What I always have found interesting is that Michael was a war hero. He received a medal for his bravery in WW2. But when he comes home they treat him as a young innocent sibling who isn't ready for tough lifestyle. Even when he is the one who survived hell of war and received a medal for it.
They perceived it differently. Remember when Sonny said "it's not like the military when you shoot a guy from a mile away. You gotta shoot him up close...". Or like in "Donnie Brasco" when Lefty says "the army? Nah. It's nothing like the army. In the army you got some guy you don't know sending you to kill some other guy you don't know. In this thing, you never see it coming and it's your best friend that does it". Paraphrasing, of course .
His brothers resented Michael for choosing the American lifestyle, and fighting a war for a cause they did not believe in. In their mind Michael was naive and un-Sicilian.
19:55 Hyman Roth was NEVER "sick and dying", it was all act to make him appear less threatening than he actually was. Hyman's whole MO was to put his enemies at ease by feigning illness to make his enemies think that he about to die of natural causes. If people thought he was dying of natural causes, what would be the need to plot an assassination on him? Even Michael picks up this tactic by Hyman where he's says something along this lines of "he's being dying of the same heart attack for 20 years".
I always thought the most important moment in the first movie is when Michael and the baker scare off the men coming for his dad. When the baker goes to light his cigarette and his hands is shaking, Michael's hand was steady. It's hard to say what exactly Michael is thinking, but that moment is when he really seems to change.
@Unknown Name Another understated thing about his involvement with the Marines is his announcement that he has enlisted. From that point on, he's lost the concept of family.
@@projectjt3149 how did he lose the concept of family when he risked his life for his father? He always had his siblings backs like killing Carlo for setting Sonny up. The only time you can argue that is when he killed Fredo but you have to understand Fredo betrayed him twice out of jealousy, with Moe Greene and Roth.
The actor portraying Enzo was genuinely cold and frightened in the scene. Enzo was genuinely shaking in trying to get the cigarette. Michael responded and helped him with a lite. Many serendipidious scenes occurred...Vito dying in the garden was because of the lighting at that time of day. The cat in the opening scene with Vtio was a stray that wandered onstage. Coppalla = Genius!
What even more insulting is the studio wanted Coppola to change the characters from Southern Italians to Northern Italians and replace Pacino with Robert Redford. Coppola threaten to abandon the project and had to put his money into the film.
Godfather I: Michael is too cheesey to be a gangsta Godfather II: Michael's too brutal to lead the family Godfather III: *JUST WHEN I THINK I'M OUT THEY PULL ME BACK IN*
I love Michael's death scene because it is the mirror opposite of his father Vito's. Both die in a countryside garden house, but whereas Vito passes away playing and laughing with his grandson, the future if a family he has managed to keep close despite his lifestyle, Michael dies broken and alone
@@shmsyh5047 Exactly, his wife aborted one of her own children, Vito never laid a hand on his wife and Michael did it. Vito and Michael in the first movie were like two water drops, but in the second one, Michael is the opposite of Vito
@@charlespc id argue however Michael became the man he had to be for the family , the way he adapted to the situation in the first movie, came in chopped and changed things about the business then elevated it to a whole new level in the second movie , its almost like the Godfather 2 for me was a business movie
I heard this analogy that I think sums up the mafia very well: The Godfather is how they wanted to be seen, gentleman criminals with a code of ethics they hold to, and Goodfellas is how they actually were, a bunch of goons hopped up on their own hype
Not entirely, in The Godfather you see the high ranks, in Goodfellas you see recruits and street guys..none of the guys in Goodfellas were made except for Paulie, in GF you're watching the boss, his consigliere and capos..very different levels
The concept of both generations is THE MAFIA can see the dirty and corrupt world as it is they take what they want and endure the consequences THE MOST CORRUPT IS THE GOVERNMENT
Michael at his most calm and ruthless is when he tells Carlo that he had to answer for Sonny. *"Don't be afraid, Carlo. Come on. Do you think I'd make my sister a widow?"*
I agree that's why he said that. And remember, Carlo was hardly innocent. Carlo's actions basically directly caused Sonny's death because had he not intentionally picked a fight with Connie, knowing that doing so would infuriate him (as it had previously when he beat Carlo up in the street), Sonny wouldn't have ever left the security of the Corleone compound on Long Island, which is what got him out in the open and gave his enemies the opportunity they needed to assassinate him. Michael's problem through was that instead of seeking legitimate means of having Carlo brought to trial and sentenced as an admitted conspirator in the plot to assassinate his elder brother (as he got Carlo to confess to said involvement in a room full of witnesses), he instead immediately had Carlo murdered. That was an evil action no matter what Carlo did. That was revenge, not justice. If Michael truly was about making his family legitimate, he would have sought legal means to have Carlo arrested and sentenced to time in prison, again because he got him to admit in a room full of witnesses that he was involved in the plot. But he doesn't and instead acted as judge, jury, and executioner. However, that all being said, he couldn't have had Carlo arrested for his role in Sonny's assassination because if he did, the fact that during his "interrogation" of Carlo he admitted to Carlo, among a room full of witnesses, that he had personally ordered the murders of the heads of the Five Families would inevitably be revealed in open court upon cross examination of the defense. Likely because they would use a defense strategy to try to discredit Carlo's confession as coming while under duress because Michael was indirectly threatening him by showing his ability to have all the people likely involved in the plots against his father and brother murdered upon his mere say so, placing fear into Carlo that if he didn't admit his role in the plot that he wouldn't have anybody to turn to for protection against any reprisals (because they had all been murdered, including the one who personally approached Carlo about getting involved in the assassination plot). This would not only cast doubt about the legitimacy of Carlo's confession (as it had come under duress), but also the courts would have proof that Michael openly admitted among a room full of witnesses that he had several people murdered, which would then implicate Michael to be immediately arrested and charged, thereby bringing down the entire Corleone family. This is why the Mafia handle what they deem to be their "justice" on their own: because if they didn't, they would crumble faster than a house of cards.
The only shortcoming the film has in regards to the original novel is author Mario Puzo's emphasis that the reason Vito Corleone- a dangerous mob boss -was treated with an unrealistic reverence by everyone was because he was such an outlier. He was a genuinely compassionate benefactor to honest, working class Italians, who didn't prey on his community and his own kind the way all the other New York crime families did. The #1 criticism of the Godfather's detractors has always been that it presents an overly glorified, unrealistic depiction of a mob boss. That it gives a false impression of the mafia being an enterprise with a certain amount of innate nobility. The novel points out that nothing could be further from the truth, and that this is why Vito is the protagonist. This is why he cultivated such an inflated reverence. His story is interesting simply because his personality is so out of place in the underworld. Puzo makes it clear that Vito is an anomaly, and that this is why he fostered such loyalty and respect among everyone who knew him. The other NYC crime families were every bit as authentically predatory and morally corrupt as their real life counterparts. But not Vito. No, Vito truly was unique amongst his contemporaries, and this is why the Corleones had such an unnatural air of majesty by everyone else around them.
Actually the novel does describe Vito doing some bad things. He kills a rival olive oil wholesaler who undercuts his prices and also burns down rival business's warehouses. He also intimidates landlords into not demanding rent from tenants (not just Roberto).
@@nicky29031977 Point is, Vito champions the lower class. Nobody cares about a landlord or an exporter, but they will sympathize with a widowed pensioner.
@@butchmagnus1699 Good point....Just as the book says, it's really the nature of the universe. Good and evil intermixing. Vito helping someone out of a misfortune he had in part created. Vito had a variety of interests meaning that often they would conflict with one another.
The novel is near pornographic in parts, especially in the beginning. Also, Luca Brosi (I KNOW I must be spelling that wrong, but I don't eat bulletproof vest wearing raw fish on a bed of newspaper and awful) is a MONSTER in the novel FAR in excess of anything you see in the film version. If I'd read the book before seeing the first film I would have started CHEERING when he gets stabbed and strangled in the film. There is a free audiobook of the novel on youtube, I highly recommend it!
It's what the Mafia does to traitors. Michael's tragedy is that families got worse, and your own brother may be the one responsible for wife and yourself jumping for cover in a hail of gunfire.
@@rustyshackleford3160 it still makes him shitty lol, ignoring that the godfather is deliberate mafia propaganda (still an awesome movie) it’s still a dark act
I think it's also worth mentioning that Michael waited until their mother passed before he enacted his revenge on his brother. Even though it was a compromise between the director and the writer based on the writers unhappiness at the director's idea to have Michael order Fredo's death, to me really says something. He sat there with all that anger and resentment, and waited patiently. It was not a crime of passion or impulsive anger. It was a decision that he made, waited to enact, and stuck to when the time came. And I think that makes it even more impactful
What if Mama Corleone had lived into the ripe old age of 90? I’m not a mathematician, but she was only in her early to mid- 60’s when she died in this going by the timeline of this movie. A relatively early death even back then. Michael must have known she had health problems and wouldn’t live much longer. That would be screwed up if Mama Corleone lived another 20-30 years and he let Fredo live all that time as well.
One has to admire the way they played that kill. With Fredo reciting the Hail Mary, getting popped at the "Holy Mary, pray for us ... (at the hour of our death)." Tears.
It's so funny how the two parts of this movie are so mirrored. Part 1: Starts with a wedding, ends with baptism and mass murder including a bro-in-law (after death of dad/Don). Finale: New Don is born. The door closes on Mike's wife. Part 2: Starts with a First Communion ends with a funeral, and the murder of remaining enemies and a brother. Ends with Michael sitting alone. Finale: Full circle memory; The birthday of the Patriarch, the family around the table, ends with Michael sitting alone. @@RealGateGuardian
From playing a highest level mafia boss in Michael Corleone, to an upstart mid-level drug kingpin Tony Montana, and then to playing career low-level mob henchman Lefty in Donnie Brasco..Pacino’s range is brilliant!
It STILL boggles my mind that Pacino never won an Oscar for his performance in either the Godfathers I OR II !! This is the greatest travesty in cinematic history IMO!
Michael's evolution into the heartless Don is one of the most interesting things in cinematic history. He was a very calculated man, with a cool head for the most part. He was a man that was so broken, but knew he chose the life. Killing Fredo solidifies that he's evil imo even if he regretted it later. I do think he was naturally a good hearted family man but the mafia life corrupted his soul.
Yes, I believe Satan entered his soul , at the eve of the " baptism of Fire", while presiding as Godfather for his sister Connie' and Carlo's little one's baptism, was in reality massacring the Heads of all the other Mafia families , who'd want to harm him and his family. The mere justification" that he did what he did in the "ideal " to want to preserve and protect his family safety and reputation, and help them to regain their power, is far too " common" and hypocritical in part. Because , "only the word Revenge " itself entails a voluntary act of vowing himself to Evil.
Kay killing Michael's defenseless unborn child is evil incarnate. Fredo had actually put all of the family in mortal danger several times. The baby did nothing and was the target of Kay's anger toward Michael. Michael inherited a family in danger and was forced to make tough decisions Vito never had to make. Vito and Michael sketched out the future of the family. People look at Michael as if all the killings were his idea. No, the entire arc of the family was planned between Michael and Vito. . . Tom Hagan was purposely left out of it. Michael was a stronger leader than Vito and was essentially correcting his father's mistakes.
