Really hit me hard the story of him but I think the don didnt care if Lucia die ....1 for the baby 2 he made every1 uncomfortable 3 maybe the member of the family he kill wasnt but Lucas said it was
If he sends Clemenza or Tessio or anyone else, he runs the risk of having them ACTUALLY double cross him for that sweet, sweet drug money. When even Sonny and Tom are in favor of the deal, he knows the only person he can be sure won't turn on him is Luca. But this is also the reason Barzini and Solozzo didn't believe him.
@@919ENTERTAINMENTLLC and therin lay another mystery, or plot hole. Solozzo and Barzini wanted Vito's police and judicial contact for protection. If that were the case, why the cop on Solozzo's payrol? Would Barzini and Solozzo be more concerned about the cops and judges going after them if they took out Don Vito? In reality Solozzo would never go against someone with Vito's connections, instead he would have done what all mobsters do in such circumstance, they go behind the Don's back to on or more of his willing capos. In reality Solozzo would have simply made a deal with Sonny on the side, problem solved.
@@tedwojtasik8781 Don Barzini saw The Turk as a powerful tool to make him wealthy and finally get rid of the thorn in his side Don Corleone. Hence Barzini had the pimp mobster back him. By tell Vito that they backing him was his ace to see the weakness in the Don's family. Sonny took the bait and The Turk let Barzini know that the fall of the Corleone family was ripe for the taking. Except Don Vito survived the plot and schemed get rid of all of his enemies from beyond the grave.
@@tedwojtasik8781 In regards to McClusky, he was a police captain. He was great in situations where the Turk would need cops to be moved or used, but in the long run having only a police captain wouldn't net you much. He has no ear on the street or in the lower ranks, whereas the Godfather had ears at every level. That's why they needed his connections, despite Solozzo having McClusky. IIRC the cop in the background who says "But the kid's a war-hero" right before McClusky broke Mike's jaw was on the Corleone payroll.
In the book, Luca Brasi was the only man in the world who's presence would make Don Corleone feel very unconfortable. Same with Luca Brasi: he never feared another man in his life, but was extremely nervous everytime he was around Vito Corleone. You can also see this in the movie when Vito asks Tom if it's really necesary to meet Luca in his office. When Luca comes in, he was so nervous that he messed up the little speech he had prepared to congratulate Vito for his daughters wedding. He sounded really intimidated and even gets interrupted by some kids who bumb into the room. You almost feel bad for him, until you remember he's the most ruthless number one sicillian killer.
There is another factor: the actor, Lenny Montana, was a criminal and enforcer, he got to acting but was so bad, he had to read and repeat his speech to Don. Coppola decided it would be good to show Brasi's nerves in front of Don.
@@rafachrzaszcz6997 If I remember the director's commentary, Coppola said during that scene, Brando wrote "FU" on his forehead while the camera was on Montana, which threw Montana's concentration off.
@@aliensoup2420The story goes- guys like James Caan convinced Montana, (who refused at first but ultimately convinced) to wear a note on his tongue that said "F you" during his scene with Brando. Brando busted out laughing.. Then during the retake, Brando wore a note that said "F you too"
"Is this really necessary" especially when Vito is talking, there are no wasted words in this movie, no slips of the tongue, this clearly shows what Vito thought of Luca.
He didn't think they would make a move yet, he didn't think it would be all out war from the start (obviously otherwise he wouldn't have left himself so open to a hit) he sent Luca on a recon mission nothing more, the godfather thought Luca had dealt with far more dangerous situations than a simple recon mission in a bar he already went to a good few times beforehand, as this video says Luca already had something going on with them he wasn't going in completely cold. It was a miscalculation from Vito but an understandable one.
According to the novel, Luca was not only a very violent man extremely loyal to the Don, but also one who upon his own initiative took out five of the Don's rivals in a single day. Don Corleone mistakenly sent his sword to serve as a spy.
I do not think it was a intension of him being a spy. I think it was done to send out a message to them. When Luca arrived on the scene it was to try and scare them back but little did Don Corleone know how stupid they really were.
@@bighands69 Review the film again. Just before meeting with The Turk Don Corleone described him as, " a very serious man." So, he was aware of the danger, but made the wrong move. Or, to use the chessboard to make the analogy he moved the wrong piece. And, that move was already anticipated. The Turk even told Michael that, " Let's face it, Mike. The Don is slipping."
@@bighands69 Also, The Don explicitly instructed Luca to gather information. He said nothing about frightening anyone. How do you frighten such men? Men who would kill a dead tree! They made quick work of Luca.
Luca sealed his own fate when he DID NOT shake hands to seal the deal! Lucas's loyalty was so deep that he refused to shake on it even though he was in full deception mode! That's what got Luca killed his unwavering loyalty! The lack of handshaking! Back then a man's handshake was all he really had!
Quite opposite. He supposed to act like he does not want to betray Godfather that easy. And then to act like he will make a deal with Barzini and Solozzo. But they've planned to kill him either way.
My uncle was the manager of the hotel Edison in Times Square where they filmed his assassination scene. My family connection to the movie 😆. Greatest movie ever. Love the channel
This part was not thought out well. The other families knew Luca and knew he was loyal to Don Corleone. Now all of a sudden he shows up and says he's not happy with the family? Directly after Don Corleone refused Sollozzo's deal? He's a dead man. It makes no sense to do that.
Nah the mistake is an honest mistake but Sollozzo says as much to Tom "could I have gotten to him 5 years ago?" The crown eventually fades and Vito's time was over because he wasn't as ruthless about narcotics.
It was obvious to the readers that Luca Brasi was loyal to Don Corleone, but was it obvious to his enemies? They didn't read the book, or see the movies. All capos and soldiers had to appear loyal to their bosses. Also, the video states, based on the novel, it wasn't right after the meeting.
Or, was it GENIUS? It forced their hand to make a move/play their hand. A move that was coming anyway. The Don saw how disappointed everyone was when he turned Sollozzo down. He knew the risks to Brasi AND the family sending Brasi to pretend to betray.
One of my favorite scene is when Luca stutters in front of Don Corleone. It meant that even such a scary man respected and feared Don Corleone. He could not deliver his greetings properly, literally pissing in his pants. Later I found out that it was just bad acting from Mr. Montana, a pro-wrestler after all, but Coppola kept it in because it had the right effect. Montana was intimidated by Brando just like Luca was intimidated by Don Vito. This is method acting at its best! Unbelievable casting. Coppola is really a genius.
@@ArtietheArchon He he he he he, good one Artie! Yes, bad is good, literally is virtually, etc. English has become a rather strange (or strained) language.
I think because the legend of Luca was so engrained in Vito and others that he had too much confidence in Luca. Who is going to try Luca with his reputation and ties for that matter? It was a slip.
I agree completely. It was a slip, not only by giving Luca those orders, but also in believing in Luca's myth of invincibility. Vito's first big major step into becoming a Mafia lord, was when he clearly saw through Don Fanucci's semblance of being untouchable. He recognized he had no muscle, nor anyone around, and that even some street punks could stab him and live to tell the tale. With the Tattaglia/Sollozo business, he did completely the opposite. He was clearly slipping.
Vito completely misread the situation. As soon as Vito refused Solozzo Barzini put the hit in motion. They didn't care if Brasi was defecting or not he was just a loose end they didn't need.
Luca Brasi was made out to be so dangerous, strong and loyal but the way he was killed was so simple and easy. I would have liked to see more of Luca Brasi's terrors so he could be a standout character in the film and could have given him a more suitable ending. Nice video tho! 👌🏻
The families had been at peace for years so Don Corleone didn't expect an assassination attempt to come out of nowhere. There wasn't even any apparent tension between the families that could lead to a war. Tataglia wasn't powerful enough to start a war and Solozzo didn't have the organization to go up against the Corleone Family. It was the secret backing of Barzini that made the Turk able to make the hit on Don Corleone. But, the Don didn't suspect that.
This was actually debated on another site. One viewpoint stated that Don Vito Corleone hadn't yet realized his true enemy was Barzini. He sent Luca Brasi in to "feel out" the Turk and Bruno Tattalia. Had Bruno been the *true* brains behind the Turk's offer, he would've welcomed a useful addition like Luca Brasi with opened arms. Unfortunately, the Don "slipped up." And everyone was taken off guard by Luca Brasi being killed, including the audience. Because if one looks closely, there isn't an orange to be seen anywhere in the vicinity...
@@BeenDeliveredToday the deadly oranges that seem to foretell deaths and attacks in the movies. There are a few videos compiling the scenes that pointed out even more than I had connected before.
@@michaellalli7693 is it good? Im currently in the last chapters of the godfather. Should I go back and read that one before going on to the godfather returns?
Right? Lol… the guy acting as Luca Brasi was a real gangster in the Colombo Crime Family sent to monitor the set. Coppola cast him, but due to his nerves, He kept making mistakes and repeating his lines to himself. This was then incorporated into the film as a character trait.
@@kaxeniakristelle7887 whoa whoa whoa. You DON'T kill them, that's the whole point of Vito telling clemenza to give the job to someone who won't "lose their head". Lol Fr tho, that game was amazing.
When you send someone to your enemies, on an information gathering mission, pretending to be shifting loyalties, you better know that you could trust that individual emphatically. Obviously, Vito knew what a mental case and a vicious killer Luca Brasi really was, but he also knew that he could trust Luca’s loyalty without reservation. That and the fact that Luca Brasi had a reputation for being able to take care of himself even in the most dangerous circumstances made him the perfect choice. Vito might have also felt that Luca was constantly anxious to find ways to prove his affection and loyalty to the Don; so he gave Luca a bone to gnaw on. What is, however, quite surprising to me is the fact that Luca, walking into that inherently dangerous meeting, left himself vulnerable to a sneaky attack. Perhaps he had become complacent, after his botched suicide attempt; or maybe deep down he did have a death wish.
You write: "Luca Brasi had a reputation to be able to take care of himeself even in the most dangerous circumstances" - and I totally agree. That's why the killing scene of Luca is so completely unreal in that it took only seconds for him to die, while he offered little resistance. In reality it takes several minutes to throttle somebody, especially a big strong guy like Brasi who also would have pulled the knife out of his hand (providing him with a weapon), fight like a lion and probably overpower his assailants.
@@hanseekhoff1093 Yeah it's always bugged me a bit about how easy Luca Brasi goes out. It was a pretty effective move, and one that would have definitely caught him off guard, I just feel like a big bull of a man like that would have been thrashing around violently, regardless of the knife in his hand.
"When you send someone to your enemies, on an information gathering mission, pretending to be shifting loyalties." That has always been my one and only beef with THE GODFATHER 1 : How could Vito (and Luca) even think for a second that these enemies he sends Luca to would buy such an inept "defection" story ? It makes no sense (except if Vito is doing this to see how they will react) but, Man, he's basically sending poor Luca to his death and risking losing one of his most loyal guys in the process (which is exactly what happens). I hope it makes more sense in the novel.
@@igg3937 One would think that he'd tear his own flesh to get at the man on is back. in reality a guy like that would've ripped his hand down the middle, fuck the knife. Then proceed to eviscerate Bruno, and Sollozzo
He wasn't there to spy, he was there to harass and provoke a reaction. Being watched by a protected killer was an intimidation tactic. Neither Luca nor the Don were expecting such a bold attack.
I think it really caught Luca off guard. I think he genuinely thought he was in and wasn't as sharp as he used to be. He didn't expect it, especially not the way in which he was killed. Probably expected a gun if anything which is why he wore gear. People didn't try him with his reputation. I think they killed him by hand to send a message that they took out Vito's top muscle without a gun.
Solozzo said it himself. Don Corleone was slipping in his old age. The fact of the matter is that Vito had gotten too comfortable following his idea to institute the Commission*. He started to see the underworld through his rose colored glasses by believing his rivals were as cultured and compassionate as he was, and that mob wars were now a thing of the past. He allowed Barzini to fool him by putting on the visage of an aging older gentleman who'd lost his ambition to rule New York over the years. In reality, Barzini was only biding his time until he could finally create the chaos necessary to throw the Commission out of whack and render it ineffective so that he could resume his goal of becoming capo di tutti capi; the "boss of bosses". Barzini secretly detested the idea of a commission. He still believed in the old Sicilian ways where one boss would control all the families. While Luca was indeed dangerous and psychotic, he was also dumb, unsophisticated, and losing a step himself. Allowing Luca to grow too comfortable in his reputation was part of Barzini's plan too because of Don Vito's over reliance on him. At the end of the day, Vito had gotten too secure in his status since the creation of the Commission, and too predictable in his reliance on Luca Brasi. There's a reason why only Michael and Al Neri could win the war, and not Vito and Luca. They were the only wildcards in the Corleone family that Barzini never saw coming. *In real life Lucky Luciano created the Commission, but in the Godfather universe it was Vito Corleone
I do not think Don Corleone was slipping. I think he was under the impression that they were not stupid enough to cross him. But he underestimated their stupidity. Luca was sent as a deterrent so that they would get the message. The failed against Don Corleone on several levels.
