The Godfathertrilogy showed the Corleone mafia family falling apart through the mistakes they made. The originalGodfathermovie is often considered one of the greatest movies of all time for its slow-burn plot and exceptional acting from its cast, which includes Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, and James Caan.The Godfatheralso launched Al Pacino’s career, and his character, Michael Corleone, is one ofthe best characters inThe Godfathertrilogy. While the original movie started with Vito Corleone controlling the family crime business, the title refers to Michael, whose rise and fall are the focus of theGodfathersaga.
ThroughouteveryGodfathermovie, the position of “The Don” (aka “the boss”) passes between the Corleone family members, who each have different strengths, weaknesses, and ways of working.While Michael didn’t want the job, he took on the role out of obligation, becoming a very different person in the process. There weresix Corleone family Dons inThe Godfathermoviesoverall, and some lasted longer than others. Some characters, like Vito Corleone, were successful throughout most of the movies. Other Corleone family members made drastic mistakes, often leading to their downfall and even their death.
7Vito Corleone
Failing To Choose His Successors Carefully
As the Godfather ofthe Corleone family, Vito had made his family successful through a combination of smart deals and extreme violence. That said, he was strangely flawed when choosing his successors. Sonny loudly disagreed with Vito in a meeting, and while this should have been a sign that a different son should take over as Vito’s successor, Vito did nothing except reprimand Sonny.Vito Corleone should have seen much earlier that Michael was the obvious choice to succeed him as the Godfather, and worked to prepare him for the possibility of changing his career path.
Vito should have secured Carlo Rizzi’s loyalty by giving him some responsibility, instead of brushing him aside.
While Vito puts too much trust into Sonny, whose impulsivity nearly destroys the Corleone family, he makes the opposite mistake with other characters. Vito should have secured Carlo Rizzi’s loyalty by giving him some responsibility, instead of brushing him aside. Carlo was vindictive and a terrible husband to Connie, but he was more useful as an ally than as an enemy.If Vito had given Carlo a responsible position in the Corleone family business, he could have kept an eye on him, likely preventing his betrayal and potentially allowing Vito to take action when Carlo harmed Connie.
6Sonny Corleone
Being So Impulsive That He Walked Into A Trap
Sonny Corleone had many traits that made him a valuable asset to the family. He was fiercely protective and loyal to his loved ones and relatives, which made him a great son and brother. However, his impulsivity made him a terrible Don, as he was easily manipulated by his love for his family.When Carlo beats Connie, he easily succeeds in luring Sonny out of the Corleone compoundwithout any protection. As Sonny rushed to help his sister, he passed through a toll plaza where the Barzinis were waiting to ambush him.
The Godfather: 10 Best Sonny Corleone Quotes
The Godfather’s Sonny Corleone, played by James Caan, is one of movie history’s most famous gangsters. His best quotes show why he’s so beloved.
As a Corleone family Don whose father is already in the hospital after an attempted assassination,Sonny should have known better than to leave the Corleone compound. While Sonny Corleone was one ofJames Caan’s most iconic characters, with some of the best quotes in the movie, he is easily one ofThe Godfather’s most frustrating. Sonny’s hot-headedness and failure to stop and think nearly ruined the Corleone family. After Sonny was assassinated, it was left up to Michael to clear up his mistakes while mourning his brother.
5Fredo Corleone
Going Fishing
Fredo Corleone began his time inThe Godfathersaga as a lovable, if foolish character. His eventual betrayal of his brother is one of the saddest events in the movie and can be traced back to Vito’s original mistake of failing to secure his legacy.Fredo is incompetent and entirely unsuited to taking over from Vito as the family Don, but Vito’s decision to pass control to Michael upsets Fredo. Fredo’s resentment of his brother leads to his worst mistake.
He makes his biggest mistake by going fishing, unaware that he is going to be executed while on the lake, as Michael watches.
Fredo betrayed Michael inThe Godfather Part II, believing that he was a smart businessman who could work both sides of a deal. Instead,Fredo’s collaboration with Roth nearly leads to Michael’s assassination, which then has to be punished. Fredo’s naivety lets him believe that Michael has forgiven him, and he makes his biggest mistake by going fishing, unaware that he is going to be executed while on the lake, as Michael watches.