It really doesn’t matter the mafia the government the corporate ceos it’s all evil 👿 everything is that’s why we have CHRIST TO TURN TO TO REDEEM US SINNERS EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT INVOLVED W ANY OF ABOVE YOU ARE STILLL A SINNER
The problem with Fredo is this wasn't the first time. In the first movie he had made a similar deal with Moe Green against the family. He was given a second chance then. The life he chose rarely has second chances and never a third. Would it really have been wise for Michael to even just exile him? Besides the fact that he would very likely make the same mistake a third time, as he had already shown he wasn't likely to learn, but letting him live past the death of his mother would have been seen as weakness by the other families. No, Michael's mistake wasn't in having Fredo killed then, at that point it was unavoidable. No, Michael's mistake was in letting Fredo have any ability to make such a mistake after Moe Green. Fredo should have had zero power and always had someone with him to make sure he didn't make this kind of mistake. Fredo's downfall was his brother loved him too much to sideline him completely.
Completely agree (with all three) From the human perspective, yes, Fredo was his brother, but that can't be viewed in isolation from the world in which that family lived and operated, and then used as a sole justification for his continued existence. It's not an issue of 'if' Fredo would have screwed up again, but a question of 'when' and 'how badly'. And while it's certainly noble for people to extend a second chance (I've even been told a third, fourth and fifth chance (by someone who then could not even extend a second chance) to have let Fredo live, would be like putting a pin-less grenade in one's pocket, and hoping the fabric would hold the firing clip in place: while it might do so for a while, all it would take would be a sudden move, and the grenade goes off. And that was Fredo; an accident waiting to happen. While I won't go so far as to say that 'he deserved it', because Fredo clearly acted from naivete rather than malice, he most certainly 'had it coming', in the sense that he repeatedly brought these situations upon himself, and was unable to learn from his mistakes. While I don't think Don Vito would have explicitly ordered Fredo's death from one of his enforcers or lieutenants, I could certainly see him exiling him, but doing so with the parting words: "When you are gone, you will no longer be under my protection, I can no longer help you. Now you have to look after yourself..." And that would have meant that anyone else, could have then whacked Fredo without fear of retribution: He wouldn't put out the hit, but he would do absolutely nothing to prevent one from happening, nor take action if one did eventually happen. So for that reason, I can't condemn Michael's action. He didn't act out of malice, he didn't act without reason or indiscriminately, and, most importantly, he absolutely felt Massive remorse and guilt. He commited 'an evil act', but that doesn't make him 'evil', and it was (Fredo dying somehow) the only option available to him at that point under those circumstances.
I think you’re missing a point here. From a cut throat business standpoint you may be right. However Michael entered the family business on the basis of family and not business in order to protect his family and through the business destroyed that which he sought to protect and killing his brother was not only antithetical to that end it was highly immoral and Michael new it and did it anyway. It was a vile and evil decision that played no small role in the destruction of his family and he was haunted by it most justifiably. I mean what does it gain you if you own the world but lose your soul? It was Michaels biggest mistake. He shouldn’t have done it. He should have gotten out the business. He was already fabulously wealthy and if getting out of the business was the only way he could save his brother he should have done it as in the long run he would have saved himself and his family. In the end analysis Michael is an apocryphal tale of how a promising young man was seduced by power and was eventually destroyed by it.
This argument I've never got and always found too "pro Michael" or "In the know" fact is that it was too ruthless and just overall showed how pathetic Michael was as a human being.
He didn’t lose his soul morons he was Christian he lost his family and everyone he loved wake up unless you are a priest or nun you are a sinner who’s going to hell HELL WITHOUT CHRIST
Michael Corleone is one of the most cold and calculating characters ever put in cinema.. I only cried for him when he screamed for Fredo during his insulin shock.
I disagree that he was entirely evil however. He legitimately was hell bent on making his family and businesses legitimate, whatever it took to do so. He is quite Machiavellian actually. The Mafia essentially runs their family and empire like medieval monarchies: by doing whatever was deemed necessary to keep themselves in power, no matter how many lives it cost, often through warfare and the use of murder as a tool. And the position at the top of the family is usually inherited by another family member (Michael inherited the Corleone Empire from his father; Vincent Mancini inherited it from his uncle Michael, as Michael's only son wanted nothing to do with what he had built, similar to abdicating throne). He is actually correct in his analysis about the similarities between what his father does and what governments do to maintain power. Well, if you look at it from an Old World perspective he is at least. Most modern governments have adopted aspects of Republicanism, in which the Head of State is not an inherited position but usually an elected one. Though I would counter that most modern governments are as corrupt and power hungry as their medieval period ancestors were in their desire for power/to keep themselves in power.
@@well_as_an_expert_id_say Ummmm...Insulin shock is a common term for low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia. It may also be called an insulin reaction. The exact blood sugar level that leads to symptoms varies, but is generally less than 70 mg/dL. A low blood sugar level triggers your body to release the hormone epinephrine, also called adrenaline. It's a real thing. Google is your friend, m8.
As flawed as Part 3 is, the closing scene of Michael dying alone on the chair is the perfect send off for his character. Despite his attempts to atone, the sinkhole he’d built for himself was just too deep, and mirroring Don Ciccio, he’s left knowing he’s conjured nothing but pain and misery all his life
@@7yep4336dfgvvh It should be Henry Hill. While he's not the most evil person in the movie, it's all seen through his eyes with Jimmy and Tommy taking a backseat. Their motivations are harder to discern.
Amazing video. ..The fact that Michael never wanted to be a part of that world, is what makes the story of The Godfather such a classic tragedy, such a powerful story
I love how in most movies/trilogies we have the main character redeeming themselves, they've learned from their past mistakes and works on being a better person. With Michael it's the complete opposite, a military man who believed in upholding law and wanted nothing to do with his father's shady business, as his character plays out he just get worst and worst more evil than he ever was in the first and never got the chance to redeem himself from his past life and ended up dying alone.
You know what film story should be made which is a true classic. The Novel of someone being born and eventually dying. Knowone would see that shit coming 😂
Being a war hero on USA's army and a criminal is basically the same thing. All USA do is crime and agression against sovereign countries. So.... by the point of view, he continues on his path of criminal.
Michael could never develop the respect and loyalty from others as Vito did. This cost him to lose everything that was ever dear to him. He definitely is an example of someone that came to believe that ends justify the means. It’s a tragedy for sure
I think the reason for that, was because by the time Don Vito was at the peak of his game, his closest lieutenants were guys like Clemenza, who had known him as a friend in the earliest days, and because in those earliest days, he had acted to help members of his community, like Signora Columbo, without thought of reward. He brought his friends up with him on his rise, where Michael merely inherited them, and the people who then worked for the family, he had little connection to. Michael only really acquired 'social friends' in his later life, as a consequence of his position, rather than people who already knew him, and were his friends simply because they were his friends.
I really loved that duality in The Godfather Part II, in how well the film’s structure showed the similarities and differences between both Michael’s and Vito’s rise to power, and in that Vito understanding the ambiguity and nuance to his evil, he never relinquished his humanity in order to become the provider his family needed. Whereas Michael descent in to darkness, betrayal and solitude was all driven by his sense of burden and responsibility to his family by ironically embracing who he believed his father was.
IMO, Michael failed as a don because he was never meant for that life in the first place. The look on Vito's face when he finds out Michael killed Sollozzo says it all.
6:08 I think Vito himself knew his business and actions were wrong but despite his actions he felt he was doing what he had to do to provide for his family and not get pushed around by more powerful people than himself like the people of Sicily including his dad, mother and brother had been by Don Ciccio who eventually killed all three leaving Vito the only surviving member of the Andolini family. Michael starts out wanting to be a then more modern 1940's and 50's American rather than the old fashioned Sicilian traditions his dad grew up with.
Vito being a first generation immigrant explains everything. They were still criminals but they were more protective of their compatriots since most of the Italians were still new to America and they had to stick together. Michael was born an American and in an era where Italians were a lot more assimilated to American culture, so no wonder he doesn't share vito's sentiments on friendship and family
One of the most incredible things about Michael is his explosive rage,you really get to FEEL that like I remember that I had to close my eyes like "oh shit here it comes" it's so real like if we were there or something,Al Pacino performances is absolutely out of this world of amazing,he was born to make Michael Corleone's character role.
Michael Corleone is definitely one of the greatest cinema characters ever to grace the screen. A superb well written character. Al pacinos best performance of all time. 🙌
I recommend the book “Family Corleone” by Ed Falco, it is a prequel to the first Godfather. It is a perfect description of how Vito rose to head the most powerful family in New York.
Meh, I never liked this book. I couldn't get past the part at the start where adopted Corleone son* goes with Corleone high solders* girlfriend and sonny comes and picks him up. I tried, but it just didn't have the puzo character nuances that made the godfather book great. *Couldn't remember the names for the life of me hahahah
With Friedo, I always thought it wasn't just jealousy and inexperience that made his character make mistakes, but that he was slightly slower mentally to connect the dots. They show Friedo having a fever as a baby, and that could of effected his cognitive reasoning
“Slower mentally”? Nowadays, ppl get MAD 😡 if you say that about a “RETARDED” person...today, it is MENTALLY CHALLENGED. ....Friedo was MENTALLY CHALLENGED bcz he had a fever when he was baby WHEREBY, that could of effected his cognitive reasoning making him unable to connect the dots,......👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾. HahahahHahahahaha.
I would love to see Al Swearengen from the DEADWOOD series. Ian McShane's performance belongs in the company of the best ever and his character arc is phenomenal. There's no book to precede the series like a lot of this channel's installments but there is actual history; which could make for interesting material. The entire notion behind "amalgamation and capital" shaping the years leading into the 20th century for the US could be explored and how it can be seen as highly prevalent to today's times.
The saddest thing is Sophia Coppola's performance as Mary. It was absolutely garbage, and her death scene acting was putrid. The girl could not emote. Horrendous casting.
@@crashstitches79 Even more tragic was that actress Rebecca Schaeffer was going to audition for the role of Mary. She was waiting for a copy of the Godfather Part III to be delivered to her apartment when she was murdered by her stalker. Imagine what the movie would have been like if Schaeffer had been given the role.
Just have to say, along with your great analysis I like how you sync up your intro greeting with the character/ first person we see speak. It’s just a small detail to point out but a highlight to me haha.
What an epic narrative you’ve presented. I always got the general picture of Michael’s tragedy but this character analysation is just down-write colossal in its weight and complexity. I must say the morally complex characters are always the most interesting to deep-dive into. This is one of your best essays yet! Keep up the incredible quality work man.
Growing up in the automotive sales industry, I always found this man relatable as my family and loved ones thought I was inconsiderate and cold for always working 70 hour work weeks when in reality it was to give them the life they had and enjoyed. Such a shame many guys like that die alone all because their poor social skills and communication send an impression of cold arrogance to the ones closest to them that don’t understand until many years later all the sacrifices made.
Never thought of it til now, but since Michael was (as you say) a "law and order" person before the incident at the hospital, it may be reasonable to assume that seeing how a police captain (a person who is SUPPOSED to be a high moral authority) was so easily corrupted would cause him to abandon his previous beliefs and principles.