Don't have 16 minutes to spend watching, but I'll say this. Vito obviously did not expect Sollozzo to put a hit on the head of one of the Five Families. No expecatation of a hit on Vito means they aren't just going to incur his wrath by Luca suddenly turning up dead.
It's a brilliant move on Vito's part. Everyone knows Luca is loyal to him, so they will know Luca is lying when he shows up and says he wants to switch families. What they do next tells him their intentions. They attack or kill Luca and he knows they are enemies. They come and tell Vito that Luca came to them and they are friendly. They do nothing and they have no intention of doing anything. They welcome Luca in and they don't respect Vito, but aren't necessarily in opposition to him. People judge this move the way people do most things - they aren't thinking of what is possible. It's a movie and so they only see the movie version. Life isn't a movie. You don't know who the bad guys are and who the good guys are. You have to take actions and see what happens to really know. Also, Vito is getting older and knows it. Luca is the kind of guy you need to get rid of eventually.
If they didn't see through it, he had somebody dangerous on the inside. If they DID see through it, they might play along and feed Luca false information. They would almost certainly see through it, because Luca's a bad choice for anything subtle. This would give Vito a sense of how deep the game is on the opposition's side. It would also make THEM think that Vito's weak and stupid to send such an obvious plant. I like your last point. Vito surely understood Luca Brasi's character, inside and out. If you remember the speech he gave at Michael's wedding, they made a big deal on this channel about how Vito seemed visibly relieved when Luca was done. Also pay attention to the body guards. The filmmaker made a point of showing them on full alert until Luca was done, and then relaxing when he stepped away. The scene right before Luca gets the garrote shows him gearing-up, putting on his vest under his shirt, etc. That scene shows him for what he is, a former pro wrestler who's big, out of shape, and not too swift. My thought watching the movie was "This is the guy everybody's afraid of?" Brasi was the kind of hitter they'd set up with something impossible to screw up, but calling for absolute psychopathic disregard and brutality. I mean, who knows? Luca MIGHT have found his way, in an idiot-savant sort of way, like "M-O-O-N" did in "The Stand." He made the perfect spy because he was kind of retarded, and nobody gave him a second thought. But back to your last point, Luca Brasi was a loose cannon and expendable to the Corleone family.
Totally agree! I feel that although he would hate to lose him sooner rather than later, this is the Don's biggest chance to maximize Luca's worth to him and while gaining more insight into his enemies intentions, is the ultimately best way to eliminate Luca from being a threat to his own family after he is gone.
When Don Vito talks to Michael about Luca and says that Luca is a man who chooses to give his allegiance and cannot be forced into it. He says that Luca Brasi chose to follow him because he knew he was the only man capable of taking his life if he wanted. Don Vito was willing to take the risk, and Luca was willing to die for his Don.
The guy wasn't buying the lie that Brasi would betray the Godfather when Brasi went to the club they knew he was a dead man the Godfather in his wisdom should have known Brasi would be clipped they knew he wouldn't betray Vito.
In the books, before the meeting with the Turk and Bruno he was about to make a phone call to Sonny or you can say Godfather as he did not know the Don had been shot and tell them about this meeting but did not and thought of carrying the plan devised by don.
The Corleone's shoulda sent a younger member of the organization to get info and told him to tell Solozzo that Sonny sent him cuz he was interested in doing business and wanted to go under Vito's nose. That would've been more believable than Vito's top and most loyal enforcer wanting to switch sides and it would've played into what Solozzo and Tattaglia already had in mind regarding Sonny
Don Vito should have tried sending Luca Brasi BEFORE the meeting with Sollozzo. Vito didn't even think that the ACTUAL goal was to destroy and replace the Coreleone family and I don't think even Sollozzo knew it. Barzini wanted to sit at the Head of The Commission and the Five Families of New York envied Don Vito's power and popularity according to the novel.
I agree. But all in all Sonny had the right idea. Kill them all. But his approach was fucked up. Think about it. What did Michael do after Vito died. He killed them all. You say tomato I day tomata
I never saw Sonny’s comment as showing interest. It seemed more to me that it pissed off Sonny, who was offended that Solozzo would suggest the Corleones would need the protection of the Tatalias or they would provide better protection than the Corleones could protect themselves.
If Vito wanted an inside man on The Turk, he shouldn’t have sent his most loyal and most powerful weapon. Luca was a killing machine wasted on a spy mission. But whether Luca went to the bar or not, they’d have to kill him before they moved on Vito
But being the most loyal person meant no chance of being swayed. They desperately needed an insider as Vito probably knew he was among the few mob bosses who didn't want to deal with drugs and thus would face multiple families. In the second movie, Michael says most of the family higher ups are business men and only Tom could be trusted. It was the same with Vito. Before Vito died, he expected either Tessio, and even Clamenza to betray the family - telling Michael that whoever invites him to a meeting with Barzini after Vito dies is the traitor. Most of the mafia families - at least portrayed in the movie - wanted in on the drug business because of how lucrative it was. If he sent anyone else, there was always a chance they actually betray him for the money. He knew Luca Brasi would never betray him. Just sucked he also happened to be his strongest weapon.
@@EJBarte I think there were clues in the film to suggest Luca Brasi wasn't Vito's best weapon, especially seeing how easy it was to take him out. Brasi had some brutal murders of passion on his back trail, and the only reason he was still breathing was because Vito offered him redemption and put him on retainer as muscle. There were 3 possibilities: 1. They see through him and off him right away, tipping their hand. 2. They don't see through him and he becomes an asset to the Corleones in the enemy camp. 3. They see through him and play him. He had to know how stupid Luca was, and not have (m)any expectations of high-value intel. He had to expect Luca would eventually be exposed, although there's a chance his natural taciturnity would allow him to fly under the radar. I think it likely that Vito would see Luca Brasi as equal parts asset and liability. At least as much for show as for utility. "Now am I gonna haveta call Luca over here to repeat the question, or are you just gonna tell me?" I think a guy as smart as Vito would see Luca as pretty expendable.
Exactly! I read your post only after I had myself posted: It wasn't simply that Vito's decision to send Luca was ill-considered or sub-par (specifically because everyone "knew" that Luca's loyalty was unquestionable). Rather, the assignment which Vito had given to Luca was simply far too subtle and complicated. Luca was the Don's tactical nuclear weapon - a mega-death city-killer. But the job Vito had in mind - to infiltrate the enemy camp and gather intel, to act a role and inveigle himself into their trust - would have required someone with the subtlety of a master spy. Luca was a battle-axe - but Vito needed a scalpel.
Here's a thought. You pointed out that Luca Brasi is totally loyal to Vito Corleone and ONLY loyal to Vito Corleone. Vito might have deliberately tried to place Luca in very dangerous circumstances hoping that he might get killed because Vito wanted to leave the Family in good hands when his son, Sonny took over. Having only a very weak loyalty to Sonny (or to the other two Corleone brothers), Luca might have been more of a dangerous liability than an asset.
You misunderstand loyalty here. This guy respected the don and that extends to his family which I will agree with you will be weak . Becasue sunny is no Vito and Micheal was not someone to be in the family business. If luca was there when vito got shot, no one of the corleone family could have stopped him from going berserk on the tattaglia family into extinction. Liability? I don't think so. He would much rather distance himself from the corleone family since there is no vito or vito like force there. Vito only sent luca to sniff around for information because he wasn't sure who was involved with tattaglia since vito didn't think tattaglia could be strong enough to back someone like solozzo. He wanted to make sure. On the day luca died, it was just a bad day and the turk was just too cunning and maybe it was decided that luca braci must die.
IMO, Don Vito mistake was he refused to acknowledge that time was changing. Solozzo is a new breed of mafia, a new generation hellbent on making his name. Old ways of doing things just didn’t cut it anymore. The other Dons went with the flow, but Don Vito persisted with his value - which is what makes his character so endearing in the movie.
The irony is that in real life the heads of all five family's did not "allow" the sale of narcotics untill well into the 1970's. However, unofficially they turned a very blind eye to their street capos slinging smack as long as they were kicking up and did not get caught. The whole mob life is really fascinating to me, especially the next-level hypocrisy of it's members. Talk about masters of cognitive dissonance.
Solozzo symbolizes the “Young Turks” who paid no mind to the “Rules”, such as Omertà and not leaving bodies in the street. Times WERE changing in the time leading up to the time of The Godfather’s release date: Joe Valachi had spilled the beans a decade earlier, and the import and sale of narcotics was way too much money for LCN to just ignore. Then, ‘Murricn Mafiosi made city streets seem like The Wild West. Think about the Castellano hit, performed at rush hour in midtown Manhattan, for crying out loud! And The Philadelphia LCN created a river of blood 🩸 throughout the 80s, flowing through the city all throughout the decade...and then there were the canaries that sent guys like Gotti and Scarfo to prison for the remainder of their lives...
Another film researcher has said the scenes in the movie where Luca is practicing his lines for when he meets Don Vito "on the day of his daughter's wedding," came as a result of the actor playing Luca being very much intimidated by Marlon Brando's acting craftsmanship, and was literally scared anticipating the scene he would be sharing with him. Coppola had the presence of mind to film this actor playing Luca rehearsing his lines and blended it into the movie.
No lie he was an actual mafia enforcer to the Colombo family and was sent to watch over the movie set so Coppola made him apart of the movie and it was history from there!
Vito looks at Tatalia as if to say was it you?? .. Tatalia gets scared and looks at Barzini as if to say help boss help .. then Barzini gets scared and stares at Vito as if to say oh fuck did he spot that ????
The movie didn't convey Luca's terrifying legend enough, as the novel did. Instead, Luca seemed more like Vito's sacrificial lamb. We never quite understand why Vito didn't want him at Connie's wedding.
Yeah I was always wondering about that. Luca even practices his speech and enters the room humbly afterwards which proves his loyalty to Vito. But why Vito didn't invite one of his most trustful man to the wedding is bewildering
@@blakeharris58 Reading the book provides so much more insight into both films. I think it's a must if you really want to understand the movies better.
Southern Cross, I wanted to see that happen...but Vito made a bad move. As other commenters have pointed out, the book give you more detail and context. However, the movie- I opine- captured as much of the novel as any movie could do, There is only so much one can put in a three-hour movie. If I am not mistaken, the people Luca captured at the train station were Al Capone's men. Al was trying to stick his toes into New York waters. Don Corleone sent Al a message: The waters here are too deep for you. Stay in the 3-foot side of the pool in Chicago.
I think Luca kinda messed up by not shaking Sollozzo’s hand when he offered. It confirmed to them that Luca really didn’t give a shit about what he was saying. Though I’m sure the murder was planned well in advance anyways because of the signal used to start the killing. Ultimately I think it was Sonny’s fault for the slip up in the meeting because no one would dare try to kill Luca if it wasn’t carefully planned out.
Sollozo insulted the Don in his meeting and therefore forced Don Corleone to check up on Sollozo's operation. Sollozo therefore had no fear for the Corleones as he knew he had the 4 other families as back up... hence Don corleones decision to send Luca to figure out the force he was up against. Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.
Ever seen a chess match, where a knight is sacrificed? It may hurt, but in this case, it made everyone else bolder, which got them killed. They had no idea that DON VITO may have been a GRAND MASTER. They never seen it coming!
To be honest I'm aware that Don Vito said "go to the Tattaglias tell them your unhappy with us, find out what you can" superised that Luca didn't attack first and wipe them all out. He had a widely known scary reputation for volience. Hello from Ireland 🇮🇪
I was always pretty sure that Vito had a certain distaste, a sensible concern and a very understandable fear of Luca Brasi. That he had to formally receive Luca, his bridal gift and stilted speech on Connie’s wedding day I think perturbed Vito, although it was clear and prudent that Vito should do so. In terms of business I think Vito trusted Luca Brasi and his abilities implicitly, as evidenced by the assignment he was asked to perform for the Don in delivering the shocking warning to Jim Woltz, that he must cast Vito’s godson Johnny Fontane his big new feature film.
