessary information and develop the plot to hit all the major figures within minutes of each other to insure there is no tip off. Anyone who might be considered a viable threat would have been targeted. Presumably the hit families would be in such disarray as to create no threat. In real life when the head of a family dies it often signals a civil war within the family as opposing forces work to gain control. A good example of this would be when Carlo Gambino died, control was inherited by Paul Castallano. John Gotti a Capo at the time, saw tension within the family against Castallano and saw that as an opportunity to kill Castallano and take control of the Gambino family.
Well, that’s a good discussion
1 – Hist trip to Italy is part of his transformation, from the kid who never wanted to be like his family, to the man who can’t avoid being part of what his family is, whatsoever, he learn his roots there and get the taste for a revenge. That’s why he watches his spouse get blown in a car. Also, is where they are going to tell a little about the family history, that will be very, very important in the 2nd movie. Why they attempt to murder him there? Remember when he said that many people would pay a lot for that information? Remember when the american soldiers passed by and Fabrizzio started shouting for them to take him to USA? Now link the dots and guess who planted the bomb. Fabrizzio would kill Michael just for the chance to go to USA.
Why there’s no murder attempt to him after he gets back to USA? Because his father made a no murder deal to protect Michael in that meeting with the families. But as soon as Vito dies, they are going to kill Michael, the problem is that Michael knows it and is faster, kills all of them first. And he kills all of them, because killing Barzini would be breaking the agreement his father did. But killing all of them, means nobody who was on that meeting is still alive, so there’s no agreement anymore.
3 – Carlo’s betrayal has a lot of points. First, all he ever wanted was to be part of the family, but he thinks Sonny is the one who won’t let him in. So, when he is ready to have his revenge against Sonny for beating him up, it is a personal and a business thing. The only way for him to get in the business is taking Sonny out. Also, the Barzinis want Sonny out because, as you may remember, Sollozzo says a million times that he can’t make deals with Sonny (and no other family can). Well, with Sonny out, he finally gets what he wants, he is in the Corleone’s business and there’s no reason for him to betrayal the family, onde he got what he wanted. They kept him close until the right time to kill him, when they finally get the right informations from him about the other families.
It’s a perfect film, and everything you speak of has an answer and a point. Some things are answered IN the film. Some are answered simply by watching the film. But what you speak of as flaws, are in fact not.