Also Michael was a war hero. Imagine getting a medal for bravery and being an officer in WW2. Then you come home and some corrupt police officer hits you. Michael was furious and there was no way he could do something about McClusky the legal way, so he chose the mob way.
Brilliant analysis. Your assessment of Michael and the world he's born into is so layered...as is his character. Michael Corleone is one of the most complex characters ever to be portrayed in film. Al Pacino's performance is extraordinary, and all three films are perfection in showing the evolution of his character. Your dissection of each of the phases of Michael and his descent into his evil side is outstanding. Thank you for this.
I was disappointed that the woman murdered in the brothel was given so little mention as that was the probably the vilest of the killings done in Michael's interest. Not only had she done nothing against him or his family, she was making them money! There's also the irony of Al Neri being the iceman for the task as he was ejected from the NYPD for killing a pimp who had brutalized two of his girls, disfiguring one with a blade.
Your talking about with the senator? This guy making the video implies that it was the senator that killed her. Fucking dtunad it was obviously setup by Michael.
That murder always bothered me the most of all of the murders.The woman did not need or deserve to die. Maybe that was the intent. I was pretty much teams Michael up until then.
Michael’s transformation from a war hero to a lonely don shows how much the mafia life deeply scared his soul,and al Pacino portrays it perfectly truly solidifying this performance as one of the best in cinema.
Michael Corleone was a sin eater, the evil he committed was always to protect his family. He was truly remorseful and it ate away at him his entire life.
I've always seen Michael as someone who always had this within him. The book goes into more detail about how he always had the cold and ruthless nature from childhood, but developed a more kind-hearted persona later on, that he was convinced was who he was. He became a war hero, something which was revealed later to be a product of him sending a middle finger to his family rather than a genuine desire to fight for America. And when he came back he went another step further by getting with a girl who wasn't an Italian, to further separate himself from his family and the cycle of crime. Things change once his father was shot. Michael goes to the hospital to help, but truly becomes motivated once he's hit by the cop. The meaning behind his swolen face clearly represents Michael's prior mask of kind-heartedness and earnestness breaking, as we start seeing hints of the real Michael that he wasn't even aware of. Michael proposes to kill Solazzo and McClusky, adopting a colder and more ruthless persona, modeled after the "business, not personal" ideology his family went by. He, of course, struggles between his internal nature and what he's built up and therefore has issues in actually executing them, but he eventually manages to do it before fucking off to Italy. From there, it's quite peculiar how easily Michael seemed to have forgotten everything. In Italy, it seems that Michael borderline forgets about what he did and went through. He gets with another girl basically on first sight after manipulating and threatening her father and basically lives life as if nothing happened, only changing after she dies. Apallonia can be seen as the representation of a normal life for Michael. She is what Michael wants. The peacefulness. It's why the book shows so much attention to how much he adores her, and how much love he actually had for her. Her death devastates him, and makes him give into that cold and ruthless persona, which can be seen as his shadow. From her on out, he's a full-on slave to this persona and acts accordingly. We never see Michael truly open up or act differently. Even him getting back with Kay is just him projecting his desire for love onto her along with his need for validation that he's still the same Michael. He doesn't love her, at least not in the same way he loved Apallonia. The direction shows this perfectly. Part 2 fully actualizes the loss of Michael's soul as Michael contradicts all his past statements (business over personal matters, family over everything, etc.). But even then we never truly meet Michael Corleone until his fight with Kay. In his fight with Kay (the representation of his "innocense"), she spells out how much of a slave he is to the cycle of violence his family breeds and slaps him with the truth that she aborted their baby. She would rather abort their baby than risk perpetuating this cycle of crime that Michael is now trapped in and is trapping her in. Michael then cuts her off, fully shutting the door on her and severing his relationship with his past innocense, fully losing his soul. By this point, Michael has lost all his values. He clearly doesn't hold his family > all value as he willingly kills Fredo, nor does he value business > personal matters as he still goes for killing his enemies even when there's no possible way for them to threaten him to begin with. Michael has become nothing more than an empty shell of a man, fully aware of his lack of freedom from his heritage. I don't think The Godfather is a story about Michael changing from good to evil, but a story of Michael revealing his true character, not only to us and other characters, but also himself, and how he struggles to accept that.
Speaking as an introvert i always feel sorry to Michael. He's a loner, always has been yet he was "forced" to be the head of most powerful family in NY.
Movie is going to suck probably. Original sopranos = lightening in a bottle. A sopranos movie made in 2020? Yeah, hopes aren’t too high for it tbh. I can’t be disappointed if I never believed in it in the first place.
@@StainsStainsStains Well I’m pretty hopeful for it, especially since David Chase is fully behind it and he’s infamously fussy and stubborn, so it’s very unlikely that anyone has swayed him into making it more Hollywood, I’d say there’s a 70 to 30 percent chance it won’t suck. 70 percent chance it won’t, 30 percent it will.
SIN is deceptive and the wages of sin is DEATH. This death, that I am speaking of, goes beyond just “dying” ( where the soul leaves the body ). JESUS said do not fear him who can kill the body and that is all he can do, but fear HIM, after death, can destroy both body and soul in hell....the later is WHOM I fear and I do NOT want to go to hell.
JESUS said that too, What shall does it profit, if a man gain the whole world but loses his soul in hell or what shall he give in exchange for his soul? Our soul is our most precious possession - It is our choice who we give it to......JESUS or... ...satan. It is so sad that MOST DO NOT CHOOSE JESUS😭😭😭😭
I see some parallels with Michael and Walter White, in that they had initially good intentions, but when they could have left those means behind, their pride did not allow them to, and they end up spiralling further and further into a dark and evil world, only for it to punish them constantly.
Walter never could've left it behind - it was only a question of when one of Mike's guys would flip (though it's not clear what they knew about him, since all of Gus's henchmen he was shown interacting with ended up dead). There might've been a window before he started working for Gus, but he was in all the way after that. However, he had an easier path to not get involved than Michael - his pride didn't allow any favors from Elliot and Gretchen.
I agree 100%. Especially when you look at the context of the scene and realize how Michael killed a few of them in the scene. All of those led to Michael sitting in the chair thinking about what those decisions have cost him.
@@SIKE01 This is one of only a few moments and scenes I enjoy the more I have watched Godfather 3. People said it would grow on me, it didn’t, Godfather 2 is my true ending but this final scene in Godfather 3 pulled me back in. Only to the ending scenes. That heartbreak when Michaels daughter dies & falling away in that chair in Sicily is a nice ending.
This might go nowhere, but I love the dichotomy of the Godfather trilogy and Scarface. Al's portrayal of both characters, a war veteran turned Don and an immigrant turned to Kingpin is phenomenal. To me it ultimately says that once you are in the LIFE, you can never leave the LIFE.
I swear you have *the best* channel on RUclips. It's extremely rare that I look forward to & watch EVERY video from a channel. Thank you for your work.
The Godfather is such a perfect film I refused to see part 2 until many, many years later. There was simply no way it could stand alongside one of the greatest movies of all time. Welp, I sure was wrong. My god, part 2?? Amazing!!!
Michael Corleone went from being the one who didn’t want to be a part of the family business to being a far darker man than his father and far more evil
I love how smooth Michael was by the end of part 1 through part 2. And, I felt that pain when his daughter was killed. Such great acting in part 1-2. He's probably my favorite gangsta. I really like this video. I don't remember much of part 3. You make me want to go back and look at The Godfather movies again. Good job. ✌🏼
Thank you for this great analysis of my favorite movie character of all time, The character development of Michael Corleone is still unmatched in cinema.
As many times as I’ve watched this gem,… I’ve never seen Michael in this depth. Thank you. Now I will go and watch again, with your enlightened, explanation.
None . A lot of those corporate CEOS are beyond criminal and have caused a mountain of grief and pain in their quest for money and power and are treacherous and double crossing
Godfather: Michael sells his soul to the Devil to preserve the families criminal empire. Godfather 2: The Devil fulfills his end of the bargain by giving the Corleone's unprecedented wealth and power. Godfather 3: The Devil comes to collect payment with interest.
Great job buddy! One of the most important reasons why the Godfather trilogy is considered to be so great , hands down one of the greatest perhaps is that we all have a Micheal Corleone inside of us , he is as a character so relatable at some point of our lives and Pacino portrayed the essence to perfection and ofc all the actors who played their respective part. In fact we all have a Sonny , Connie fredo and Micheal in our families A man in his many stages of life can relate to Vito , to fredo , to Sonny and most importantly to Micheal. He is the fallen hero , he is epitome of anybody who wanted to be something else but due to the ravages of time have to change whether willingly or unwillingly. Perfect description of "No power in the world can change destiny".
This is by far my favorite channel, you've more than earned a subscription. I always look forward to seeing who's next! I would love to see an analysis on percy wetmore from the green mile or possibly doctor gonzo from fear and loathing, being he was a based on a real person
I love how you articulate on why you should not excuse evil acts no matter what the case is because so many people do. You said it perfectly in the beginning of the video
He called the senator situation a murderous blunder? I always thought Michael set that murder up to get the senator to do what he wanted. That was another evil thing he done. There’s no way that wasn’t a set up. Tom even says to Geary that he was lucky it was one of their places
Thank you. If you hadn’t said this I would have. The fact that Al Neri was in the bathroom washing his hands as he nodded to Tom Hagin was quite obvious evidence of a set up.
@@cameron9322 that would be just dumb then. Of course senator himself would've had thoroughly checked her life signs after waking up next to what appears to be a dead girl
I honestly almost cried during this analysis even after having seen the trilogy countless times starting from my childhood to today. Great job @TheVileEye. I have a suggestion for a future episode also. I vote for The Baron from Into the Badlands. Thanks for the awesome content✌🏾
I like the very simple but very necessary disclaimer at the beginning: the mafia as an organization is evil. I feel among fans of the genre that's a message that's often lost in the glamour and personalities portrayed but the actions are still horrific and the ability to look at these loveable characters through a critical lens is important for self reflection.
I agree. Can't believe someone would suggest people don't care about _Falling Down,_ since it gained a whole new audience. I mean, such knockout lines as: Bill Foster: [walking around a fast food restaurant holding a TEC-9 automatic pistol] And you, ma'am? How's the food? [she vomits] Bill Foster: I think we have a critic. [to the manager] Bill Foster: I don't think she likes the special sauce, Rick. That's a joke.
30:23 The real horrific thing was Sofia Coppola's acting though. Mary should have sounded like she was choking on blood when she said "Dad." Not like she was calmly asking Michael if she could go out with her boyfriend that night.
Xehanort 10 --- ON THE POSITIVE SIDE. | Sure, but, at the least, Sofia Coppola is Italian and looked the part, whereas the thespian limitations of white-bread Winona Rider (evident in "Dracula") would have spoiled what little fun there is in Godfather III.
What an outstanding essay. You are spot on with every single aspect of your hypnosis and touched on some ideas that I hadn't thought about. This further reminds me why watching these films is like watching a beautiful painting come to life.
One could argue that doing what Michael Corleone did while KNOWING on every level it was evil, makes him WORSE than a psychopathic murderer who is missing that empathic element entirely. Keeping Fredo close, letting his son become close to him, knowing all the while he was going to murder him. THAT is truly malevolent in a man who KNOWS and empathicly feels in a normal way the cost of such an action. More by far than even a Ted bundy type who's crimes are far worse in every brutal objective measure but who doesn't have the empathy to FEEL the human cost, while still intellectually and legally knowing right from wrong and thus still legally responsible for his God awful actions.