One thing I'd like to point out about how easily Luca was taken down is, the best way to take a large man down quickly, apart from shooting him right in the head, is garroting. Thin wire quickly cuts the blood supply to the brain, making the target far more weaker and vulnerable than stabbing or even shooting in the body. You will black out in mere seconds after the pressure is applied, no matter the size. Look at some of the choke-holds Martial artists apply and how quickly it makes target pass out. Garroting is 10 times more efficient.
Assuming you are a master assassin whose specialty is garroting and you are quick enough to put the garrote in place before the victim even realizes what is happening. Consider also the Baptism of Fire scenes - most murders happen at extremely close range, with basically immobile / trapped targets, because the was to murder, not to make it "clean". Barzini's death, however, could only be entrusted to Al Neri because you needed an expert marksman, someone who could calmly make three shots, one at a moving target running up a staircase already a fair distance away from you, and then make all three shots killing shots. Neri made it look effortless because that is clearly his specialty.
I think that, from Vito's perspective, Solozzo would either buy his trap, ou not buy it but be too afraid to make a move. Sending Luca was not only a decoy but also somewhat of a threat - he was hard to kill and doing so would mean war with the top mafia boss. The mistake Vito made was to believe Solozzo was just a reckless outsider. It was Barzini's move to kill Brasil and hit on Vito. Barzini is the actual mastermind to rival Vito's smarts. Story wise, it creates the challenge that removes the Godfather from a position of invincibility to the more exciting position of having to overcome someone just as good as himself. On the bigger picture, Vito's refusal to go into drugs for the sake of the community means he is an old time aristocratic local-minded boss trying to resist the soullessness of globalization. Later on, Michael would embrace it, and therefore survive, but at the cost of letting the old values die. So, Vito's early mistakes are also tragic and represent his belief that no gangster would go that far in disrupting the old order he himself represented. When Sonny dies, he says about the enemies: "they are animals!". It means he still expected some moral limits to exist even in crime (that's kinda of an overall theme of the movies)
Excellent points all made well , what I might add also in the end Vito was proved right in the end saying the drugs would eventually lead to the downfall of the mafia . Possibly Tom and Sonny were thinking 10 years ahead when they said drugs were a thing of the future but Vito fully understood the consequences of going into the Drug Trade . He in theory was way thinking way ahead of anybody else . Unfortunately due to underestimating his enemies hunger for drugs trade , the corleones were left in a position with Sonny Dead and Michael in exile, that he was left in a position where he had to give in to Drugs deal or they would have been defeated. Although in the end they got their revenge .
Excellent take. You'll note that Michael never got the respect afforded Vito, so he saved the family but it came with a cost. The family was never the same. I agree with your assessment that sending Luca was a risk-free gambit from Vito's perspective, and fits the storyline. Recall that Vito doesn't learn that Barzini was behind the whole thing until much later in the movie. Had he known the Turk was being underwritten by Barzini, he may have taken a more subtle, stealthy approach. But there's also something to the idea that the Don's time was passing.
Good points, but you can't just say what a relatively good guy Vito is or that he's less brutal, when Luca Brazi is the most brutal enforcer in the underworld and did ungodly things in the Corelone's name. "They're animals because they're doing it to us."
I think you stated Vito's fatal flaw: he didn't realize that Barzinni was actually calling the shots. He knew his plot to use Luca to find information would have worked against Sollozzo and Tatallia but would have absolutely not used it if he had know that Barzini was involved. He would have known Barzini was smart enough to see through his plot. I think he didn't know how they were on to Luca until the car ride with Tom back from the meeting of the 5 Families: that it was Barzini all along.
Great video analyzing this situation. I did not know Luca's backstory and did not know about the months long courting. Based solely on the movie I always felt this was dumb and unbelievable that Luca could convince them he was turning. Knowing all that you just revealed, this is a much more believable ploy and just didnt work. His intelligence sources are what failed him. Vito didnt understand the weight of power being turned against him when he sent Luca. It's ok, you cant win all the battles, but they definitely won the war.
When I watched the Godfather years ago, I wondered about the decision to send Luca to infiltrate the opposition mob. My thoughts on it did not go much beyond that, but I did think it was risky because the mob bosses are very much aware of their own thinking and tactics on subversion. Luca was a longtime and loyal associate of the Corleone family and the move to disassociate would seem suspicious. At least as it was portrayed in the movie.
Made no sense to me either. Even today. Only explanation : Vito is getting old and is starting to slip (notice that he waits to be alone with Luca to tell him what he wants him to do. Had ANYONE else been there, they probably would have told Vito : "Come on Pop ! Whadd'ya thinking ? They gonna whack him on the spot !" ;)
The greatness of The Godfather is just like listening to The Beatles musical catalogue. There's always a new instrument you never heard consciously before in the music just as there seems to always be a new angle you hadn't considered before. By just watching this video, I learned that Barzini was angling to take Vito's political contacts away from him. I had always wondered what would have happened to said contacts had Vito died from the attempt on his life. Now I know. Great stuff, as always.
Vito was aging and losing his sharp instincts. He miscalculated and underestimated the grand scheme. It was all over...enter Michael's genius and inevitable calling.
@Mountain forest and using Fredo as a solitary bodyguard also a weakness,or a dulling of the cautious edge that he once had,but was losing with age. Fredo was the ultimate weak link.
@Mountain forest , agreed, every piece of the scheme was well planned, and executed,they played all the corleone weak spots,fredo,Vito aging I think,sonnys temper,Connies loser husband,the counterpart to clemenza,( memory fails for his name,lol. Seems the war did clean out bad blood in a way. Cept maybe badass sonny.
@Mountain forest well,maybe it was clemenza's responsibility to replace Paulie with someone more capable then fredo, I do think an insider traitor is the hardest to detect and maybe they all cut Paulie too much slack cuz his soninlaw status...another weak link the shrewd opposition exploited.
@Mountain forest obviously,but if Vito wasn't losing his edge,should not he have noticed it was just him and fredo in the car? Definitely, fredo wasn't a safe haven. Give me clemenza over fredo, clemenza handled the killing of solozzo and cop at restaurant brilliantly,plus handling the shotgun pretty good with Michael's reckoning. Tessio was a traitor.
@Mountain forest you've convinced me. The traitorous brains behind the scheme was clemenza,not barzini. Ok? Now cool the silly hard on for clemenza and move on. Your obsessed.
Hold on. "The Don is slipping." Brasi's death makes the family look weak." Consider this: Is causing his enemies to underestimate him not almost always a part of Corleone strategies? You can replace a blunt instrument, even one as deadly as Luca Brasi. But is he not the ONE guy your enemies might believe you won't sacrifice? And by sacrificing him, would not all of your enemies start thinking you are losing a step? When, on the timeline, does Al Neri come into the picture? Perhaps that is the unknown, to all of his enemies. They don't know he already has a replacement for Brasi making Brasi expendable. I mean, I don't know. I didn't write the book. We'd have to ask Puzo what was really in Vito's head. I can only offer this additional "maybe."
Think of it as a chess match, where Vito, the Grandmaster, used Luca like a pawn, albeit an extremely powerful pawn, more like a queen who can jump like a knight, and has several other illegal moves. Although he was a valuable asset to Don Corleone, he was also deranged brain-damaged psychopath who killed his newborn son by throwing him into a furnace. He was a real ticking timebomb, a chip that Vito needed cash sooner or later. Luca had a fierce personal loyalty to Don Vito, but it's likely he would be become a huge problem for the family after he died. One big problem was his beef with Hagen, who who he wanted to kill for sleeping with his girlfriend, but agreed to forego when he swore his allegiance to the Corleone family. And based on the prequel it seems didn't care too much for Irish people in general.
@@phoggknight6714 Thank you for the information. Though it does not seem to make sense to use a 2012 prequel novel to explain events in a movie from decades previously. The prequel novel is a retroactive explanation, which neither Puzo nor Coppola may have had in mind. Vito's sending of Luca on a suicide mission may have been a mistake rather than an act intended to get Luca killed.
@@AB-ct3kj Sorry, I should have mentioned that the novel was based on Mario Puzo's unproduced screenplay. The movie was never made, and Puzo died in 1999.
Why? Because Solozzo was right-THE DON WAS SLIPPIN. Think how bad Vito's judgment was after the Solozzo meeting. He's worried enough to send Luca on a suicide mission that was obvious and awkward. EVERYONE knew Luca was intensely loyal to the Don. The idea that he could convince the Tattaglias he was a traitor was plain stupid. Meanwhile he goes around with Fredo as his driver and bodyguard during a time he knows is dangerous. Simply put, Vito lost his fastball.
I think it was a mistake. Because as far as I remember, Brasi was pretending to e a double agent working for the Turk and giving information against Vito but in reality it was the opposite. Brasi was a violent and powerful man and he was attached to Vito because of his respect for him. They probably figured out that if you are attached to someone for yoir ideals and emotions, its difficult to backstab them. So they knew Brasi is still loyal to Vito. And they took him out
I must say, his death looks a little ridiculous in the film. You'd have to think of going to a rival family and offering your services outright! No, if it had been some small-time bookie, or even one of the militants, it would have been understandable. But Luca Brasi himself! What an idiot Sollozzo must have looked to take this attempted infiltration at face value! This bouncer reeks of a fake Cossack! Now, the film shamelessly belittles Luca. He was a bully, but he was by no means an idiot, and he worked out his "spy legend" for several months. Here and there he complained about the Don, here and there, then he hung out in the pub of a rival family, and, as if by chance, he mentioned that he was beginning to get tired of serving the Corleone family. Then he had a mistress and, as if not knowing whose informer she was, also dropped a few words about what he sees himself as in five years in a young, dynamic company ... In short, painstakingly and fruitfully dropped the seeds on fertile ground, so that Sollozzo had a sincere desire to buy him out. It didn't work. Sollozzo was surprisingly far-sighted and decisive, playing proactively and taking Corleone's key figure out of the game in one fell swoop. A little postscript - in the book no one put a knife in his hand. It was just two men holding hands while a third strangled him.
Here is my theory. If you are going to send someone then who will you send? Vito didn't like Luca. he used Luca like a tool. He was a brutal enforcer but still expendable. He was brave and stupid enough to go into that meeting and psychopathic enough to stay calm in that room. It was a suicide mission possibly including torture that most thinking soldiers and capos of the Corleone families would have refused to perform. Even under the threat of death. Vito had other enforcers. Luca was well known and could not be used as a sneak assassin and you don't need strong or even fearless men to pull a trigger in the streets. If Luca had been successful, then he would have infiltrated the rival families. If Luca got killed, Vito would be forewarned of a war instead of just relaxing and then becoming the target of a hit before he knew it.
A calculated risked. If the ploy works the The Godfather gains valuable intel. If it fails he knows that Salazzo is not a man he wants to do business with and must be eliminated. A high risk high reward ploy. As it turns out Michael was a better choice to take over the family than Sonny whose judgment has sometimes been questionable
@@tedwojtasik8781 Haha sorry I dunno why I kept thinking about it from the movie's production timeline, because the movie was made in 1971/1972, just before Bruce died.
The Mafia's ban on drugs is not for the reasons they said in the movie. They don't like the business because A) It forces you to deal with junkies, or as most people call them scum B) the penalties are too high for small amounts and encourages ratting each other out C) You run a risk of your soldiers getting hooked on the drugs and then they become a problem. They were right.
You have to look at the trajectory of the plot to know it’s about Vito “slipping”. The plot is really about Michael’s rise and not about Vito’s decline. Therefore, for Michael to rise, the Don must decline - “slip”. You saw this when Vito returned to Sicily to avenge his own father’s death, by killing Don Ciccio. Then, Vito was rising and Cicio was declining or “slipping”, as the Turk put it. This decline is then what makes Michael such an interesting anti-hero: he too avenges his father’s treatment by the other families but he is a loyal and loving son and so he doesn’t rise to power for power sake, but to protect his father. Ultimately, even as Michael loses his soul, he loves his father very much. In fact, he even puts his father above Kate and his initial intentions to steer clear of the family business. Later when we see Michael’s ruthlessness it’s against this sentimental backdrop. This is the plot. Thank you for this piece and getting me interested enough to respond. 👍
NOOOOOOOO……!!! Now I’m so terribly conflicted….. one of my favourite scenes… unhinged 😥. But, one of my darkest fantasies realised…… 😂🤣 I’m not sure if I should thank you……. 🙂
It's in the book, in that time he was being murdered, he actually shit himself and the feces ran down his legs to the floor and made him slip and fall down. I could visualize the scene and even felt that smell
@@Buugzy Yes, he did - not that one's Bowels releasing is terribly Uncommon, as Incontinence is something that often occurs: both when Losing Consciousness from Asphyxia, as well as the moment of Death, - Mario Puzzo was rather Crass, like that; the whole episode with the gun, for the Assassination of Solotzo, & McKlusky, being hid beforehand in the Bathroom for Michael, was because Clemenza, when 'Prepping' Michael for the meet, relates just *How* different this will be from killing in the army - "you won't be looking at them through the sights of no rifle, & when you shoot them that close you're going to get showered in their blood & brains," - & that right before Michael is going to "come out shooting" his bowels are going to be so loose from nerves, that it's better for him to take a shit, then clean himself up and grab the gun, than potentially shitting himself after, because once he kills them he has to leave the restaurant *as fast as possible* without running. [Putzo might even then had Clemenza tell Michael about how, after the first time he had to kill someone up close that he shit himself, but it's been over a decade since I read it, so I can't be certain, but *know* that's the reason for Clemenza having his guys hide the gun behind the 'Toilet Box' (it was an old-school toilet with the box above it & the pull chain to flush.) in the book.]
