“The Godfather” trilogy: The big debate, who was the best Don, Michael or Vito Corleone?

Let’s talk about classic movies. Yes, «the Godfather»Is a classic movie and anyone who disagrees can move on to another topic. Although it would be good to dedicate, at some point in his life, the 539 minutes needed in total to see the “Godfather” trilogy.

The Godfather is one of the most important films in the history of cinema. It is and will be, no matter how many years pass, a huge chapter in the history of cinema, as the plot and the interpretations of the film have placed it in the pantheon of films.

And we do not say that in the air. (And) the numbers speak for themselves. The three films were nominated for 28 Oscars in total and won 9. They also won $ 512 million at the box office, which was a huge amount considering the release of the films (1972, 1974, 1990 respectively).

The first film had Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) as the boss of the Corleone family while in the second and third films, it was directed by his son Michael Corleone (Al Pacino). Father and son handled things very differently while he was behind the wheel and there was always the question of who was the best mafia boss between the two. But before that, let’s look at the real story behind Corleone.

Where did all this inspiration for the film come from?

First of all, it is worth mentioning somewhere here that “The Godfather” is based mainly on the book of the same title by Mario Puzo, which tells mainly what we have seen in the film. However, it is obvious that both the book and the film are based on real people and facts. Although the film has shocking mistakes that not even Francis Ford Coppola managed to avoid.

1920s America was a place where mafias really took command of all kinds of criminal activity. Controlling entire areas and businesses, trafficking drugs, alcohol, carnage and everything else that was illegal at the time.

In the Genovese family the “big boss” was Luciano Genovese who was the most powerful man in the underworld, earning the nickname “the prime minister”. His rule lasted for 16 years, with the famous mobster imprisoned for the flesh trade. Then his right hand quickly took the reins so as not to lose what his predecessor had achieved.

His name was Frank Castello and he had the reputation of being an outstanding diplomat. He maintained and even improved his predecessor’s relations with the collaborating businessmen, but even with the rival mafias. His great qualification and the reason that many of his opponents envied him was his good relations with politicians.

We had seen something similar in Nono, when his opponents asked him to use his political acquaintances to help them. At the same time, this is not the only common incident that we have seen in the book that has gone as it is in the film. In 1957 an assassination attempt was made against Frank Castello as he disagreed with a proposal for a drug trade. The bullet hit him in the head and should have been fatal, but the Godfather survived.

The big match between Vito and Michael Corleone

Both father Vito Corleone and son Michael left their mark on the 60s and 70s mafia and the New York underworld in general. But what were the characteristics that made the two stand out?

1. Michael was more ruthless

While Vito preferred to solve problems with his enemies, Michael put them to death. In the first film, viewers realized how ruthless Michael was when he killed Maklaski and Solozzo in a restaurant because they were involved in the attack on his father. It was undoubtedly one of the best movie scenes of all time.

He also ordered the assassination of the heads of five other New York criminal families on the same day. In addition, he killed his brother Fredo and his brother-in-law Carlo.

2. Vito was conscious

Vito refuses to sell drugs because he thinks it is a dirty business that destroys lives. He also refuses to accept money to kill someone because he thinks it is not right. He is not just a reckless, and inhuman gangster.

“What have I done to treat you so disrespectfully?” Vito asks a man who wronged him. Trying to deal with enemies is not the way most mafia bosses prefer to do things.

3. Michael is unpredictable

The most exciting thing about Michael is that it was hard to say what he was really going to do. Unlike Vito who, if he said he could not do something, it really did not happen, Michael was full of surprises. He became the godfather of Connie and Carlo’s child only to kill Carlo shortly after.

He also assured Fredo that he would never kill him because it was a family just to get him out of the way. And he waited patiently for their mother to die before moving on. The fact that he never really spoke made him more unpredictable.

4. Vito’s characteristic scary voice

Thanks to Brando’s fantastic interpretation, Vito Corleone spoke as if he had never been able to swallow his food. That made him sound very scary. He chose his words carefully and tilted his head slightly forward to make sure the other side understood him well.

From the way he spoke, it was difficult to tell if he was happy or if he would strangle someone the next minute. Apparently, Marlon Brando decided to speak this way after going through the novel and encountering a scene where Don Corleone had been shot in the throat. He thought his voice should have changed after that.

5. Michael’s business demon

Vito was boss only in New York, but Michael managed to expand the business empire to other areas. He went to Las Vegas and tried to legalize his business to prevent the federals from fighting him.

By 1979, almost all of Michael’s businesses were legal. He had sold his interests in casinos and hotels and was only looking to make clean investments. He was also good at assigning responsibilities.

6. Vito built his empire from scratch

Vito came to America as an immigrant. Both his mother and brother had been killed by an absurd mafia boss in Sicily. In Little Italy, New York, he started working in a grocery store as a kid before becoming a petty thief and later transforming into a respectable gangster.

Michael found a ready empire. Corleone’s name was already big and all he had to do was keep things that way. He certainly deserves the praise for the expansion of the empire.

7. Michael had a better character development

Has there ever been a movie character with as good a character development as Michael’s? He never wanted to be the leader of the mafia. He swore to his wife Kay that he would never get involved in his father’s business. Until circumstances force him. Unusual circumstances usually give birth to the best antiheroes. Breaking Bad Walter White is a good example.

When it came time to succeed Michael’s father, there was no one but him. Sonny had been killed, Fredo was very weak and Vito’s health was deteriorating. Vito’s adopted son, Tom Hagen, was the only other man worthy of becoming a boss, but the fact that he was not Italian ruled him out.

8. Vito’s relations with the family

“A man who does not spend time with family can never be a real man.” These words were said by Vito and it is not only to spend time with the family but to make sure you get along with them. A criminal family only works well if all members of the family (by blood or not) love the boss.

While Vito had a great relationship with everyone, Michael often quarreled with his wife. He could not get along with his sister or brother-in-law either. Eventually he ended up in isolation while Vito died peacefully with his close family.

9. Michael survived all attempts to assassinate him

Michael faced more threats to his life than Vito and managed to avoid them all in an impressive way. Many enemies from Hayman Roth to Lucesi tried to kill him but failed. The fact that there were many attempts against Michael’s life but none succeeded showed how smart and careful he was as Don.

However, his survival did not come at a price. His first wife Apollonia ended up dying as a collateral loss during one of the many assassination attempts. The same happened to his only daughter. Most gangsters end up being killed or trapped. Michael avoided both.

10. Vito had a longer career as a gangster

Experience is vital in any business. According to the trilogy, Vito dived deep into the underworld in 1920. He began buying and selling stolen dresses before setting up an olive oil business. In the early 1930s, he had started a criminal family and remained at the helm until his death in 1955.

Michael’s years as a gangster lasted from 1951 after his return from hiding until 1979 when he left all criminal businesses. And before becoming a boss, he had no strong foothold in the criminal underworld after spending his previous years in college and in the military.

After this recording of 5 + 5 father and son characteristics in the trilogies, let’s say as a conclusion that in the points as the best head of the family, Vito wins. His character was stately and he always knew how to overcome difficulties. Michael was left alone and always with the (self-destructive) flame to surpass his father and become that best Don.