*”..while knowing on every level it was evil..”* To you and I, yeah, but to Michael in the given circumstances it’s highly debatable that he saw the act as ‘evil’. It’s more likely he rationalized it as annihilation of another enemy.
@@kramalerav It's clear by the third movie that even he himself believes his killing of Fredo was an act of evil for which he spiritually and emotionally wants forgiveness for commiting, but doesn't believe he himself deserves.
As Mike told his father in the garden: "I'm not a pezzonovante" One evil I saw with GF, among many, was when the 5 families were together and they decided to distribute drugs only in the black/hispanic communities, cause as one of the bosses said "they're animals anyway. So let them lose their souls". And the godfather said, "I'm willing to do whatever" to bring peace. His tacit approval did more harm to a community than any bookmaking , extortion and whorehouses could ever do. As for Fredo, the godfather said in the garden with micheal, "Fredo...ah, Fredo, Freddo.." and the famous chair scene with Fredo and Mike, saying "That's the way pop wanted", Fredo, "It's not the way I wanted!!" Mike said to Tom, "You can take your wife, children and your mistress". Mike trusted no one
7/17/2022: Yes, that was EXTREMELY SAD 😭 what that “hood” boss said. Sin is deceptive - everyone around that table had “ lost their souls”. Bad people are BAD - it does not matter if they have the money in the world, what race, skin color or what work they do. BAD/WRONG is BAD and WRONG.
There's one extra murder that really hit me. The prostitute that was with Senator Geary in Godfather II. That was coldhearted and despicable as hell, as it was just a girl working to survive, that had no one to take care of her, or even ask about her whereabouts (as Tom precisely said). Obviously, the murder was directly committed by Al Neri, with directions by Tom Hagen (it changed my view of that character, that had seem so respectable until that point, or even Al Neri, that had always been so respectful of his own familiy). But I really doubt that it was done without Michael's knowledge, or even direct approval. To me, that's the most despicable murder in all three movies. At least Fredo had committed a grave mistake, and was foolish and risked the family's lives. But that girl in the motel... she had done nothing. Nothing at all. That was purely evil.
Hagen was as cool as anyone with the murder/death mindset. His I believe was the order to kill Khartoum and leave him in Woltz's bed. He smirked at Tessio when Tessio asked to get off the hook, and he gives the orders to take him away. Over stogies he casually and lightheartedly suggests Pentangeli kill himself to prevent the Corleones from going after his family. Hagen was no saint, just a smooth mob lawyer, a kid literally from the streets who was raised in the game, and who deeply cherished his position as the number one advisor to his family.
I have to respectfully disagree with your reasoning about Fredo. Maybe we've interpreted Michael's actions differently, but I simply took it as another ruthless move to protect the family. It was the pragmatic decision to make, killing Fredo to prevent him from making another mistake that could destroy the family. I don't think it was rooted in a desire for vengeance and I think that's a misreading of Michael and his intentions.
Yeah, he needs to send message for the family to prevent others to betray the family. If he didn't killed Fredo his enemy and family will interpret it as a sign of weakness and there will be more attempts on his family
@@jerryavalos9610 Nepotism through and through. Everyone in the family has always known Fredo was too weak to handle any real "business" in the family. Michael didn't trust Fredo with anything.
It had already been years since the actual betrayal. Michael had already taken the steps necessary to prevent any more betrayals from Fredo. He didn't *need* to do what he did.
Michael sat in a darkened room, on his own, plotting. That was always his destiny and where he seems most at home despite his obvious paranoia, depression and even madness.
Most powerful scene IMO is the ending to part 2. Michael reflecting on him wanting to choose where his life would go, arguing with his family. The camera closes up and the shadow casts over his face. Magnificent.
Michael's distant and cold personality stems from having to fill in for his father, which is what he wanted to avoid entirely. He never wanted this role and despises it but knows that his family legacy would've been destroyed had he not reluctantly stepped up.
The fact that he went into the Marine Corps is telling. As a Marine, you are a killer. One shot, one kill. Yet, you are also told and pushed into also being a good person to those who deserve it. Its also about respect by leading and not by just bullying. As a Marine myself, I have found most Marines are very, very kind and have huge hearts and are very protective of those less powerful.
When Michael's daughter dies his reaction is classic. The sream without sound is some professional acting. As well as the stroke he have as he keeps saying his brothers name it's like he never forgave himself for having him killed. Wow The Godfather is a Classic movie .
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
What I always have found interesting is that Michael was a war hero. He received a medal for his bravery in WW2. But when he comes home they treat him as a young innocent sibling who isn't ready for tough lifestyle. Even when he is the one who survived hell of war and received a medal for it.
They perceived it differently. Remember when Sonny said "it's not like the military when you shoot a guy from a mile away. You gotta shoot him up close...".
Or like in "Donnie Brasco" when Lefty says "the army? Nah. It's nothing like the army. In the army you got some guy you don't know sending you to kill some other guy you don't know. In this thing, you never see it coming and it's your best friend that does it".
Paraphrasing, of course .
His brothers resented Michael for choosing the American lifestyle, and fighting a war for a cause they did not believe in. In their mind Michael was naive and un-Sicilian.
@@TheSterlingSound and they were right. He shouldn't have gone off to fight in the war.
They don't want to pressure him into a life of crime
@@verbalkint4258 Huh?
19:55 Hyman Roth was NEVER "sick and dying", it was all act to make him appear less threatening than he actually was. Hyman's whole MO was to put his enemies at ease by feigning illness to make his enemies think that he about to die of natural causes. If people thought he was dying of natural causes, what would be the need to plot an assassination on him? Even Michael picks up this tactic by Hyman where he's says something along this lines of "he's being dying of the same heart attack for 20 years".
There's also a cool excerpt from Godfather 2's script where his bodyguard tells Michael that he's feigning his illness and exagerating his age.
Lmao
Couldn't help but laugh out. Roth was a criminal and very cunning man. Faking heart attack and sickness for 20 years is no joke. 😂
Kind of like the real mafia don that faked schizophrenia to fool the cops lol
@@signoguns8501 I believe that was Don Vincent "The Chin" Gigante of the Genovese Family.
I always thought the most important moment in the first movie is when Michael and the baker scare off the men coming for his dad. When the baker goes to light his cigarette and his hands is shaking, Michael's hand was steady. It's hard to say what exactly Michael is thinking, but that moment is when he really seems to change.
@Unknown Name Another understated thing about his involvement with the Marines is his announcement that he has enlisted. From that point on, he's lost the concept of family.
@@projectjt3149 how did he lose the concept of family when he risked his life for his father? He always had his siblings backs like killing Carlo for setting Sonny up. The only time you can argue that is when he killed Fredo but you have to understand Fredo betrayed him twice out of jealousy, with Moe Greene and Roth.
The actor portraying Enzo was genuinely cold and frightened in the scene. Enzo was genuinely shaking in trying to get the cigarette. Michael responded and helped him with a lite. Many serendipidious scenes occurred...Vito dying in the garden was because of the lighting at that time of day. The cat in the opening scene with Vtio was a stray that wandered onstage.
Coppalla = Genius!
Fredo was his family. He only cared about his honour and his prestige
@@nrubab8222 Fredo was a liability to the whole family!!
It's crazy how the studio didn't want pacino to the role, his performance is one of the best has ever seen in cinema history.
Studios dont know how to do anything except for how to water down creativity with bland corporatism.
What even more insulting is the studio wanted Coppola to change the characters from Southern Italians to Northern Italians and replace Pacino with Robert Redford. Coppola threaten to abandon the project and had to put his money into the film.
*Hooooooohaaaaaaaaaaa*
@@michaell8722 Why did they want those changes?
They wanted Robert DeNiro as Michael Corleone.
Godfather I: Michael is too cheesey to be a gangsta
Godfather II: Michael's too brutal to lead the family
Godfather III: *JUST WHEN I THINK I'M OUT THEY PULL ME BACK IN*
Hey Sil, cheer me up babe
@@ringkunmori "Are true enemy.... has yet, to reveal himself."
Godfather I: Great
Godfather II: Still good
Godfather III: Too long of a wait, two thumbs way down
@@mrturtletail3945 our not are*
@@ringkunmori Is it true? MIIIICHAEL
I love Michael's death scene because it is the mirror opposite of his father Vito's. Both die in a countryside garden house, but whereas Vito passes away playing and laughing with his grandson, the future if a family he has managed to keep close despite his lifestyle, Michael dies broken and alone
Next to a dog
But he had a puppy with him, so not completely alone. 😊
Michael was always alone , doomed to be alone. That's what the Godfather 2s flashback shows
@@shmsyh5047 Exactly, his wife aborted one of her own children, Vito never laid a hand on his wife and Michael did it. Vito and Michael in the first movie were like two water drops, but in the second one, Michael is the opposite of Vito
@@charlespc id argue however Michael became the man he had to be for the family , the way he adapted to the situation in the first movie, came in chopped and changed things about the business then elevated it to a whole new level in the second movie , its almost like the Godfather 2 for me was a business movie
I heard this analogy that I think sums up the mafia very well: The Godfather is how they wanted to be seen, gentleman criminals with a code of ethics they hold to, and Goodfellas is how they actually were, a bunch of goons hopped up on their own hype
Your talking about two different generations that killed itself within
Not entirely, in The Godfather you see the high ranks, in Goodfellas you see recruits and street guys..none of the guys in Goodfellas were made except for Paulie, in GF you're watching the boss, his consigliere and capos..very different levels
@@Olgierd99 oh. That makes sense. Thank you
The first half of Goodfellas is actually quite glamorous
The concept of both generations is THE MAFIA can see the dirty and corrupt world as it is they take what they want and endure the consequences THE MOST CORRUPT IS THE GOVERNMENT
Michael at his most calm and ruthless is when he tells Carlo that he had to answer for Sonny.
*"Don't be afraid, Carlo. Come on. Do you think I'd make my sister a widow?"*
I think that was so he could get the verification that Carlo did it. I don’t think he 100% knew he was guilty
@@angelofverdun456 I think it was that too.