Luca... Not shaking sollozos hand... Pretty much gave him away... Loyal to the don to the very end...... Also... Fredo betrayed the family from the beginning... His reaction to the introduction of calo by sonny at the end of part II...
Actually luca gave the most at the wedding he is a interesting character He is an associate but has a special place . He killed henchmen sent by alcapone with utmost brutality. He killed a corleone associate for making the family look bad. He usually likes to keep himself to himself unless being called by vito specifically, he was fanatically loyal and I believe that Vito sent him because of his fanatical loyalty but also played a part of his death as no one would believe that Brasi would defect hence they should have sent a regular unknown associate.
Vito was losing his strength, underestimated the Turk and got caught slipping. Young vito would have realized something was off when Fredo was his own bodyguard. He knew his son had issues.
@@jaelge I think it's an open question the movies ask whether Michael was the better don. He was more ruthless and efficient, but at what cost? He lost everything his father had grown powerful trying to protect. He poisoned his own family and became a husk of a man winning every battle to protect nothing of true value. Or maybe that's the only way to win that game, and maybe that's part of the point. In any event, it isn't as simple as Michael was smarter and more careful and therefore better. He lacked his father's wisdom, and it mattered greatly.
Remember, Tessio was betraying the family at that time. I find it interesting in the "sleeps with the fishes" scene; Sonny is irritated at Pauly and calls him the traitor while Tessio casually gives him Luca Brasi package message like it's nothing. I think they were trying to indicate Tessio warned the Turk about Luca Brasi still being loyal to the Don, and they should take care him too. The thing I never understood was Tessio never warning the Turk about Micheal's hit on him, maybe he thought Micheal was weak and would not been able to pull it off, or it would be too risky to inform the Turk because only 5 people knew about it; 3 of them being brothers so the suspicion would fall upon him sooner.
True! Perhaps Barzini figured Solozzo was expendable & he could take over the Turk's rackets after he was killed by the Corleones. As well, it was certainly in Tessio's own self-interest to have Luca taken out since Brasi would have certainly come after him later on for betraying Vito/Michael. Not sure if Tessio had joined up with Barzini at that point as that was at least a couple of years before his betrayal. It seems likely though that Vito/Michael's refusal to let him & Clemenza break off & form their own families was the last straw for Tessio..
the don sent luca because of their unique relationship .apart from his children luca was the only one he could trust.in fact thinking on it the don didnt have much luck with men he let in the family.paulie tessio and carlo turn as did joe spinells character later and frankie 5 angels.if you recall and theres more in the book michael and tom arnt even sure who the traitor is after his fathers death.they think it would be clemenza.the don realises the amount of money involved in the turks scheme makes his position as boss vulnerable.put simply he knows despite all the false loyalty his men seeing the fortune out there will get involved out of greed.its fairly true of the real life mob as in goodfellows where paulie never asks where the money is coming from from henry and the others but is content to take it .his outrage at finding out its drug money is palpably false .the top mobsters like genovese were heavily into the trade only the penalties it incurred made them in public deny involvment.theres even a hint of it in the sopranos when tony goes mad at richey selling heroin.however as we see richie was previously involved with beansy who runs a small pizza joint.beansy kicked up to tony as did richie pre prison.i think its a nod to the famous pizza connection case as beansy is later shown to be extremely wealthy .the inference being tony knew all along where the two were getting their money so richie goes back to it on release thinking tony was a hypocrite.with the don i think his intention with luca was two fold to gain info but more importantly to find a way to nip sollozo in the bud.being luca he thought if he thinks they are planning a move against the family he will kill the turk.and because its luca if he kills young tattglia as well so what?i can avert full scale war by saying look you cant control brasi you all know that! they threatened him he took them out i didnt want it but what can you do?thus averting the threat by eliminating the source of the drugs.i think he left it vague knowing lucas bestial instincts would take care of the problem with no comebacks.his big mistake was underestimating the turks cunning deep mob connections and long term plan.hes already decided to kill the don so he has to get rid of luca hes took insurance on himself with mcclusky.luca though loyal to the don is regarded by all the families as a law unto himself very much like his real life counterpart albert anastasia whose removal was neccesitated by the fact that he whacked anyone he felt like and was so fearsome that nobody questioned it until he got completely out of control.
If only Mario could tell us, but I think it was Luca's fault as the Don would have expected him to take care of himself, having said that he could have used someone more convincing to do the job instead of Luca, but he needed someone he could absolutely trust...why or why not? Only Mario knows, it's just a book.
Vito didnt know who his enemy was. He knew that with Luca's reputation they would either be extremely eager to hire him away , or too scared to attack him. Barzinni just saw an opportunity to kill Vito's most dangerous enforcer without Vito even knowing he was the one who ordered it...but the fact that it happened is what let Vito know that the Alliance against him was bigger than he thought.
@@ayanjit9196 It's still "poor Luca", regarding his loyalty and his fate. He's a mobster not Hitler. He's not a psycopath either, do you think he killed for fun? For what you see in the movie you should describe him as such: a loyal scary enforcer.
Even as a kid of about 14, when I first read the "The Godfather", it struck me as kind of "off" and hare-brained for Don Vito to send Luca Brasi to meet with Sollozzo The Turk.
Lenny Montana, the ex-wrestler who played Luca Brasi, was acting in a film for the first time, so I can see where Brasi comes off bad in the movie. Fortunately, I read the book years before I saw the movie, and I can only assume that he was slowing down but assumed that he could get out of the bar. OTOH, I thought that the idea of Luca turning in the book was too unlikely to be believable. Maybe if they found their police officer (who took over Brasi’s role as the in-your-face hitter) before, they could have sent him in as the possible turncoat, since he hadn’t the reputation as loyal to overcome. Don Vito would never have sent Luca Brasi to his death, knowingly, unless he had a replacement lined up, or Brasi was obviously about to become uncontrollable. Neither was the case.
Luca was unhinged. Everybody heard about the whole ‘baby in the fire’ business & was disgusted and horrified. Vito knew then that Luca needed to be killed, that Luca wanted to die and due to his unswerving loyalty, was willing to die for his Don. Therefore Vito kept Luca in his pocket until such a time that his death could be advantageous to the Corleone’s. Your opinion that sending Luca as an agent, just for him to be killed made the Corleone’s look weak is exactly the double bluff Vito was trying to orchestrate. He wanted to wrong foot the other families.
And THAT ladies and gentlemen is why Vito Corleone is THE GODFATHER! Slipping? That is EXACTLY what he wanted EVERYONE to think including us the viewer! Here it is 50 years later and some folks still aren’t sure about his thoughts and motives. While Brazini was busy playing checkers, Don Vito was playing chess!
Ppl should realize that some time ⏲️ has past since Vito asked Loca to see 👀 what's what because he ask him, I believe the day of his Daughter's wedding or just day afterwards and when you see Loca go to the hotel 🏨 for the meeting it winter time in fact it's Christmas time and Connie's wedding was in the summer ☀️ time ⏲️ so the movie goers should of pick up on that
There was no reason at that point of sending Luca to wack Sollozzo. Luca was simply going on a spy mission. He simply just didn't realize that Sollozzo was going to do what ever it takes to get his deal through.
I refuse to believe that Don Corleone didn't know what would happen if he sent Luca. He knew that Luca would die. Luca wasn't subtle, he wasn't a spy. He was a hitman. There's no way he would send Luca without knowing that they would kill Luca. He sent him to his death to test if it was a trap or not. He didn't want to lose someone smart like one of his sons, or any of his capos.
A lot of talking and theorizing without providing the real answer which is: he didn't. Vito send Brasi because he was convinced of Brasi's loyalty (unlike Tessio's and Clemenza's) and did not expect this to happen to Brasi, who in fact sealed his own fate by making himself look suspicious when he refused to shake hands. By the way, something that was completely unreal about the killing scene of Brasi is that it took only seconds for him to die, while he offered little resistance. In reality it takes several minutes to throttle somebody, especially a big strong guy like Brasi who also would have pulled the knife out of his hand (providing him with a weapon), fight like a lion and probably overpower his assailants.
I don’t know if this was supposed was a directors mistake or not but I found it weird that Luca was extremely nervous when he was reading the speech but when Vito called him over for the meeting about the Turk Luca was serious af.
Luca's loyalty was so steadfast that it was a joke to even contemplate sending him on that fool's errand. This scene is purely for brutality effect. He didn't get to enjoy that pre-war Scotch.
I think i read somewhere that the actor who played luca brazi was an actual henchman for one of the five families of new York and the godfather was his first role
I always thought Vito smelled a rat in his meeting with the Turk. He had no idea how deep things actually went, of course. But he also knew there was more to the deal than the Turk was admitting. So, he sent Luca to meet with the Turk and the Tattaglias. If Luca could find more information, then Vito would've been happy to have it. But if something sinister was going on, the Tattaglias would naturally attack Luca. Vito probably figured that Luca would be the only survivor. Plus, Luca killing the Turk and Bruno Tattaglia in legit self-defense would tend to put a kink in whatever deeper plan was going on. So, either Luca would come back with more information or else Luca would come back with the Turk and Bruno's blood on his hands. Either way, Vito figured his immediate problem would be solved. But it never crossed Vito's mind that three guys could get the better of Luca. I imagine that the minute Vito saw his attackers coming, he had a pretty good idea of what had happened to Luca.
@@kevinbergin9971 Yeah, that seemed to have been done for the audience or for plot convenience. If they wanted him dead they would have killed him--he didn't need to know why. It's only useful to tell him so that he survives the assassination attempt and thinks Michael betrayed him, giving him a motive to turn state's evidence. All for the benefit of the viewer.
They never really let you know but I'm assuming the whole thing was a setup. They were never going to kill Pentangelli the cop showing up was always part of the plan which was to convince Pentangelli that Michael had betrayed him so that he testify.
@@Paul-vf2wl That's possible! I thought about that and it's not out of the realm of Hollywood plot possibilities. It explains the comment, but what an elaborate and risky ploy just to down the Corleone family. Requires a lot of pieces to fall into place.
Pretty much, Sollazo and Tattaglia had no business killing Luca, even though they knew dam well he was only with them to investigate for Vito. Whether the failed assassination would happen or not, that right there was the first move made in sparking an instant war.
I never really put any thought into why Luca was killed until now but it does make sense.... I wish they had shown the scene of Luca and Vito threatening the band leader instead of it just a story Michael tells his then girlfriend Kay....
I consider this one rather differently. I don't think Don Corleone slipped. I think he made a calculated gamble and lost. Overall, we see him having become successful, often by recognizing people's real motives. Though we only see Barzini and Tattaglia briefly, I gather that Don Corleone knows more about their respective abilities than we realize. I think Don Corleone suspects more than Tattaglia behind Sollozzo, yet realizes that Tattaglia and Sollozzo may not realize themselves as pawns to someone's intent. He suspects something afoot, yet doesn't know what. Or whom. He needs to send someone to root out the real enemy, yet who? He can't send his sons; Sonny too hot-tempered, Fredo too credulous, Michael and Sonny both too conspicuous. ..Besides he has plans for Michael. Clemenza and Tessio, as capos, currently have too much to lose. A common "foot soldier" won't be near the top soon enough and could be coopted. Luca though, might just work. Though known for his loyalty, he's better suited to portray himself as a passed-over capo. He's known for being a bit of a maverick. I think Don Corleone hopes that Luca succeeds as "undercover agent", yet also realizes the risk to the whole family. Even Luca's death might incidentally reveal the as-yet-unseen enemy. In a way, he's right. Though Luca winds up dead and Vito hospitalized, Vito has ample time to quiz Hagen about the course of events. From what he knows of the various men, Tattaglia and Barzini especially, he has means to know the real enemy. I think Don Corleone recognizes the nature of the situation in the course of the meeting of the families. In keeping with his typical strategy of allowing others to underestimate him, ..he doesn't say a word to the others, only confiding to Hagen, his consigliere, about the situation afterward.