4Michael Corleone
Having Fredo Killed
It is debatable how much of Fredo’s betrayal of Michael was his conscious decision. It is likely that Fredo was even more foolish than he appeared, and was manipulated into believing he was helping the Corleone family by passing information on. Still, even if Fredo’s betrayal had been fully accidental,as the Godfather and Don of the Corleone family, Michael felt that if he did not act, it would be perceived as weakness.The ending scene ofThe Godfather Part IIshows Michael’s mixed feelings over his decision, even after Fredo’s death.
All 7 Characters Michael Corleone Kills In The Godfather’s Ending (& Why)
Michael Corleone had seven people simultaneously killed at the end of The Godfather, but each one of them was murdered for a different reason.
Having Fredo killed didn’t just involve giving an order. Michael’s decision to have his brother killed involved a series of lies and deceptions to more of his family members. Michael had to lie to Connie, which put more of a strain on their relationship. As he later died alone and full of regret for many of his decisions,Michael likely regretted killing his brother for a mistake that was rooted in stupidity, after Fredo was the only person who had supported Michael’s decisions before he became the Don.
3Connie Corleone
Trying To Ruin Michael’s Reputation
Many of the characters in the Godfather trilogy suffer and even die due to their mistakes. However,Connie Corleone is one of the rarer characters who becomes stronger through her mistakes. After Carlo is killed, Connie is torn between her relief that her abusive husband is dead, and her anger at Michael for having him killed. For a while, Connie’s anger wins, and she shows Michael her feelings by having a series of flings to embarrass him.
Connie returned to the Corleone family after her mother’s death, and although her “wild years” might have been her worst mistake, they did little damage in the end.
Though it may be considered the worst movie in theGodfathertrilogy,The Godfather Part IIIfinally did justice to Connie, as she became an active part of the family business.Vito never considered Connie for the role of Don, but Connie became an acting Don, proving her worth to the family while Michael was in the hospital.
2Tom Hagen
Not Being “A Wartime Consigliere”
If any of theGodfathercharacters were candidates for betraying the Corleone family, Tom Hagen could have been at the top of the listas Vito Corleone’s non-Italian adopted son. However, Tom was loyal to the family every step of the way, working as their attorney despite being unable to officially join the family business as he was not Sicilian. Tom was an organized and peaceful man, and this trait saved him from being central to the Corleone family’s mafia war, but it was also his greatest mistake.
Tom was heartbroken when Michael sent him out of the room during a discussion in which he reassigned the family’s positions, removing Tom from his position as trusted consigliere (advisor.)Michael told Tom “you’re not a wartime consigliere,” and while his move eventually showed that Tom was the only family member he trusted, it was hard for Tom not to feel that he was being punished for being too peaceful. As Michael Corleone was more ruthless and violent than Vito, if he wanted to end the mafia war, thenTom Hagen should have been the Godfather.
1Vincent Mancini
Dating Mary
Vincent was the illegitimate son of Sonny Corleone and Lucy Mancini, and before Michael began to mentor him, he showed that he had his father’s temper. While Michael taught Vincent to be more level-headed, his ill-advised relationship with his cousin was an exception. This storyline was heavily criticized, with many believing thatThe Godfather Part IIIwould be better without its romance subplot.
Mary Corleone was Michael’s daughter, and she had been shielded from her family’s mafia activities. Michael was worried that by dating Vincent, she would end up being hurt. Michael’s condition for naming Vincent as his successor was that he end his relationship with Mary. Though Vincent obeyed,Michael’s worst fears were confirmed when Mary was killed by a bullet that was meant for him. Vincent’s decision to date his cousin was not the worst mistake that characters made inThe Godfather, but it hurt Michael and made viewers uncomfortable.
The Godfather
The Godfatheris one of the most iconic and influential film franchises in cinematic history. Based on Mario Puzo’s 1969 novel of the same name, the series chronicles the rise and fall of the powerful Corleone crime family. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, the franchise consists of three films that explore the complex dynamics of organized crime, loyalty, and family. The films are celebrated for their outstanding performances, direction, and thematic depth, especially regarding power, betrayal, and morality within the Mafia world. The first two films, in particular, are widely regarded as some of the greatest films ever made.