I agree that's why he said that. And remember, Carlo was hardly innocent. Carlo's actions basically directly caused Sonny's death because had he not intentionally picked a fight with Connie, knowing that doing so would infuriate him (as it had previously when he beat Carlo up in the street), Sonny wouldn't have ever left the security of the Corleone compound on Long Island, which is what got him out in the open and gave his enemies the opportunity they needed to assassinate him. Michael's problem through was that instead of seeking legitimate means of having Carlo brought to trial and sentenced as an admitted conspirator in the plot to assassinate his elder brother (as he got Carlo to confess to said involvement in a room full of witnesses), he instead immediately had Carlo murdered. That was an evil action no matter what Carlo did. That was revenge, not justice. If Michael truly was about making his family legitimate, he would have sought legal means to have Carlo arrested and sentenced to time in prison, again because he got him to admit in a room full of witnesses that he was involved in the plot. But he doesn't and instead acted as judge, jury, and executioner. However, that all being said, he couldn't have had Carlo arrested for his role in Sonny's assassination because if he did, the fact that during his "interrogation" of Carlo he admitted to Carlo, among a room full of witnesses, that he had personally ordered the murders of the heads of the Five Families would inevitably be revealed in open court upon cross examination of the defense. Likely because they would use a defense strategy to try to discredit Carlo's confession as coming while under duress because Michael was indirectly threatening him by showing his ability to have all the people likely involved in the plots against his father and brother murdered upon his mere say so, placing fear into Carlo that if he didn't admit his role in the plot that he wouldn't have anybody to turn to for protection against any reprisals (because they had all been murdered, including the one who personally approached Carlo about getting involved in the assassination plot). This would not only cast doubt about the legitimacy of Carlo's confession (as it had come under duress), but also the courts would have proof that Michael openly admitted among a room full of witnesses that he had several people murdered, which would then implicate Michael to be immediately arrested and charged, thereby bringing down the entire Corleone family. This is why the Mafia handle what they deem to be their "justice" on their own: because if they didn't, they would crumble faster than a house of cards.
Nobody is gonna sit and read all this. Try paraphrasing next time.
@@michaeldonahue4600 lol.
The only shortcoming the film has in regards to the original novel is author Mario Puzo's emphasis that the reason Vito Corleone- a dangerous mob boss -was treated with an unrealistic reverence by everyone was because he was such an outlier. He was a genuinely compassionate benefactor to honest, working class Italians, who didn't prey on his community and his own kind the way all the other New York crime families did.
The #1 criticism of the Godfather's detractors has always been that it presents an overly glorified, unrealistic depiction of a mob boss. That it gives a false impression of the mafia being an enterprise with a certain amount of innate nobility. The novel points out that nothing could be further from the truth, and that this is why Vito is the protagonist. This is why he cultivated such an inflated reverence. His story is interesting simply because his personality is so out of place in the underworld. Puzo makes it clear that Vito is an anomaly, and that this is why he fostered such loyalty and respect among everyone who knew him.
The other NYC crime families were every bit as authentically predatory and morally corrupt as their real life counterparts. But not Vito. No, Vito truly was unique amongst his contemporaries, and this is why the Corleones had such an unnatural air of majesty by everyone else around them.
Well said.
Actually the novel does describe Vito doing some bad things. He kills a rival olive oil wholesaler who undercuts his prices and also burns down rival business's warehouses. He also intimidates landlords into not demanding rent from tenants (not just Roberto).
@@nicky29031977 Point is, Vito champions the lower class. Nobody cares about a landlord or an exporter, but they will sympathize with a widowed pensioner.
@@nicky29031977 don't forget that he also scammed his godson Johnny Fontane out of millions by pirating his music.
@@butchmagnus1699 Good point....Just as the book says, it's really the nature of the universe. Good and evil intermixing. Vito helping someone out of a misfortune he had in part created. Vito had a variety of interests meaning that often they would conflict with one another.
One of the best character arcs ever put to cinema
And one of the most mesmerising to watch, at first you don’t see it happening.. then you’re transfixed by it.
Absolutely
The novel is near pornographic in parts, especially in the beginning. Also, Luca Brosi (I KNOW I must be spelling that wrong, but I don't eat bulletproof vest wearing raw fish on a bed of newspaper and awful) is a MONSTER in the novel FAR in excess of anything you see in the film version. If I'd read the book before seeing the first film I would have started CHEERING when he gets stabbed and strangled in the film. There is a free audiobook of the novel on youtube, I highly recommend it!
truth
@@seanbrazell6147 Luca Brasi was a grimy dude
When Michael took the life of his Brother Fredo, he was never the same. One of his most dark acts.
I mean it would be dark if Fredo were innocent, sure.
It's what the Mafia does to traitors.
Michael's tragedy is that families got worse, and your own brother may be the one responsible for wife and yourself jumping for cover in a hail of gunfire.
@@rustyshackleford3160 it still makes him shitty lol, ignoring that the godfather is deliberate mafia propaganda (still an awesome movie) it’s still a dark act
Akin to when Tony killed Manny
@@CarcalV Pacino always doing some fucked up shit😂
How did Pacino not win the Oscar for part 2? The emotions he makes with his face alone should have given him that award.
I think it's also worth mentioning that Michael waited until their mother passed before he enacted his revenge on his brother. Even though it was a compromise between the director and the writer based on the writers unhappiness at the director's idea to have Michael order Fredo's death, to me really says something. He sat there with all that anger and resentment, and waited patiently. It was not a crime of passion or impulsive anger. It was a decision that he made, waited to enact, and stuck to when the time came. And I think that makes it even more impactful
What if Mama Corleone had lived into the ripe old age of 90? I’m not a mathematician, but she was only in her early to mid- 60’s when she died in this going by the timeline of this movie. A relatively early death even back then. Michael must have known she had health problems and wouldn’t live much longer. That would be screwed up if Mama Corleone lived another 20-30 years and he let Fredo live all that time as well.
One has to admire the way they played that kill. With Fredo reciting the Hail Mary, getting popped at the "Holy Mary, pray for us ... (at the hour of our death)." Tears.
Don't forget, Michael told his men that Fredo is NOT to be touched while their mother was alive.
It's so funny how the two parts of this movie are so mirrored. Part 1: Starts with a wedding, ends with baptism and mass murder including a bro-in-law (after death of dad/Don). Finale: New Don is born. The door closes on Mike's wife.
Part 2: Starts with a First Communion ends with a funeral, and the murder of remaining enemies and a brother. Ends with Michael sitting alone. Finale: Full circle memory; The birthday of the Patriarch, the family around the table, ends with Michael sitting alone. @@RealGateGuardian
I never knew that the author was against the idea of Michael killing his brother.
Watching Godfather 1 and 2, and then Scarface, really shows how flexible and talented of an actor Pacino is
From playing a highest level mafia boss in Michael Corleone, to an upstart mid-level drug kingpin Tony Montana, and then to playing career low-level mob henchman Lefty in Donnie Brasco..Pacino’s range is brilliant!
Pure acting genius backed utter devotion to the craft of acting
Carlito‘s Way was one of his best work. He played a Rican to perfection.
It STILL boggles my mind that Pacino never won an Oscar for his performance in either the Godfathers I OR II !! This is the greatest travesty in cinematic history IMO!
@@jacquil6718 carlito's way is so underrated.
Michael's evolution into the heartless Don is one of the most interesting things in cinematic history. He was a very calculated man, with a cool head for the most part. He was a man that was so broken, but knew he chose the life. Killing Fredo solidifies that he's evil imo even if he regretted it later. I do think he was naturally a good hearted family man but the mafia life corrupted his soul.
Yes, I believe Satan entered his soul , at the eve of the " baptism of Fire", while presiding as Godfather for his sister Connie' and Carlo's little one's baptism, was in reality massacring the Heads of all the other Mafia families , who'd want to harm him and his family. The mere justification" that he did what he did in the "ideal " to want to preserve and protect his family safety and reputation, and help them to regain their power, is far too " common" and hypocritical in part. Because , "only the word Revenge " itself entails a voluntary act of vowing himself to Evil.
Kay killing Michael's defenseless unborn child is evil incarnate. Fredo had actually put all of the family in mortal danger several times. The baby did nothing and was the target of Kay's anger toward Michael. Michael inherited a family in danger and was forced to make tough decisions Vito never had to make. Vito and Michael sketched out the future of the family. People look at Michael as if all the killings were his idea. No, the entire arc of the family was planned between Michael and Vito. . . Tom Hagan was purposely left out of it. Michael was a stronger leader than Vito and was essentially correcting his father's mistakes.
Correction, Micheal did not choose this life, this life was clearly chosen for him. I have to give it to him, he tried to escape.
It really doesn’t matter the mafia the government the corporate ceos it’s all evil 👿 everything is that’s why we have CHRIST TO TURN TO TO REDEEM US SINNERS EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT INVOLVED W ANY OF ABOVE YOU ARE STILLL A SINNER
He was too smart too methodical. A proper soldier,general.
Analyzing Evil is such a unique and interesting series...thanks for the videos
@angel Gil Many, apparently.
He isn't that's called business and Business is vile in our so called goody goody World
@@rsavage9518 I mean evil is just an concept and after that human made concept in our society he pretty much is considered evil
@angel Gil So you're one of those who thinks he was good?
I even find it so weird that I enjoy this series as much as I do
The problem with Fredo is this wasn't the first time. In the first movie he had made a similar deal with Moe Green against the family. He was given a second chance then. The life he chose rarely has second chances and never a third. Would it really have been wise for Michael to even just exile him? Besides the fact that he would very likely make the same mistake a third time, as he had already shown he wasn't likely to learn, but letting him live past the death of his mother would have been seen as weakness by the other families.
No, Michael's mistake wasn't in having Fredo killed then, at that point it was unavoidable. No, Michael's mistake was in letting Fredo have any ability to make such a mistake after Moe Green. Fredo should have had zero power and always had someone with him to make sure he didn't make this kind of mistake. Fredo's downfall was his brother loved him too much to sideline him completely.
yeah I'm not sure how someone undertakes an analysis like this and forgets that Fredo had a second chance
Right, I think he was too quick with this upload lol.
Fredo was a liability, he had to go.
Completely agree (with all three) From the human perspective, yes, Fredo was his brother, but that can't be viewed in isolation from the world in which that family lived and operated, and then used as a sole justification for his continued existence. It's not an issue of 'if' Fredo would have screwed up again, but a question of 'when' and 'how badly'. And while it's certainly noble for people to extend a second chance (I've even been told a third, fourth and fifth chance (by someone who then could not even extend a second chance) to have let Fredo live, would be like putting a pin-less grenade in one's pocket, and hoping the fabric would hold the firing clip in place: while it might do so for a while, all it would take would be a sudden move, and the grenade goes off. And that was Fredo; an accident waiting to happen. While I won't go so far as to say that 'he deserved it', because Fredo clearly acted from naivete rather than malice, he most certainly 'had it coming', in the sense that he repeatedly brought these situations upon himself, and was unable to learn from his mistakes.
While I don't think Don Vito would have explicitly ordered Fredo's death from one of his enforcers or lieutenants, I could certainly see him exiling him, but doing so with the parting words: "When you are gone, you will no longer be under my protection, I can no longer help you. Now you have to look after yourself..." And that would have meant that anyone else, could have then whacked Fredo without fear of retribution: He wouldn't put out the hit, but he would do absolutely nothing to prevent one from happening, nor take action if one did eventually happen.
So for that reason, I can't condemn Michael's action. He didn't act out of malice, he didn't act without reason or indiscriminately, and, most importantly, he absolutely felt Massive remorse and guilt. He commited 'an evil act', but that doesn't make him 'evil', and it was (Fredo dying somehow) the only option available to him at that point under those circumstances.
I think you’re missing a point here. From a cut throat business standpoint you may be right.
However Michael entered the family business on the basis of family and not business in order to protect his family and through the business destroyed that which he sought to protect and killing his brother was not only antithetical to that end it was highly immoral and Michael new it and did it anyway.
It was a vile and evil decision that played no small role in the destruction of his family and he was haunted by it most justifiably. I mean what does it gain you if you own the world but lose your soul?