I think Vito was ready to retire. Connie was married, Michael survived the war, so his personal family obligations were fulfilled. Luca would be a problem, though. He wouldn't truly obey anyone bit Vito, and he certainly wouldn't retire himself. Vito wouldn't want such a loose cannon out there. I suspect he put Luca to a task Vito knew he was ill-suited for. Problem solved, no blood on his hands, actually an inspiration to his soldiers. Side note: I've always syspected that they slipped him a mickey at the bar to slow him down. It's never explicitly stated, but it is a tool often employed by bar, nightclub, and brothel folks.
*The Horrifyingly Origin Story of Luca Brasi:*
ruclips.net/video/PRkT_2HK2as/видео.html
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Luca was as were the rest of them....... they are no hero's, they are thugs.
Really hit me hard the story of him but I think the don didnt care if Lucia die ....1 for the baby 2 he made every1 uncomfortable 3 maybe the member of the family he kill wasnt but Lucas said it was
The HORRIFYING Origin Story of Luca Brasi.
What part of England are you from narrator ? You speak a very rare dialect.
@@jasonbodine6033 beat me to it lol
If he sends Clemenza or Tessio or anyone else, he runs the risk of having them ACTUALLY double cross him for that sweet, sweet drug money. When even Sonny and Tom are in favor of the deal, he knows the only person he can be sure won't turn on him is Luca. But this is also the reason Barzini and Solozzo didn't believe him.
I don't think it matters whether they believe him they've already decided to put a hit on Vito.
In reality Don Barzini want Vito gone no matter what...deal or no deal.
@@919ENTERTAINMENTLLC and therin lay another mystery, or plot hole. Solozzo and Barzini wanted Vito's police and judicial contact for protection. If that were the case, why the cop on Solozzo's payrol? Would Barzini and Solozzo be more concerned about the cops and judges going after them if they took out Don Vito? In reality Solozzo would never go against someone with Vito's connections, instead he would have done what all mobsters do in such circumstance, they go behind the Don's back to on or more of his willing capos. In reality Solozzo would have simply made a deal with Sonny on the side, problem solved.
@@tedwojtasik8781 Don Barzini saw The Turk as a powerful tool to make him wealthy and finally get rid of the thorn in his side Don Corleone. Hence Barzini had the pimp mobster back him. By tell Vito that they backing him was his ace to see the weakness in the Don's family. Sonny took the bait and The Turk let Barzini know that the fall of the Corleone family was ripe for the taking. Except Don Vito survived the plot and schemed get rid of all of his enemies from beyond the grave.
@@tedwojtasik8781 In regards to McClusky, he was a police captain. He was great in situations where the Turk would need cops to be moved or used, but in the long run having only a police captain wouldn't net you much. He has no ear on the street or in the lower ranks, whereas the Godfather had ears at every level. That's why they needed his connections, despite Solozzo having McClusky.
IIRC the cop in the background who says "But the kid's a war-hero" right before McClusky broke Mike's jaw was on the Corleone payroll.
In the book, Luca Brasi was the only man in the world who's presence would make Don Corleone feel very unconfortable. Same with Luca Brasi: he never feared another man in his life, but was extremely nervous everytime he was around Vito Corleone. You can also see this in the movie when Vito asks Tom if it's really necesary to meet Luca in his office. When Luca comes in, he was so nervous that he messed up the little speech he had prepared to congratulate Vito for his daughters wedding. He sounded really intimidated and even gets interrupted by some kids who bumb into the room. You almost feel bad for him, until you remember he's the most ruthless number one sicillian killer.
There is another factor: the actor, Lenny Montana, was a criminal and enforcer, he got to acting but was so bad, he had to read and repeat his speech to Don. Coppola decided it would be good to show Brasi's nerves in front of Don.
@@rafachrzaszcz6997 it seemed to work huh?🤣😂
@@rafachrzaszcz6997 If I remember the director's commentary, Coppola said during that scene, Brando wrote "FU" on his forehead while the camera was on Montana, which threw Montana's concentration off.
@@aliensoup2420The story goes- guys like James Caan convinced Montana, (who refused at first but ultimately convinced) to wear a note on his tongue that said "F you" during his scene with Brando. Brando busted out laughing.. Then during the retake, Brando wore a note that said "F you too"
"Is this really necessary" especially when Vito is talking, there are no wasted words in this movie, no slips of the tongue, this clearly shows what Vito thought of Luca.
I think he had confidence luca could handle himself, but he definitely underestimated the turk.
I agree with you
I think he missed Barzini's involvement. He was overconfident based on not knowing who he was really dealing with.
@@Jim-Tuner-Oh for sure, he probably had a hunch but didn't figure it out til the meeting of the 5 families.
He didn't think they would make a move yet, he didn't think it would be all out war from the start (obviously otherwise he wouldn't have left himself so open to a hit) he sent Luca on a recon mission nothing more, the godfather thought Luca had dealt with far more dangerous situations than a simple recon mission in a bar he already went to a good few times beforehand, as this video says Luca already had something going on with them he wasn't going in completely cold. It was a miscalculation from Vito but an understandable one.
I can't say it better or before you now. But yes
According to the novel, Luca was not only a very violent man extremely loyal to the Don, but also one who upon his own initiative took out five of the Don's rivals in a single day. Don Corleone mistakenly sent his sword to serve as a spy.
Well said
I think he wanted him to get information and kill sollozzo if brasi discovered that the turk was a threat.
I do not think it was a intension of him being a spy. I think it was done to send out a message to them.
When Luca arrived on the scene it was to try and scare them back but little did Don Corleone know how stupid they really were.
@@bighands69
Review the film again. Just before meeting with The Turk Don Corleone described him as, " a very serious man." So, he was aware of the danger, but made the wrong move. Or, to use the chessboard to make the analogy he moved the wrong piece. And, that move was already anticipated. The Turk even told Michael that, " Let's face it, Mike. The Don is slipping."
@@bighands69 Also, The Don explicitly instructed Luca to gather information. He said nothing about frightening anyone. How do you frighten such men? Men who would kill a dead tree! They made quick work of Luca.
Luca sealed his own fate when he DID NOT shake hands to seal the deal! Lucas's loyalty was so deep that he refused to shake on it even though he was in full deception mode! That's what got Luca killed his unwavering loyalty! The lack of handshaking! Back then a man's handshake was all he really had!
Yes, that hand shake or lack of it did him in.
I still think in such a way
Interesting perspective. Never thought of it that way. I still think Luca was a dead man walking all along but this is something to think about.
Quite opposite. He supposed to act like he does not want to betray Godfather that easy. And then to act like he will make a deal with Barzini and Solozzo. But they've planned to kill him either way.
It's a tough one. I rewatched that scene last night and thought maybe he should have shook on it. But then perhaps they would have killed him anyway
My uncle was the manager of the hotel Edison in Times Square where they filmed his assassination scene. My family connection to the movie 😆. Greatest movie ever. Love the channel
Thanks dude
@Hooper45 I was one of the Whiskey bottles
Family connections, you say?
@Paddy Burke yep. Little known fact. I believe it was filmed down a corridor off of lobby. I believe they built the bar just for set.
The Edison was also used in the French connection.
I know Vito's bottom was impacted if that's what your referring to
Hahah
He should have compromised
I heard they found Carlo's lipstick on the pool que.
Go home and get your shinebox
I heard when they found Vito, he had an 8 ball in his corner pocket
Very funny Dom
This part was not thought out well. The other families knew Luca and knew he was loyal to Don Corleone.
Now all of a sudden he shows up and says he's not happy with the family? Directly after Don Corleone refused Sollozzo's deal?
He's a dead man. It makes no sense to do that.
Nah the mistake is an honest mistake but Sollozzo says as much to Tom "could I have gotten to him 5 years ago?" The crown eventually fades and Vito's time was over because he wasn't as ruthless about narcotics.
It was obvious to the readers that Luca Brasi was loyal to Don Corleone, but was it obvious to his enemies? They didn't read the book, or see the movies. All capos and soldiers had to appear loyal to their bosses. Also, the video states, based on the novel, it wasn't right after the meeting.
Or, was it GENIUS? It forced their hand to make a move/play their hand. A move that was coming anyway. The Don saw how disappointed everyone was when he turned Sollozzo down. He knew the risks to Brasi AND the family sending Brasi to pretend to betray.
Yes. The 5 families were a closed circle. The other families knew who the soldiers in the other families were.
@@phoggknight6714 Luca's loyalty to Vito was well known among the other families.
One of my favorite scene is when Luca stutters in front of Don Corleone. It meant that even such a scary man respected and feared Don Corleone. He could not deliver his greetings properly, literally pissing in his pants.
Later I found out that it was just bad acting from Mr. Montana, a pro-wrestler after all, but Coppola kept it in because it had the right effect.
Montana was intimidated by Brando just like Luca was intimidated by Don Vito. This is method acting at its best! Unbelievable casting.
Coppola is really a genius.
he literally pissed in his pants?
The good professional wrestlers are good precisely because they not only are able to create a character but make that character believable.
Well, he was also kinda brain damaged from his failed suicide attempt so maybe it was less nerves and more TBI???
@@ArtietheArchon He he he he he, good one Artie! Yes, bad is good, literally is virtually, etc. English has become a rather strange (or strained) language.
Nope that was because the real actor lenny Montana was nervous with working on set with brando.
I think because the legend of Luca was so engrained in Vito and others that he had too much confidence in Luca. Who is going to try Luca with his reputation and ties for that matter? It was a slip.
I agree completely. It was a slip, not only by giving Luca those orders, but also in believing in Luca's myth of invincibility.
Vito's first big major step into becoming a Mafia lord, was when he clearly saw through Don Fanucci's semblance of being untouchable. He recognized he had no muscle, nor anyone around, and that even some street punks could stab him and live to tell the tale.
With the Tattaglia/Sollozo business, he did completely the opposite. He was clearly slipping.
Who else he could have send Tessio?
@@Arvaniz do you think it was intentional? Wasn’t the Don afraid of Luca?
Vito completely misread the situation. As soon as Vito refused Solozzo Barzini put the hit in motion. They didn't care if Brasi was defecting or not he was just a loose end they didn't need.
@@Paul-vf2wl so it was a blunder on Vito’s part?
Luca Brasi was made out to be so dangerous, strong and loyal but the way he was killed was so simple and easy. I would have liked to see more of Luca Brasi's terrors so he could be a standout character in the film and could have given him a more suitable ending. Nice video tho! 👌🏻
Al Neri far more dangerous
Easily is a Bit overstated.
Luca died like the dog he was he did not need a heroes ending he was a really really awful person in book
@@gregwatson8219 al was my favorite character besides vito and mike his story was very complex
You don't want to know more about Luca...trust me. You cherish your lost ignorance when you learn the story.
"The Don "rest in peace was slipping. Ten years ago could I have got to him?".
Great stuff.
Don Vito probably would still have said: "No" to the offer.
The families had been at peace for years so Don Corleone didn't expect an assassination attempt to come out of nowhere. There wasn't even any apparent tension between the families that could lead to a war. Tataglia wasn't powerful enough to start a war and Solozzo didn't have the organization to go up against the Corleone Family. It was the secret backing of Barzini that made the Turk able to make the hit on Don Corleone. But, the Don didn't suspect that.
Excellent explanation. But the Don was right in wondering "what he's got under his fingernails."
Bringing Fredo for protection was beyond slipping😂. Thats major alzheimers and total dementia.
Luca would clearly have remained a long term asset for The Corleone Family.
Vito had hundreds of killers, even if Luca was the most ruthless one.
Right he would never make him a capo
You mean, until he got himself killed again?!
This was actually debated on another site. One viewpoint stated that Don Vito Corleone hadn't yet realized his true enemy was Barzini. He sent Luca Brasi in to "feel out" the Turk and Bruno Tattalia. Had Bruno been the *true* brains behind the Turk's offer, he would've welcomed a useful addition like Luca Brasi with opened arms. Unfortunately, the Don "slipped up." And everyone was taken off guard by Luca Brasi being killed, including the audience. Because if one looks closely, there isn't an orange to be seen anywhere in the vicinity...
It was pretty obvious it was Barzini… he figured it out to late
What orange
@@BeenDeliveredToday the deadly oranges that seem to foretell deaths and attacks in the movies. There are a few videos compiling the scenes that pointed out even more than I had connected before.
Good point, no Orange before Luca’s murder. I just read the book Family Corleone. I highly recommend reading if you are a fan of Godfather
@@michaellalli7693 is it good? Im currently in the last chapters of the godfather. Should I go back and read that one before going on to the godfather returns?
He was only contracted for 5 minutes of screen time.
Right? Lol… the guy acting as Luca Brasi was a real gangster in the Colombo Crime Family sent to monitor the set. Coppola cast him, but due to his nerves, He kept making mistakes and repeating his lines to himself. This was then incorporated into the film as a character trait.
@@Buugzy really?
@@arnoldoaguayo5844 yes bro
Lol this 💯🔥🔥
“Louis Brazi sleeps with the fishes.”
-Christopher Moltisanti
hahahaha
They know, but they don't know
Luca Brasi! It’s Luca brasi sleeps with the fishes, cmon put him in the trunk I’ll take him to staten island
“It’s LUCA, LUCA BRASI sleeps with the fishes!”
Luca never had the makings of a Varsity Athlete....
Wow, I never knew that about Luca Brasi. That’s why reading is fundamental😀
Luca gives you your first job in the game! You kill the 2 men who beat the undertakers daughter
@@kaxeniakristelle7887 what game?
@@icuwatchintheBoys the GodFather Game. A bit dated but still fun, I pop it in once ina while to this day
@@estebanperez2557 which Consule?
@@kaxeniakristelle7887 whoa whoa whoa. You DON'T kill them, that's the whole point of Vito telling clemenza to give the job to someone who won't "lose their head". Lol Fr tho, that game was amazing.
When you send someone to your enemies, on an information gathering mission, pretending to be shifting loyalties, you better know that you could trust that individual emphatically. Obviously, Vito knew what a mental case and a vicious killer Luca Brasi really was, but he also knew that he could trust Luca’s loyalty without reservation. That and the fact that Luca Brasi had a reputation for being able to take care of himself even in the most dangerous circumstances made him the perfect choice. Vito might have also felt that Luca was constantly anxious to find ways to prove his affection and loyalty to the Don; so he gave Luca a bone to gnaw on. What is, however, quite surprising to me is the fact that Luca, walking into that inherently dangerous meeting, left himself vulnerable to a sneaky attack. Perhaps he had become complacent, after his botched suicide attempt; or maybe deep down he did have a death wish.
You write: "Luca Brasi had a reputation to be able to take care of himeself even in the most dangerous circumstances" - and I totally agree. That's why the killing scene of Luca is so completely unreal in that it took only seconds for him to die, while he offered little resistance. In reality it takes several minutes to throttle somebody, especially a big strong guy like Brasi who also would have pulled the knife out of his hand (providing him with a weapon), fight like a lion and probably overpower his assailants.
@@hanseekhoff1093 Yeah it's always bugged me a bit about how easy Luca Brasi goes out. It was a pretty effective move, and one that would have definitely caught him off guard, I just feel like a big bull of a man like that would have been thrashing around violently, regardless of the knife in his hand.
"When you send someone to your enemies, on an information gathering mission, pretending to be shifting loyalties." That has always been my one and only beef with THE GODFATHER 1 : How could Vito (and Luca) even think for a second that these enemies he sends Luca to would buy such an inept "defection" story ? It makes no sense (except if Vito is doing this to see how they will react) but, Man, he's basically sending poor Luca to his death and risking losing one of his most loyal guys in the process (which is exactly what happens). I hope it makes more sense in the novel.
@@igg3937 One would think that he'd tear his own flesh to get at the man on is back.
in reality a guy like that would've ripped his hand down the middle, fuck the knife.
Then proceed to eviscerate Bruno, and Sollozzo
You know in hindsight after hearing Luca's back story maybe Vito probably shouldn't have sent a well known brain damaged psychopath to work as a spy.
He wasn't there to spy, he was there to harass and provoke a reaction. Being watched by a protected killer was an intimidation tactic. Neither Luca nor the Don were expecting such a bold attack.
What surprises me is how easily they killed Brasi.
It wasn't easy. It took 3 of them. They were lucky to get the drop on brasi.
@@joshb20101 Yeah, but he had apparently dealt with worse odds many times before this. And this wasn't even a fight. Luca went down pretty easy.
@@Baci302 maybe he was just way past his prime!
I think it really caught Luca off guard. I think he genuinely thought he was in and wasn't as sharp as he used to be. He didn't expect it, especially not the way in which he was killed. Probably expected a gun if anything which is why he wore gear. People didn't try him with his reputation. I think they killed him by hand to send a message that they took out Vito's top muscle without a gun.
It shouldn't. Thats the street. Anybody can get it. Its where and when.
Solozzo said it himself. Don Corleone was slipping in his old age. The fact of the matter is that Vito had gotten too comfortable following his idea to institute the Commission*. He started to see the underworld through his rose colored glasses by believing his rivals were as cultured and compassionate as he was, and that mob wars were now a thing of the past. He allowed Barzini to fool him by putting on the visage of an aging older gentleman who'd lost his ambition to rule New York over the years. In reality, Barzini was only biding his time until he could finally create the chaos necessary to throw the Commission out of whack and render it ineffective so that he could resume his goal of becoming capo di tutti capi; the "boss of bosses".
Barzini secretly detested the idea of a commission. He still believed in the old Sicilian ways where one boss would control all the families.
While Luca was indeed dangerous and psychotic, he was also dumb, unsophisticated, and losing a step himself. Allowing Luca to grow too comfortable in his reputation was part of Barzini's plan too because of Don Vito's over reliance on him. At the end of the day, Vito had gotten too secure in his status since the creation of the Commission, and too predictable in his reliance on Luca Brasi.
There's a reason why only Michael and Al Neri could win the war, and not Vito and Luca. They were the only wildcards in the Corleone family that Barzini never saw coming.
*In real life Lucky Luciano created the Commission, but in the Godfather universe it was Vito Corleone
Brilliant Analysis. Salut !!
Well thought analysis. Superb.
I do not think Don Corleone was slipping. I think he was under the impression that they were not stupid enough to cross him.
But he underestimated their stupidity. Luca was sent as a deterrent so that they would get the message.
The failed against Don Corleone on several levels.
👍👍👍 Man, for all I know you might've been a consultant to Mario Puzzo. Seriously, your discernment is spot on.
Don't have 16 minutes to spend watching, but I'll say this. Vito obviously did not expect Sollozzo to put a hit on the head of one of the Five Families. No expecatation of a hit on Vito means they aren't just going to incur his wrath by Luca suddenly turning up dead.
Complacency and underestimating, is fatal in that business,using fredo as a solo bodyguard at the vegetable stand was a blaring,too comfortable error.
It's a brilliant move on Vito's part. Everyone knows Luca is loyal to him, so they will know Luca is lying when he shows up and says he wants to switch families. What they do next tells him their intentions. They attack or kill Luca and he knows they are enemies. They come and tell Vito that Luca came to them and they are friendly. They do nothing and they have no intention of doing anything. They welcome Luca in and they don't respect Vito, but aren't necessarily in opposition to him.
People judge this move the way people do most things - they aren't thinking of what is possible. It's a movie and so they only see the movie version. Life isn't a movie. You don't know who the bad guys are and who the good guys are. You have to take actions and see what happens to really know.
Also, Vito is getting older and knows it. Luca is the kind of guy you need to get rid of eventually.
Yupppp I agree all of it
If they didn't see through it, he had somebody dangerous on the inside. If they DID see through it, they might play along and feed Luca false information. They would almost certainly see through it, because Luca's a bad choice for anything subtle. This would give Vito a sense of how deep the game is on the opposition's side. It would also make THEM think that Vito's weak and stupid to send such an obvious plant.
I like your last point. Vito surely understood Luca Brasi's character, inside and out. If you remember the speech he gave at Michael's wedding, they made a big deal on this channel about how Vito seemed visibly relieved when Luca was done. Also pay attention to the body guards. The filmmaker made a point of showing them on full alert until Luca was done, and then relaxing when he stepped away.
The scene right before Luca gets the garrote shows him gearing-up, putting on his vest under his shirt, etc. That scene shows him for what he is, a former pro wrestler who's big, out of shape, and not too swift. My thought watching the movie was "This is the guy everybody's afraid of?" Brasi was the kind of hitter they'd set up with something impossible to screw up, but calling for absolute psychopathic disregard and brutality.
I mean, who knows? Luca MIGHT have found his way, in an idiot-savant sort of way, like "M-O-O-N" did in "The Stand." He made the perfect spy because he was kind of retarded, and nobody gave him a second thought.
But back to your last point, Luca Brasi was a loose cannon and expendable to the Corleone family.
Totally agree! I feel that although he would hate to lose him sooner rather than later, this is the Don's biggest chance to maximize Luca's worth to him and while gaining more insight into his enemies intentions, is the ultimately best way to eliminate Luca from being a threat to his own family after he is gone.
You never need to get rid of a guy like Luca.
Vito wouldn't hurt someone loyal to him wouldn't make sense
Essays give answers, while novels raise questions. Half a century later, The Godfather is still raising good questions 👍
When Don Vito talks to Michael about Luca and says that Luca is a man who chooses to give his allegiance and cannot be forced into it. He says that Luca Brasi chose to follow him because he knew he was the only man capable of taking his life if he wanted. Don Vito was willing to take the risk, and Luca was willing to die for his Don.
The guy wasn't buying the lie that Brasi would betray the Godfather when Brasi went to the club they knew he was a dead man the Godfather in his wisdom should have known Brasi would be clipped they knew he wouldn't betray Vito.
I had the same thoughts, knowing how devoted he was to Vito there was no way they would believe he was leaving them!👍🏾👍🏾
In the books, before the meeting with the Turk and Bruno he was about to make a phone call to Sonny or you can say Godfather as he did not know the Don had been shot and tell them about this meeting but did not and thought of carrying the plan devised by don.
That’s it,,a loyal person never betray a friend,,never ever,,!!!,death will be honored,,,,,,,
4:18 Love that scene where Luca is getting ready with his vest and checking his pistol whilst "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is playing...
The Corleone's shoulda sent a younger member of the organization to get info and told him to tell Solozzo that Sonny sent him cuz he was interested in doing business and wanted to go under Vito's nose. That would've been more believable than Vito's top and most loyal enforcer wanting to switch sides and it would've played into what Solozzo and Tattaglia already had in mind regarding Sonny
Should have sent Carlo Rizzi.
Don Vito should have tried sending Luca Brasi BEFORE the meeting with Sollozzo.
Vito didn't even think that the ACTUAL goal was to destroy and replace the Coreleone family and I don't think even Sollozzo knew it.
Barzini wanted to sit at the Head of The Commission and the Five Families of New York envied Don Vito's power and popularity according to the novel.
@@stevef3685 Go and show Carlo the tree.
@@maratonlegendelenemirei3352 best line in the movie
I agree. But all in all Sonny had the right idea. Kill them all. But his approach was fucked up. Think about it. What did Michael do after Vito died. He killed them all. You say tomato I day tomata
Because after Luca visited Vitto's house the toilet seat was broken.
I never saw Sonny’s comment as showing interest. It seemed more to me that it pissed off Sonny, who was offended that Solozzo would suggest the Corleones would need the protection of the Tatalias or they would provide better protection than the Corleones could protect themselves.
If Vito wanted an inside man on The Turk, he shouldn’t have sent his most loyal and most powerful weapon. Luca was a killing machine wasted on a spy mission. But whether Luca went to the bar or not, they’d have to kill him before they moved on Vito
But being the most loyal person meant no chance of being swayed. They desperately needed an insider as Vito probably knew he was among the few mob bosses who didn't want to deal with drugs and thus would face multiple families. In the second movie, Michael says most of the family higher ups are business men and only Tom could be trusted. It was the same with Vito. Before Vito died, he expected either Tessio, and even Clamenza to betray the family - telling Michael that whoever invites him to a meeting with Barzini after Vito dies is the traitor. Most of the mafia families - at least portrayed in the movie - wanted in on the drug business because of how lucrative it was. If he sent anyone else, there was always a chance they actually betray him for the money. He knew Luca Brasi would never betray him. Just sucked he also happened to be his strongest weapon.
@@EJBarte I think there were clues in the film to suggest Luca Brasi wasn't Vito's best weapon, especially seeing how easy it was to take him out. Brasi had some brutal murders of passion on his back trail, and the only reason he was still breathing was because Vito offered him redemption and put him on retainer as muscle.