It was Michaels biggest mistake. He shouldn’t have done it. He should have gotten out the business. He was already fabulously wealthy and if getting out of the business was the only way he could save his brother he should have done it as in the long run he would have saved himself and his family.
In the end analysis Michael is an apocryphal tale of how a promising young man was seduced by power and was eventually destroyed by it.
This argument I've never got and always found too "pro Michael" or "In the know" fact is that it was too ruthless and just overall showed how pathetic Michael was as a human being.
I never saw Michael as evil. He is just a tragic hero. He lost his soul trying to protect his family, and still ended up dying alone.
...why does this remind me of Alexander the great? There was nothing/ no one else to conquer...The greatest enemy is death...neither conquered DEATH.
Nah, he was an evil, vile man.
Num jogo sujo de trapaceiros todos acabam se matando.
Foi o que aconteceu com todas as famílias de mafiosos.
Todos perderam nesse jogo de poder.
He didn’t lose his soul morons he was Christian he lost his family and everyone he loved wake up unless you are a priest or nun you are a sinner who’s going to hell HELL WITHOUT CHRIST
Well he died alone because he liked being alone. He still was on good terms with his son and Kay. Plus he died beside his dog so idk about alone
Michael Corleone and Scarface are two characters, that absolutely immortalized Al Pacino in the movie world.
Scarface absolutely.! To the point they made a console game of the name, & he'd get ragey & it'd be slow motion so you could murder more effectively
Scarface is not the character, Tony Montana is the character.
@@jonathanbaron-crangle5093 both movies have video games
"Mob guys, guineas...I don't trust 'em" - Al Pacino as Tony Montana
Don't forget HEAT.
Michael Corleone is one of the most cold and calculating characters ever put in cinema.. I only cried for him when he screamed for Fredo during his insulin shock.
Me too
I disagree that he was entirely evil however. He legitimately was hell bent on making his family and businesses legitimate, whatever it took to do so. He is quite Machiavellian actually. The Mafia essentially runs their family and empire like medieval monarchies: by doing whatever was deemed necessary to keep themselves in power, no matter how many lives it cost, often through warfare and the use of murder as a tool. And the position at the top of the family is usually inherited by another family member (Michael inherited the Corleone Empire from his father; Vincent Mancini inherited it from his uncle Michael, as Michael's only son wanted nothing to do with what he had built, similar to abdicating throne). He is actually correct in his analysis about the similarities between what his father does and what governments do to maintain power. Well, if you look at it from an Old World perspective he is at least. Most modern governments have adopted aspects of Republicanism, in which the Head of State is not an inherited position but usually an elected one. Though I would counter that most modern governments are as corrupt and power hungry as their medieval period ancestors were in their desire for power/to keep themselves in power.
@@matthewcastleton2263 Never said he was 100% evil. He used extreme measures to ensure what you described.
The fuck is insulin shock 😂that's not a thing
@@well_as_an_expert_id_say Ummmm...Insulin shock is a common term for low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia. It may also be called an insulin reaction. The exact blood sugar level that leads to symptoms varies, but is generally less than 70 mg/dL. A low blood sugar level triggers your body to release the hormone epinephrine, also called adrenaline.
It's a real thing. Google is your friend, m8.
Michael's story is a tragic one. His fall, his solitary death, is Shakesperean.
As flawed as Part 3 is, the closing scene of Michael dying alone on the chair is the perfect send off for his character. Despite his attempts to atone, the sinkhole he’d built for himself was just too deep, and mirroring Don Ciccio, he’s left knowing he’s conjured nothing but pain and misery all his life
The ending of him dying alone was erased in the new cut of godfather 3.
I mean godfather 2 has an ending that’s fairly similar, but it’s more tragic in a sense as Michael has to live with his loneliness.
Not to mention that his scream of pain after his daughter dies is one of the most powerful moments in cinematic history. At least in my opinion.
@@TheVileEye I can relate.I like your point of thinking in this video.
Not only did he die alone. But he died in the exact same villa in Italy that his wife Apollonia died at!
You’ve been picking some real bangers to talk about recently. I’m excited who you’re gonna talk about for the 50th episode blowout
Pick something from goodfellas
Hopefully tony soprano
I actually want to see Snoop and Chris from The Wire or Marlo Stanfield
@@7yep4336dfgvvh It should be Henry Hill. While he's not the most evil person in the movie, it's all seen through his eyes with Jimmy and Tommy taking a backseat. Their motivations are harder to discern.
This is such an amazing analysis of not only Michael's Evil traits, but of the Godfather series in general. Very well done.
Vito once said: "Every man has a destiny.' After seeing how people live and die in his world, it seems more like a sentence than living.
Appreciated.
Vile Eye didn't pay attention.
We all heard Michael renounce Satan and all his works at his little nephew's baptism.
It was his nephew's baptism.
@@Galen-864,
You're right. Edited.
But he also admitted among a room full of witnesses that he personally ordered the murders of the heads of the Five Families and Moe Greene
@@matthewcastleton2263 But it's a joke
Lol
Amazing video.
..The fact that Michael never wanted to be a part of that world, is what makes the story of The Godfather such a classic tragedy, such a powerful story
I love how in most movies/trilogies we have the main character redeeming themselves, they've learned from their past mistakes and works on being a better person. With Michael it's the complete opposite, a military man who believed in upholding law and wanted nothing to do with his father's shady business, as his character plays out he just get worst and worst more evil than he ever was in the first and never got the chance to redeem himself from his past life and ended up dying alone.
You know what film story should be made which is a true classic. The Novel of someone being born and eventually dying. Knowone would see that shit coming 😂
Being a war hero on USA's army and a criminal is basically the same thing. All USA do is crime and agression against sovereign countries. So.... by the point of view, he continues on his path of criminal.
Rare huh interesting take and probably possible
Yeah Breaking Bad also did the "good man descent into bad man" quite well also
Michael could never develop the respect and loyalty from others as Vito did. This cost him to lose everything that was ever dear to him. He definitely is an example of someone that came to believe that ends justify the means. It’s a tragedy for sure
I think the reason for that, was because by the time Don Vito was at the peak of his game, his closest lieutenants were guys like Clemenza, who had known him as a friend in the earliest days, and because in those earliest days, he had acted to help members of his community, like Signora Columbo, without thought of reward. He brought his friends up with him on his rise, where Michael merely inherited them, and the people who then worked for the family, he had little connection to. Michael only really acquired 'social friends' in his later life, as a consequence of his position, rather than people who already knew him, and were his friends simply because they were his friends.
See how he doesn’t make them kiss his hand nor bend a knee to him it’s part of his downfall actually Vito was way more vicious
I really loved that duality in The Godfather Part II, in how well the film’s structure showed the similarities and differences between both Michael’s and Vito’s rise to power, and in that Vito understanding the ambiguity and nuance to his evil, he never relinquished his humanity in order to become the provider his family needed. Whereas Michael descent in to darkness, betrayal and solitude was all driven by his sense of burden and responsibility to his family by ironically embracing who he believed his father was.
IMO, Michael failed as a don because he was never meant for that life in the first place. The look on Vito's face when he finds out Michael killed Sollozzo says it all.
@@MrBronx61 Not seeing how, you didn't "failed as a don" if you were able to be successful in it, regardless if you were meant for it or not.
6:08 I think Vito himself knew his business and actions were wrong but despite his actions he felt he was doing what he had to do to provide for his family and not get pushed around by more powerful people than himself like the people of Sicily including his dad, mother and brother had been by Don Ciccio who eventually killed all three leaving Vito the only surviving member of the Andolini family. Michael starts out wanting to be a then more modern 1940's and 50's American rather than the old fashioned Sicilian traditions his dad grew up with.
In the book Micheal tells Kay how he aspires to be a mathematics professor. This quickly changes after the attack on his father.
Vito being a first generation immigrant explains everything. They were still criminals but they were more protective of their compatriots since most of the Italians were still new to America and they had to stick together. Michael was born an American and in an era where Italians were a lot more assimilated to American culture, so no wonder he doesn't share vito's sentiments on friendship and family
One of the most incredible things about Michael is his explosive rage,you really get to FEEL that like I remember that I had to close my eyes like "oh shit here it comes" it's so real like if we were there or something,Al Pacino performances is absolutely out of this world of amazing,he was born to make Michael Corleone's character role.
Michael Corleone is definitely one of the greatest cinema characters ever to grace the screen. A superb well written character. Al pacinos best performance of all time. 🙌
I want to see Princess Azula from Avatar: the Last Airbender.
Her fall from grace in the third season always intrigued me.
Yes
That would be awesome
RUclipsr Hello future me did a good video on her
Her story continues in the comics as well.
She was nuts way before season 3. She was a cruel, sadistic, vain child that had control of immense power
I recommend the book “Family Corleone” by Ed Falco, it is a prequel to the first Godfather. It is a perfect description of how Vito rose to head the most powerful family in New York.
Love that book!
Michael Lalli --- Thanks, for the recommendation.
Meh, I never liked this book. I couldn't get past the part at the start where adopted Corleone son* goes with Corleone high solders* girlfriend and sonny comes and picks him up. I tried, but it just didn't have the puzo character nuances that made the godfather book great.
*Couldn't remember the names for the life of me hahahah
With Friedo, I always thought it wasn't just jealousy and inexperience that made his character make mistakes, but that he was slightly slower mentally to connect the dots. They show Friedo having a fever as a baby, and that could of effected his cognitive reasoning
“Slower mentally”? Nowadays, ppl get MAD 😡 if you say that about a “RETARDED” person...today, it is MENTALLY CHALLENGED.
....Friedo was MENTALLY CHALLENGED bcz he had a fever when he was baby WHEREBY, that could of effected his cognitive reasoning making him unable to connect the dots,......👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾. HahahahHahahahaha.
Fredo.
It was Sonny having a fever
What an excellent point!
@@chronodreamingfredo was the sick baby
I would love to see Al Swearengen from the DEADWOOD series. Ian McShane's performance belongs in the company of the best ever and his character arc is phenomenal. There's no book to precede the series like a lot of this channel's installments but there is actual history; which could make for interesting material. The entire notion behind "amalgamation and capital" shaping the years leading into the 20th century for the US could be explored and how it can be seen as highly prevalent to today's times.
OMG yes I love that show
Deadwood is amazing it could never be made today.
McShane would be great but I don’t think he could pull off being Sicilian
I approve this message.
Al Swearengen is a phenomenal character! I absolutely love that show
I know everyone hates the third movie but the confession and Mary being killed were the saddest things I ever seen in a film
I don't hate it. I think it brings it all together.
The saddest thing is Sophia Coppola's performance as Mary. It was absolutely garbage, and her death scene acting was putrid. The girl could not emote. Horrendous casting.
@@crashstitches79 She should have sounded pained when she said "dad." Instead she sounded more like she was asking Michael a question.
@@crashstitches79 Even more tragic was that actress Rebecca Schaeffer was going to audition for the role of Mary. She was waiting for a copy of the Godfather Part III to be delivered to her apartment when she was murdered by her stalker.
Imagine what the movie would have been like if Schaeffer had been given the role.
I like the third film... possibly more than II
The worried, nervous look on Solozzo's face when Michael was shooting him that death glare is quite satisfying
Just have to say, along with your great analysis I like how you sync up your intro greeting with the character/ first person we see speak. It’s just a small detail to point out but a highlight to me haha.