There were 3 possibilities:
1. They see through him and off him right away, tipping their hand.
2. They don't see through him and he becomes an asset to the Corleones in the enemy camp.
3. They see through him and play him.
He had to know how stupid Luca was, and not have (m)any expectations of high-value intel. He had to expect Luca would eventually be exposed, although there's a chance his natural taciturnity would allow him to fly under the radar.
I think it likely that Vito would see Luca Brasi as equal parts asset and liability. At least as much for show as for utility. "Now am I gonna haveta call Luca over here to repeat the question, or are you just gonna tell me?" I think a guy as smart as Vito would see Luca as pretty expendable.
@@harrymills2770 a mob boss wouldn’t see a guy who saved his life on multiple occasions and almost singlehandedly won the olive oil wars as expendable
Exactly! I read your post only after I had myself posted: It wasn't simply that Vito's decision to send Luca was ill-considered or sub-par (specifically because everyone "knew" that Luca's loyalty was unquestionable). Rather, the assignment which Vito had given to Luca was simply far too subtle and complicated. Luca was the Don's tactical nuclear weapon - a mega-death city-killer. But the job Vito had in mind - to infiltrate the enemy camp and gather intel, to act a role and inveigle himself into their trust - would have required someone with the subtlety of a master spy. Luca was a battle-axe - but Vito needed a scalpel.
Clearly Barzini had no problem buying Paulie who was Vito's driver/bodyguard
Here's a thought. You pointed out that Luca Brasi is totally loyal to Vito Corleone and ONLY loyal to Vito Corleone. Vito might have deliberately tried to place Luca in very dangerous circumstances hoping that he might get killed because Vito wanted to leave the Family in good hands when his son, Sonny took over. Having only a very weak loyalty to Sonny (or to the other two Corleone brothers), Luca might have been more of a dangerous liability than an asset.
You misunderstand loyalty here. This guy respected the don and that extends to his family which I will agree with you will be weak . Becasue sunny is no Vito and Micheal was not someone to be in the family business. If luca was there when vito got shot, no one of the corleone family could have stopped him from going berserk on the tattaglia family into extinction. Liability? I don't think so. He would much rather distance himself from the corleone family since there is no vito or vito like force there. Vito only sent luca to sniff around for information because he wasn't sure who was involved with tattaglia since vito didn't think tattaglia could be strong enough to back someone like solozzo. He wanted to make sure. On the day luca died, it was just a bad day and the turk was just too cunning and maybe it was decided that luca braci must die.
I feel Luca died too easily
He was meant to be a hard arse enforcer
But died very quickly
At the end of the day he's human. This isn't a action movie where one guy can fight 5 guys at once Kung fu style.
Well, that is what happens when your garrotted
IMO, Don Vito mistake was he refused to acknowledge that time was changing. Solozzo is a new breed of mafia, a new generation hellbent on making his name.
Old ways of doing things just didn’t cut it anymore. The other Dons went with the flow, but Don Vito persisted with his value - which is what makes his character so endearing in the movie.
Boom!
The irony is that in real life the heads of all five family's did not "allow" the sale of narcotics untill well into the 1970's. However, unofficially they turned a very blind eye to their street capos slinging smack as long as they were kicking up and did not get caught. The whole mob life is really fascinating to me, especially the next-level hypocrisy of it's members. Talk about masters of cognitive dissonance.
@@tedwojtasik8781 Don't let me seeing you doing evil...but don't forget to wet my beak either.
Solozzo symbolizes the “Young Turks” who paid no mind to the “Rules”, such as Omertà and not leaving bodies in the street. Times WERE changing in the time leading up to the time of The Godfather’s release date: Joe Valachi had spilled the beans a decade earlier, and the import and sale of narcotics was way too much money for LCN to just ignore. Then, ‘Murricn Mafiosi made city streets seem like The Wild West. Think about the Castellano hit, performed at rush hour in midtown Manhattan, for crying out loud! And The Philadelphia LCN created a river of blood 🩸 throughout the 80s, flowing through the city all throughout the decade...and then there were the canaries that sent guys like Gotti and Scarfo to prison for the remainder of their lives...
Another film researcher has said the scenes in the movie where Luca is practicing his lines for when he meets Don Vito "on the day of his daughter's wedding," came as a result of the actor playing Luca being very much intimidated by Marlon Brando's acting craftsmanship, and was literally scared anticipating the scene he would be sharing with him. Coppola had the presence of mind to film this actor playing Luca rehearsing his lines and blended it into the movie.
Brilliant
The strangulation scene was real. they had oxygen on standby and they went as far as they could without actually killing Lenny Montoya!
^montana
No lie he was an actual mafia enforcer to the Colombo family and was sent to watch over the movie set so Coppola made him apart of the movie and it was history from there!
@@vintage_sole4065 with his stuttering amateurish readings of his lines left in the film.
"This I did not know......, Till today"......., Lol.....!!!!!!
Very interesting inside info, Thanks for contributing.....!!!!!!
@@vintage_sole4065 didnt know that.
But I knew the Colombo family had an involvement in the movie. Heard from Michael Franzese.
Luco Brazzo is probably my favorite godfather character.
Tatalia's a pimp he could of never out fought Santino
What I didn't know until this day is that it was Barzini all along
This sums up everything right here.
Vito looks at Tatalia as if to say was it you?? .. Tatalia gets scared and looks at Barzini as if to say help boss help .. then Barzini gets scared and stares at Vito as if to say oh fuck did he spot that ????
The movie didn't convey Luca's terrifying legend enough, as the novel did. Instead, Luca seemed more like Vito's sacrificial lamb. We never quite understand why Vito didn't want him at Connie's wedding.
Yeah I was always wondering about that. Luca even practices his speech and enters the room humbly afterwards which proves his loyalty to Vito. But why Vito didn't invite one of his most trustful man to the wedding is bewildering
He threw a baby in a furnace so yea there’s that lol Luca is a real life devil, very off putting
@@spikemufc But he was invited, remember he thanked Vito for inviting him?
I would have liked to have seen more of a fight out of Luca in that scene, but that's a movie decision.
Is there anyone else out there that wanted to see Luca whack any of Vitos enemies…..I hoped to see his handiwork……
Someone made a book based on Luca brasi and it was so good. I wish they made a movie based on his character.
Yeah he’s under utilized in the movie. Much more vicious in the book.
@@blakeharris58 Reading the book provides so much more insight into both films. I think it's a must if you really want to understand the movies better.
Southern Cross, I wanted to see that happen...but Vito made a bad move. As other commenters have pointed out, the book give you more detail and context. However, the movie- I opine- captured as much of the novel as any movie could do, There is only so much one can put in a three-hour movie.
If I am not mistaken, the people Luca captured at the train station were Al Capone's men. Al was trying to stick his toes into New York waters. Don Corleone sent Al a message: The waters here are too deep for you. Stay in the 3-foot side of the pool in Chicago.
the turk was almost there but everything collapsed when he underestimated Michael inelegancy at one point he called micheal the pretty collage boy.
Looks like someone needs college
When I watched that scene, I had a vague sense that there was some miscalculation on somebody's part. Be it Vito or Luca, I was not sure.
He was murdered....you should have had a very clear sense someone miscalculated.
I think Luca kinda messed up by not shaking Sollozzo’s hand when he offered. It confirmed to them that Luca really didn’t give a shit about what he was saying. Though I’m sure the murder was planned well in advance anyways because of the signal used to start the killing.
Ultimately I think it was Sonny’s fault for the slip up in the meeting because no one would dare try to kill Luca if it wasn’t carefully planned out.
Sollozo insulted the Don in his meeting and therefore forced Don Corleone to check up on Sollozo's operation. Sollozo therefore had no fear for the Corleones as he knew he had the 4 other families as back up... hence Don corleones decision to send Luca to figure out the force he was up against. Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.
TATTAGLIA FAMILY?
Ever seen a chess match, where a knight is sacrificed? It may hurt, but in this case, it made everyone else bolder, which got them killed. They had no idea that DON VITO may have been a GRAND MASTER.
They never seen it coming!
You mean Tattalia…
How did he insult don vito in meeting ?
@@hanslanda58 Yes. I have the same question. When did Sollozo insult Vito?
To be honest I'm aware that Don Vito said "go to the Tattaglias tell them your unhappy with us, find out what you can"
superised that Luca didn't attack first and wipe them all out. He had a widely known scary reputation for volience.
Hello from Ireland 🇮🇪
I think they already knew they were going kill brasi and go after Vito.
Think if Luca didn't go, and then the Don was shot.
He would have hunted them all down, and chopped them into pieces.
@@joshb20101 they must of got him loaded or set him up like we got 10 girls in here and they all gonna blow u lom
Luca Brasi is probably the most anticlimactic death in cinema history.
I got the feeling that Vito was a bit disenchanted with Luca when he didn't want to receive Luca at Connie's wedding.
I was always pretty sure that Vito had a certain distaste, a sensible concern and a very understandable fear of Luca Brasi. That he had to formally receive Luca, his bridal gift and stilted speech on Connie’s wedding day I think perturbed Vito, although it was clear and prudent that Vito should do so.
In terms of business I think Vito trusted Luca Brasi and his abilities implicitly, as evidenced by the assignment he was asked to perform for the Don in delivering the shocking warning to Jim Woltz, that he must cast Vito’s godson Johnny Fontane his big new feature film.
@@darrendelacy8162 Jack Woltz
Right thanks……..
@@darrendelacy8162 Totally agree.
One thing I'd like to point out about how easily Luca was taken down is, the best way to take a large man down quickly, apart from shooting him right in the head, is garroting. Thin wire quickly cuts the blood supply to the brain, making the target far more weaker and vulnerable than stabbing or even shooting in the body. You will black out in mere seconds after the pressure is applied, no matter the size. Look at some of the choke-holds Martial artists apply and how quickly it makes target pass out. Garroting is 10 times more efficient.
Assuming you are a master assassin whose specialty is garroting and you are quick enough to put the garrote in place before the victim even realizes what is happening. Consider also the Baptism of Fire scenes - most murders happen at extremely close range, with basically immobile / trapped targets, because the was to murder, not to make it "clean". Barzini's death, however, could only be entrusted to Al Neri because you needed an expert marksman, someone who could calmly make three shots, one at a moving target running up a staircase already a fair distance away from you, and then make all three shots killing shots. Neri made it look effortless because that is clearly his specialty.
I think that, from Vito's perspective, Solozzo would either buy his trap, ou not buy it but be too afraid to make a move. Sending Luca was not only a decoy but also somewhat of a threat - he was hard to kill and doing so would mean war with the top mafia boss. The mistake Vito made was to believe Solozzo was just a reckless outsider. It was Barzini's move to kill Brasil and hit on Vito. Barzini is the actual mastermind to rival Vito's smarts. Story wise, it creates the challenge that removes the Godfather from a position of invincibility to the more exciting position of having to overcome someone just as good as himself. On the bigger picture, Vito's refusal to go into drugs for the sake of the community means he is an old time aristocratic local-minded boss trying to resist the soullessness of globalization. Later on, Michael would embrace it, and therefore survive, but at the cost of letting the old values die. So, Vito's early mistakes are also tragic and represent his belief that no gangster would go that far in disrupting the old order he himself represented. When Sonny dies, he says about the enemies: "they are animals!". It means he still expected some moral limits to exist even in crime (that's kinda of an overall theme of the movies)
Excellent points all made well , what I might add also in the end Vito was proved right in the end saying the drugs would eventually lead to the downfall of the mafia . Possibly Tom and Sonny were thinking 10 years ahead when they said drugs were a thing of the future but Vito fully understood the consequences of going into the Drug Trade . He in theory was way thinking way ahead of anybody else .
Unfortunately due to underestimating his enemies hunger for drugs trade , the corleones were left in a position with Sonny Dead and Michael in exile, that he was left in a position where he had to give in to Drugs deal or they would have been defeated.
Although in the end they got their revenge .
Excellent take. You'll note that Michael never got the respect afforded Vito, so he saved the family but it came with a cost. The family was never the same. I agree with your assessment that sending Luca was a risk-free gambit from Vito's perspective, and fits the storyline. Recall that Vito doesn't learn that Barzini was behind the whole thing until much later in the movie. Had he known the Turk was being underwritten by Barzini, he may have taken a more subtle, stealthy approach. But there's also something to the idea that the Don's time was passing.
>>he (Luca) was hard to kill and [...]
Good points, but you can't just say what a relatively good guy Vito is or that he's less brutal, when Luca Brazi is the most brutal enforcer in the underworld and did ungodly things in the Corelone's name. "They're animals because they're doing it to us."
I don't think Vito underestimated Sollozzo at all. He immediately sent for Brasi after meeting Sollozzo because he knew refusing him meant trouble.