What an epic narrative you’ve presented. I always got the general picture of Michael’s tragedy but this character analysation is just down-write colossal in its weight and complexity.
I must say the morally complex characters are always the most interesting to deep-dive into.
This is one of your best essays yet! Keep up the incredible quality work man.
Growing up in the automotive sales industry, I always found this man relatable as my family and loved ones thought I was inconsiderate and cold for always working 70 hour work weeks when in reality it was to give them the life they had and enjoyed. Such a shame many guys like that die alone all because their poor social skills and communication send an impression of cold arrogance to the ones closest to them that don’t understand until many years later all the sacrifices made.
Hoe was Michael inconsiderate and cold?
00:13
That unsafe baby's crib was the most chilling part of this video.
This was 1920, people used to put their babies in suspension cages out the window
Never thought of it til now, but since Michael was (as you say) a "law and order" person before the incident at the hospital, it may be reasonable to assume that seeing how a police captain (a person who is SUPPOSED to be a high moral authority) was so easily corrupted would cause him to abandon his previous beliefs and principles.
Also Michael was a war hero. Imagine getting a medal for bravery and being an officer in WW2. Then you come home and some corrupt police officer hits you. Michael was furious and there was no way he could do something about McClusky the legal way, so he chose the mob way.
Brilliant analysis. Your assessment of Michael and the world he's born into is so layered...as is his character. Michael Corleone is one of the most complex characters ever to be portrayed in film. Al Pacino's performance is extraordinary, and all three films are perfection in showing the evolution of his character. Your dissection of each of the phases of Michael and his descent into his evil side is outstanding. Thank you for this.
I was disappointed that the woman murdered in the brothel was given so little mention as that was the probably the vilest of the killings done in Michael's interest. Not only had she done nothing against him or his family, she was making them money!
There's also the irony of Al Neri being the iceman for the task as he was ejected from the NYPD for killing a pimp who had brutalized two of his girls, disfiguring one with a blade.
Great comment. Definitely the most disturbing scene in the film. That’s when I realized yes, this guy was always evil.
Digamos que a garota estava no lugar errado , na hora errada , com o homem errado!
Foi um acidente de trabalho!
Idk maybe in the book she did do something idk I guess we have to read the novels, plays
Your talking about with the senator? This guy making the video implies that it was the senator that killed her. Fucking dtunad it was obviously setup by Michael.
That murder always bothered me the most of all of the murders.The woman did not need or deserve to die. Maybe that was the intent. I was pretty much teams Michael up until then.
Its crazy how I can watch one of these videos without knowing literally anything about the media being discussed and still enjoy and understand it
Michael’s transformation from a war hero to a lonely don shows how much the mafia life deeply scared his soul,and al Pacino portrays it perfectly truly solidifying this performance as one of the best in cinema.
Michael Corleone was a sin eater, the evil he committed was always to protect his family. He was truly remorseful and it ate away at him his entire life.
I've always seen Michael as someone who always had this within him. The book goes into more detail about how he always had the cold and ruthless nature from childhood, but developed a more kind-hearted persona later on, that he was convinced was who he was. He became a war hero, something which was revealed later to be a product of him sending a middle finger to his family rather than a genuine desire to fight for America. And when he came back he went another step further by getting with a girl who wasn't an Italian, to further separate himself from his family and the cycle of crime. Things change once his father was shot. Michael goes to the hospital to help, but truly becomes motivated once he's hit by the cop. The meaning behind his swolen face clearly represents Michael's prior mask of kind-heartedness and earnestness breaking, as we start seeing hints of the real Michael that he wasn't even aware of. Michael proposes to kill Solazzo and McClusky, adopting a colder and more ruthless persona, modeled after the "business, not personal" ideology his family went by. He, of course, struggles between his internal nature and what he's built up and therefore has issues in actually executing them, but he eventually manages to do it before fucking off to Italy. From there, it's quite peculiar how easily Michael seemed to have forgotten everything. In Italy, it seems that Michael borderline forgets about what he did and went through. He gets with another girl basically on first sight after manipulating and threatening her father and basically lives life as if nothing happened, only changing after she dies.
Apallonia can be seen as the representation of a normal life for Michael. She is what Michael wants. The peacefulness. It's why the book shows so much attention to how much he adores her, and how much love he actually had for her. Her death devastates him, and makes him give into that cold and ruthless persona, which can be seen as his shadow. From her on out, he's a full-on slave to this persona and acts accordingly. We never see Michael truly open up or act differently. Even him getting back with Kay is just him projecting his desire for love onto her along with his need for validation that he's still the same Michael. He doesn't love her, at least not in the same way he loved Apallonia. The direction shows this perfectly.
Part 2 fully actualizes the loss of Michael's soul as Michael contradicts all his past statements (business over personal matters, family over everything, etc.). But even then we never truly meet Michael Corleone until his fight with Kay. In his fight with Kay (the representation of his "innocense"), she spells out how much of a slave he is to the cycle of violence his family breeds and slaps him with the truth that she aborted their baby. She would rather abort their baby than risk perpetuating this cycle of crime that Michael is now trapped in and is trapping her in. Michael then cuts her off, fully shutting the door on her and severing his relationship with his past innocense, fully losing his soul. By this point, Michael has lost all his values. He clearly doesn't hold his family > all value as he willingly kills Fredo, nor does he value business > personal matters as he still goes for killing his enemies even when there's no possible way for them to threaten him to begin with. Michael has become nothing more than an empty shell of a man, fully aware of his lack of freedom from his heritage.
I don't think The Godfather is a story about Michael changing from good to evil, but a story of Michael revealing his true character, not only to us and other characters, but also himself, and how he struggles to accept that.
Yes, exactly. I’m surprised how many people miss this.
Yeah, the book actually questions how much of Michael's development is really him becoming someone new or just becoming himself again. @@Taylorblure
Speaking as an introvert i always feel sorry to Michael. He's a loner, always has been yet he was "forced" to be the head of most powerful family in NY.
Introverts can be leaders. I don’t see the correlation
Loners don't marry twice & have children
There have been plenty of alpha introverts who have led powerful regimes and were powerful people
Who “forced” him?
Speaking as a man with black hair, I feel sorry for Michael.
Anyone else waiting for the ultimate episode where he covers Tony Soprano? That whole show is full of interesting character studies.
Definitely need to do Tony Soprano soon, for the upcoming Saints of Newark film. Keep up the great work regardless though.
In the Walter White episode he said he would cover it pretty soon
The movie gonna focus more on Dickie Molitisanti’s life more than anything tho. Really really lookin forward to it
That's the one I'm desperately waiting for
Movie is going to suck probably. Original sopranos = lightening in a bottle. A sopranos movie made in 2020?
Yeah, hopes aren’t too high for it tbh. I can’t be disappointed if I never believed in it in the first place.
@@StainsStainsStains Well I’m pretty hopeful for it, especially since David Chase is fully behind it and he’s infamously fussy and stubborn, so it’s very unlikely that anyone has swayed him into making it more Hollywood, I’d say there’s a 70 to 30 percent chance it won’t suck. 70 percent chance it won’t, 30 percent it will.
I cannot imagine how depressing it is to be a mafioso.
What good is it to own everything and lose your soul?
SIN is deceptive and the wages of sin is DEATH. This death, that I am speaking of, goes beyond just “dying” ( where the soul leaves the body ). JESUS said do not fear him who can kill the body and that is all he can do, but fear HIM, after death, can destroy both body and soul in hell....the later is WHOM I fear and I do NOT want to go to hell.
JESUS said that too, What shall does it profit, if a man gain the whole world but loses his soul in hell or what shall he give in exchange for his soul? Our soul is our most precious possession - It is our choice who we give it to......JESUS or... ...satan. It is so sad that MOST DO NOT CHOOSE JESUS😭😭😭😭
You often don't have much of a choice
I don’t think they end up in hell my dear lol I speak to my mafia family in Heaven go check your own eye for the log in it
@@julietv3863 People who murder, steal, extort, rape, and commit human trafficking arent good people.
I see some parallels with Michael and Walter White, in that they had initially good intentions, but when they could have left those means behind, their pride did not allow them to, and they end up spiralling further and further into a dark and evil world, only for it to punish them constantly.
Godfather II Michael is more like Gus Fring I'd say.
Tony vs Michael
Walt was better than Michael in a few ways, and I'd say that's thanks to Jesse, his student.
@@maxvilla5558 Michael would outsmart tony soprano in seconds, he's dumb af 😂
Walter never could've left it behind - it was only a question of when one of Mike's guys would flip (though it's not clear what they knew about him, since all of Gus's henchmen he was shown interacting with ended up dead).
There might've been a window before he started working for Gus, but he was in all the way after that. However, he had an easier path to not get involved than Michael - his pride didn't allow any favors from Elliot and Gretchen.
0:05 Michael Corleone: “hello everyone”
Absolutely perfectly done. Best breakdown I’ve ever seen. Thank you.
YES
I have been waiting for this thank you so much
I think Godfather 2’s ending is probably one of the best made scenes in cinema
I agree 100%. Especially when you look at the context of the scene and realize how Michael killed a few of them in the scene. All of those led to Michael sitting in the chair thinking about what those decisions have cost him.
the ending of Godfather 3 is the most heartbreaking.
They should have left it at 2. With Michael at the height of his power but having driven away or killed most of his family in the process.
So is the ending in the first godfather. The door closing is brilliant
@@SIKE01 This is one of only a few moments and scenes I enjoy the more I have watched Godfather 3. People said it would grow on me, it didn’t, Godfather 2 is my true ending but this final scene in Godfather 3 pulled me back in. Only to the ending scenes. That heartbreak when Michaels daughter dies & falling away in that chair in Sicily is a nice ending.
This might go nowhere, but I love the dichotomy of the Godfather trilogy and Scarface. Al's portrayal of both characters, a war veteran turned Don and an immigrant turned to Kingpin is phenomenal. To me it ultimately says that once you are in the LIFE, you can never leave the LIFE.
I swear you have *the best* channel on RUclips. It's extremely rare that I look forward to & watch EVERY video from a channel. Thank you for your work.
That was beautiful man, I can tell how much you love these characters. I love them too. outstanding writing man. well done, thank you.
The Godfather is such a perfect film I refused to see part 2 until many, many years later. There was simply no way it could stand alongside one of the greatest movies of all time.
Welp, I sure was wrong. My god, part 2?? Amazing!!!
Michael Corleone went from being the one who didn’t want to be a part of the family business to being a far darker man than his father and far more evil
I love how smooth Michael was by the end of part 1 through part 2. And, I felt that pain when his daughter was killed. Such great acting in part 1-2. He's probably my favorite gangsta. I really like this video. I don't remember much of part 3. You make me want to go back and look at The Godfather movies again. Good job. ✌🏼
Thank you for this great analysis of my favorite movie character of all time, The character development of Michael Corleone is still unmatched in cinema.
As many times as I’ve watched this gem,… I’ve never seen Michael in this depth. Thank you. Now I will go and watch again, with your enlightened, explanation.
"To transfer his family business from a criminal empire to a corporate one"
What's the difference?
Best comment this week
The government does the killing in the latter case.
Ego.
None . A lot of those corporate CEOS are beyond criminal and have caused a mountain of grief and pain in their quest for money and power and are treacherous and double crossing
The corporates rarely get caught.
Godfather: Michael sells his soul to the Devil to preserve the families criminal empire.
Godfather 2: The Devil fulfills his end of the bargain by giving the Corleone's unprecedented wealth and power.
Godfather 3: The Devil comes to collect payment with interest.
Great job buddy!
One of the most important reasons why the Godfather trilogy is considered to be so great , hands down one of the greatest perhaps is that we all have a Micheal Corleone inside of us , he is as a character so relatable at some point of our lives and Pacino portrayed the essence to perfection and ofc all the actors who played their respective part.
In fact we all have a Sonny , Connie fredo and Micheal in our families
A man in his many stages of life can relate to Vito , to fredo , to Sonny and most importantly to Micheal. He is the fallen hero , he is epitome of anybody who wanted to be something else but due to the ravages of time have to change whether willingly or unwillingly. Perfect description of "No power in the world can change destiny".
This is by far my favorite channel, you've more than earned a subscription. I always look forward to seeing who's next! I would love to see an analysis on percy wetmore from the green mile or possibly doctor gonzo from fear and loathing, being he was a based on a real person
I love how you articulate on why you should not excuse evil acts no matter what the case is because so many people do. You said it perfectly in the beginning of the video
Michael Corleone is one of fiction’s most tragic characters. Awesome analysis.
He called the senator situation a murderous blunder? I always thought Michael set that murder up to get the senator to do what he wanted. That was another evil thing he done. There’s no way that wasn’t a set up. Tom even says to Geary that he was lucky it was one of their places
Thank you. If you hadn’t said this I would have. The fact that Al Neri was in the bathroom washing his hands as he nodded to Tom Hagin was quite obvious evidence of a set up.
i like to think the girl wasn’t really dead and she was in on it.
@@cameron9322 that would be just dumb then. Of course senator himself would've had thoroughly checked her life signs after waking up next to what appears to be a dead girl
Ya what a stunad this guy is. Almost stop listening after he said that
Your story telling is impeccable
From an optimistic dreamer to a soulless killer
My favorite character. Michael - Pacino’s perfection. Why do I not feel Michael is evil - he did what was necessary.
The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
Michael himself in part 3 would disagree
@venus as a boy Evidently we do, unless you haven’t seen the video
Exactly. At any given moment in time a decision has to be made, you only find out later whether it was right or wrong.
He did not have to kill Fredo. He could have done a dozen other things save that.
The tragedy of Michael Corleone is a compelling and realistic story of a good man's fall into becoming a monster.
I honestly almost cried during this analysis even after having seen the trilogy countless times starting from my childhood to today. Great job @TheVileEye. I have a suggestion for a future episode also. I vote for The Baron from Into the Badlands. Thanks for the awesome content✌🏾
One who says precious little, listens much, and catches on to every detail. Sounds like a good traits
I'd say great traits. It's just how you use them.
I like the very simple but very necessary disclaimer at the beginning: the mafia as an organization is evil. I feel among fans of the genre that's a message that's often lost in the glamour and personalities portrayed but the actions are still horrific and the ability to look at these loveable characters through a critical lens is important for self reflection.
Will we ever get a Falling Down analysis? The ending comments of yours really reminded me of D Fens and what befell him throughout the movie.
Few people care about that movie anymore.
I agree. Can't believe someone would suggest people don't care about _Falling Down,_ since it gained a whole new audience. I mean, such knockout lines as:
Bill Foster: [walking around a fast food restaurant holding a TEC-9 automatic pistol] And you, ma'am? How's the food?
[she vomits]
Bill Foster: I think we have a critic.
[to the manager]
Bill Foster: I don't think she likes the special sauce, Rick. That's a joke.
@@Galantski I always think back to the line “I’m the bad guy?” As the most iconic but there are many throughout that movie
30:23 The real horrific thing was Sofia Coppola's acting though. Mary should have sounded like she was choking on blood when she said "Dad." Not like she was calmly asking Michael if she could go out with her boyfriend that night.
Xehanort 10 --- ON THE POSITIVE SIDE. | Sure, but, at the least, Sofia Coppola is Italian and looked the part, whereas the thespian limitations of white-bread Winona Rider (evident in "Dracula") would have spoiled what little fun there is in Godfather III.
What an outstanding essay. You are spot on with every single aspect of your hypnosis and touched on some ideas that I hadn't thought about. This further reminds me why watching these films is like watching a beautiful painting come to life.
My all time favorite movie/trilogy…with easily one of the best character arcs ever written, in my opinion.
One could argue that doing what Michael Corleone did while KNOWING on every level it was evil, makes him WORSE than a psychopathic murderer who is missing that empathic element entirely. Keeping Fredo close, letting his son become close to him, knowing all the while he was going to murder him. THAT is truly malevolent in a man who KNOWS and empathicly feels in a normal way the cost of such an action. More by far than even a Ted bundy type who's crimes are far worse in every brutal objective measure but who doesn't have the empathy to FEEL the human cost, while still intellectually and legally knowing right from wrong and thus still legally responsible for his God awful actions.
@@stairwaytoheaven8 True. But he's a psychopath, too. Something which Michael Corleone is not. Which was kind of the point of my post.
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Killing his brother Fredo was indefensible and not necessary.
*”..while knowing on every level it was evil..”*
To you and I, yeah, but to Michael in the given circumstances it’s highly debatable that he saw the act as ‘evil’. It’s more likely he rationalized it as annihilation of another enemy.
@@kramalerav It's clear by the third movie that even he himself believes his killing of Fredo was an act of evil for which he spiritually and emotionally wants forgiveness for commiting, but doesn't believe he himself deserves.
Was strictly business
As Mike told his father in the garden: "I'm not a pezzonovante"
One evil I saw with GF, among many, was when the 5 families were together and they decided to distribute drugs only in the black/hispanic communities, cause as one of the bosses said "they're animals anyway. So let them lose their souls". And the godfather said, "I'm willing to do whatever" to bring peace. His tacit approval did more harm to a community than any bookmaking , extortion and whorehouses could ever do.
As for Fredo, the godfather said in the garden with micheal, "Fredo...ah, Fredo, Freddo.." and the famous chair scene with Fredo and Mike, saying "That's the way pop wanted", Fredo, "It's not the way I wanted!!"
Mike said to Tom, "You can take your wife, children and your mistress". Mike trusted no one
7/17/2022: Yes, that was EXTREMELY SAD 😭 what that “hood” boss said. Sin is deceptive - everyone around that table had “ lost their souls”. Bad people are BAD - it does not matter if they have the money in the world, what race, skin color or what work they do. BAD/WRONG is BAD and WRONG.
I always thought he said “another” pezzonovante As an offhand way to say that he was not going to be another big shot
Italians are racists but kkk hates Italians go figure
Except for the women in the family ❤️
@@jasonhutter7534thought so too
There's one extra murder that really hit me. The prostitute that was with Senator Geary in Godfather II.
That was coldhearted and despicable as hell, as it was just a girl working to survive, that had no one to take care of her, or even ask about her whereabouts (as Tom precisely said).
Obviously, the murder was directly committed by Al Neri, with directions by Tom Hagen (it changed my view of that character, that had seem so respectable until that point, or even Al Neri, that had always been so respectful of his own familiy). But I really doubt that it was done without Michael's knowledge, or even direct approval.
To me, that's the most despicable murder in all three movies. At least Fredo had committed a grave mistake, and was foolish and risked the family's lives. But that girl in the motel... she had done nothing. Nothing at all.
That was purely evil.
She was caught under fire, not aimed at
Hagen was as cool as anyone with the murder/death mindset. His I believe was the order to kill Khartoum and leave him in Woltz's bed. He smirked at Tessio when Tessio asked to get off the hook, and he gives the orders to take him away. Over stogies he casually and lightheartedly suggests Pentangeli kill himself to prevent the Corleones from going after his family. Hagen was no saint, just a smooth mob lawyer, a kid literally from the streets who was raised in the game, and who deeply cherished his position as the number one advisor to his family.
Agreed..always felt the same
I have to respectfully disagree with your reasoning about Fredo. Maybe we've interpreted Michael's actions differently, but I simply took it as another ruthless move to protect the family. It was the pragmatic decision to make, killing Fredo to prevent him from making another mistake that could destroy the family. I don't think it was rooted in a desire for vengeance and I think that's a misreading of Michael and his intentions.
Yeah, he needs to send message for the family to prevent others to betray the family. If he didn't killed Fredo his enemy and family will interpret it as a sign of weakness and there will be more attempts on his family
Precisely. It's the Mafia code: you screw the family over, you pay for it. And Michael Corleone IS the family.
One thing I could not understand is why Michael would even have someone as weak as Fredo be underboss.
@@jerryavalos9610 Nepotism through and through. Everyone in the family has always known Fredo was too weak to handle any real "business" in the family. Michael didn't trust Fredo with anything.
It had already been years since the actual betrayal. Michael had already taken the steps necessary to prevent any more betrayals from Fredo. He didn't *need* to do what he did.
Michael sat in a darkened room, on his own, plotting. That was always his destiny and where he seems most at home despite his obvious paranoia, depression and even madness.
This channel is amazing for the variety of "evil" covered. Bravo.
I just get finished watching The Godfather and open youtube to see this video uploaded. It's a good day today.
I have been analyzing this for so long and you put it into words and action, bravo!
Most powerful scene IMO is the ending to part 2. Michael reflecting on him wanting to choose where his life would go, arguing with his family. The camera closes up and the shadow casts over his face.
Magnificent.
It's brilliant foreshadowing too. Symbizing that he's choosing darkness
Pure Cinematic perfection.
Michael's distant and cold personality stems from having to fill in for his father, which is what he wanted to avoid entirely. He never wanted this role and despises it but knows that his family legacy would've been destroyed had he not reluctantly stepped up.
The phrase 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions' fits Michael perfectly.
The vilest part of _The Godfather_ trilogy is excluding Robert Duvall as consigliere, and replacing him with George Hamilton.
@Sidharth Rao
It was pure stupidity on their part.
@Sidharth Rao didn't he price himself out on purpose?
Robert Duvall is criminally underated.
I almost thought u said George Washington LMFAO!!!!!!😂😂😂😂😂😂
The fact that he went into the Marine Corps is telling. As a Marine, you are a killer. One shot, one kill. Yet, you are also told and pushed into also being a good person to those who deserve it. Its also about respect by leading and not by just bullying. As a Marine myself, I have found most Marines are very, very kind and have huge hearts and are very protective of those less powerful.
Wut? WW2 marines had the same code of ethics as modern day marines?
Thank you for your service
When Michael's daughter dies his reaction is classic.
The sream without sound is some professional acting.
As well as the stroke he have as he keeps saying his brothers name it's like he never forgave himself for having him killed.
Wow The Godfather is a Classic movie .
Great character from 2 amazing movies, glad you made this one. It’s such a tragedy considering the Don had the most hope for Michael
Just when I thought I was out
There's 3 godfather movies
@@ramirovaldez2661 Nope. Only 2. :)
@@randobianco There are ONLY TWO Godfather films
@@randobianco Yes. A sense of humor.