Those two men that Luca tortured and killed were Al Capone's men, sent from Chicago to kill Vito.
Then Don Vito sent their hands to Capone with a note that said, "Why does a Neapolitan interfere in the affairs of Sicilians?"
I think you stated Vito's fatal flaw: he didn't realize that Barzinni was actually calling the shots. He knew his plot to use Luca to find information would have worked against Sollozzo and Tatallia but would have absolutely not used it if he had know that Barzini was involved. He would have known Barzini was smart enough to see through his plot. I think he didn't know how they were on to Luca until the car ride with Tom back from the meeting of the 5 Families: that it was Barzini all along.
In the meeting with the other boss leaders that's when he realized it
worser mistake is vito getting gunned down for buying groceries
They should've sent Paulie, he would of been a more believable traitor.
He was a spy... how the hell should that have worked..
Yeah, he could go to the Tatalia's bar for help with his cold...sweat it out...
@@Krezo200 Through the magic of sarcasm.
Great video analyzing this situation. I did not know Luca's backstory and did not know about the months long courting. Based solely on the movie I always felt this was dumb and unbelievable that Luca could convince them he was turning. Knowing all that you just revealed, this is a much more believable ploy and just didnt work. His intelligence sources are what failed him. Vito didnt understand the weight of power being turned against him when he sent Luca. It's ok, you cant win all the battles, but they definitely won the war.
When I watched the Godfather years ago, I wondered about the decision to send Luca to infiltrate the opposition mob. My thoughts on it did not go much beyond that, but I did think it was risky because the mob bosses are very much aware of their own thinking and tactics on subversion. Luca was a longtime and loyal associate of the Corleone family and the move to disassociate would seem suspicious. At least as it was portrayed in the movie.
Made no sense to me either. Even today. Only explanation : Vito is getting old and is starting to slip (notice that he waits to be alone with Luca to tell him what he wants him to do. Had ANYONE else been there, they probably would have told Vito : "Come on Pop ! Whadd'ya thinking ? They gonna whack him on the spot !" ;)
The greatness of The Godfather is just like listening to The Beatles musical catalogue. There's always a new instrument you never heard consciously before in the music just as there seems to always be a new angle you hadn't considered before.
By just watching this video, I learned that Barzini was angling to take Vito's political contacts away from him. I had always wondered what would have happened to said contacts had Vito died from the attempt on his life. Now I know.
Great stuff, as always.
Or listening to a Marty Robbins' song. You never know what Marty is going to do with his music. Marty Robbins > Beatles
How cool would it be to have a Luca Brasi origin movie…
What a great idea. I would love to see that.
Just read the book Luca Brasi is a Devil
Idk, the baby killing scene is harsh
Read the book man
@@BeeHatGuy Eh, don’t watch the movie Cider House Rules then.
Vito was aging and losing his sharp instincts. He miscalculated and underestimated the grand scheme. It was all over...enter Michael's genius and inevitable calling.
@Mountain forest and using Fredo as a solitary bodyguard also a weakness,or a dulling of the cautious edge that he once had,but was losing with age. Fredo was the ultimate weak link.
@Mountain forest , agreed, every piece of the scheme was well planned, and executed,they played all the corleone weak spots,fredo,Vito aging I think,sonnys temper,Connies loser husband,the counterpart to clemenza,( memory fails for his name,lol. Seems the war did clean out bad blood in a way. Cept maybe badass sonny.
@Mountain forest well,maybe it was clemenza's responsibility to replace Paulie with someone more capable then fredo, I do think an insider traitor is the hardest to detect and maybe they all cut Paulie too much slack cuz his soninlaw status...another weak link the shrewd opposition exploited.
@Mountain forest obviously,but if Vito wasn't losing his edge,should not he have noticed it was just him and fredo in the car? Definitely, fredo wasn't a safe haven. Give me clemenza over fredo, clemenza handled the killing of solozzo and cop at restaurant brilliantly,plus handling the shotgun pretty good with Michael's reckoning. Tessio was a traitor.
@Mountain forest you've convinced me. The traitorous brains behind the scheme was clemenza,not barzini. Ok? Now cool the silly hard on for clemenza and move on. Your obsessed.
Hold on.
"The Don is slipping." Brasi's death makes the family look weak."
Consider this: Is causing his enemies to underestimate him not almost always a part of Corleone strategies?
You can replace a blunt instrument, even one as deadly as Luca Brasi. But is he not the ONE guy your enemies might believe you won't sacrifice? And by sacrificing him, would not all of your enemies start thinking you are losing a step?
When, on the timeline, does Al Neri come into the picture? Perhaps that is the unknown, to all of his enemies. They don't know he already has a replacement for Brasi making Brasi expendable.
I mean, I don't know. I didn't write the book. We'd have to ask Puzo what was really in Vito's head. I can only offer this additional "maybe."
Think of it as a chess match, where Vito, the Grandmaster, used Luca like a pawn, albeit an extremely powerful pawn, more like a queen who can jump like a knight, and has several other illegal moves. Although he was a valuable asset to Don Corleone, he was also deranged brain-damaged psychopath who killed his newborn son by throwing him into a furnace. He was a real ticking timebomb, a chip that Vito needed cash sooner or later. Luca had a fierce personal loyalty to Don Vito, but it's likely he would be become a huge problem for the family after he died. One big problem was his beef with Hagen, who who he wanted to kill for sleeping with his girlfriend, but agreed to forego when he swore his allegiance to the Corleone family. And based on the prequel it seems didn't care too much for Irish people in general.
What exactly is this prequel you mentioned?
@@AB-ct3kj "The Family Corleone" by Ed Falco, 2012. It's a novel. So far it hasn't been made in to a movie.
@@phoggknight6714 Thank you for the information. Though it does not seem to make sense to use a 2012 prequel novel to explain events in a movie from decades previously. The prequel novel is a retroactive explanation, which neither Puzo nor Coppola may have had in mind. Vito's sending of Luca on a suicide mission may have been a mistake rather than an act intended to get Luca killed.
@@AB-ct3kj Sorry, I should have mentioned that the novel was based on Mario Puzo's unproduced screenplay. The movie was never made, and Puzo died in 1999.
@@phoggknight6714 Thank you. It makes more sense now.
Michael: "Their loyalty is based on business". (sic)
Why? Because Solozzo was right-THE DON WAS SLIPPIN. Think how bad Vito's judgment was after the Solozzo meeting. He's worried enough to send Luca on a suicide mission that was obvious and awkward. EVERYONE knew Luca was intensely loyal to the Don. The idea that he could convince the Tattaglias he was a traitor was plain stupid. Meanwhile he goes around with Fredo as his driver and bodyguard during a time he knows is dangerous. Simply put, Vito lost his fastball.
I think it was a mistake. Because as far as I remember, Brasi was pretending to e a double agent working for the Turk and giving information against Vito but in reality it was the opposite. Brasi was a violent and powerful man and he was attached to Vito because of his respect for him. They probably figured out that if you are attached to someone for yoir ideals and emotions, its difficult to backstab them. So they knew Brasi is still loyal to Vito. And they took him out
I must say, his death looks a little ridiculous in the film. You'd have to think of going to a rival family and offering your services outright! No, if it had been some small-time bookie, or even one of the militants, it would have been understandable. But Luca Brasi himself! What an idiot Sollozzo must have looked to take this attempted infiltration at face value! This bouncer reeks of a fake Cossack! Now, the film shamelessly belittles Luca. He was a bully, but he was by no means an idiot, and he worked out his "spy legend" for several months. Here and there he complained about the Don, here and there, then he hung out in the pub of a rival family, and, as if by chance, he mentioned that he was beginning to get tired of serving the Corleone family. Then he had a mistress and, as if not knowing whose informer she was, also dropped a few words about what he sees himself as in five years in a young, dynamic company ... In short, painstakingly and fruitfully dropped the seeds on fertile ground, so that Sollozzo had a sincere desire to buy him out. It didn't work. Sollozzo was surprisingly far-sighted and decisive, playing proactively and taking Corleone's key figure out of the game in one fell swoop. A little postscript - in the book no one put a knife in his hand. It was just two men holding hands while a third strangled him.
Here is my theory. If you are going to send someone then who will you send? Vito didn't like Luca. he used Luca like a tool. He was a brutal enforcer but still expendable. He was brave and stupid enough to go into that meeting and psychopathic enough to stay calm in that room. It was a suicide mission possibly including torture that most thinking soldiers and capos of the Corleone families would have refused to perform. Even under the threat of death.
Vito had other enforcers. Luca was well known and could not be used as a sneak assassin and you don't need strong or even fearless men to pull a trigger in the streets. If Luca had been successful, then he would have infiltrated the rival families. If Luca got killed, Vito would be forewarned of a war instead of just relaxing and then becoming the target of a hit before he knew it.
Luca did have some stealth capacity, it is said that Luca put the horse's head in Jack Woltz's bed
You send someone who was actually in the sollozzo meeting! That means clemenza or tessio. That way it makes sense for them to want o jump sides!
A calculated risked. If the ploy works the The Godfather gains valuable intel. If it fails he knows that Salazzo is not a man he wants to do business with and must be eliminated. A high risk high reward ploy. As it turns out Michael was a better choice to take over the family than Sonny whose judgment has sometimes been questionable
Luca Brasi should've taken Bruce Lee with him. Bruce was still alive then.
Yeah, he was 5 in 1945 and likely could still whoop their arses.
@@tedwojtasik8781 Haha sorry I dunno why I kept thinking about it from the movie's production timeline, because the movie was made in 1971/1972, just before Bruce died.
Yeah, Lee may have struck when Tataglia grabbed his arm.
The Mafia's ban on drugs is not for the reasons they said in the movie. They don't like the business because A) It forces you to deal with junkies, or as most people call them scum B) the penalties are too high for small amounts and encourages ratting each other out C) You run a risk of your soldiers getting hooked on the drugs and then they become a problem. They were right.
You have to look at the trajectory of the plot to know it’s about Vito “slipping”. The plot is really about Michael’s rise and not about Vito’s decline. Therefore, for Michael to rise, the Don must decline - “slip”.
You saw this when Vito returned to Sicily to avenge his own father’s death, by killing Don Ciccio. Then, Vito was rising and Cicio was declining or “slipping”, as the Turk put it.
This decline is then what makes Michael such an interesting anti-hero: he too avenges his father’s treatment by the other families but he is a loyal and loving son and so he doesn’t rise to power for power sake, but to protect his father.
Ultimately, even as Michael loses his soul, he loves his father very much. In fact, he even puts his father above Kate and his initial intentions to steer clear of the family business. Later when we see Michael’s ruthlessness it’s against this sentimental backdrop. This is the plot.
Thank you for this piece and getting me interested enough to respond. 👍
Luca was a dead man even if he didn’t go to that bar. They had to take him out FIRST. Everyone bleeds. Even psycho loyal hit man
The best bit is that it looks like John Bercow who's being garrotted.
NOOOOOOOO……!!!
Now I’m so terribly conflicted….. one of my favourite scenes… unhinged 😥. But, one of my darkest fantasies realised…… 😂🤣
I’m not sure if I should thank you……. 🙂
OOORRRDDDEEERRR!!! 😏😉
It's in the book, in that time he was being murdered, he actually shit himself and the feces ran down his legs to the floor and made him slip and fall down. I could visualize the scene and even felt that smell
Safehead @ Aolcom
No way?
@@Buugzy Yes, he did - not that one's Bowels releasing is terribly Uncommon, as Incontinence is something that often occurs: both when Losing Consciousness from Asphyxia, as well as the moment of Death, - Mario Puzzo was rather Crass, like that; the whole episode with the gun, for the Assassination of Solotzo, & McKlusky, being hid beforehand in the Bathroom for Michael, was because Clemenza, when 'Prepping' Michael for the meet, relates just *How* different this will be from killing in the army - "you won't be looking at them through the sights of no rifle, & when you shoot them that close you're going to get showered in their blood & brains," - & that right before Michael is going to "come out shooting" his bowels are going to be so loose from nerves, that it's better for him to take a shit, then clean himself up and grab the gun, than potentially shitting himself after, because once he kills them he has to leave the restaurant *as fast as possible* without running. [Putzo might even then had Clemenza tell Michael about how, after the first time he had to kill someone up close that he shit himself, but it's been over a decade since I read it, so I can't be certain, but *know* that's the reason for Clemenza having his guys hide the gun behind the 'Toilet Box' (it was an old-school toilet with the box above it & the pull chain to flush.) in the book.]
@@prophetsam yeah I heard you shit yourself sometimes when you die. I learned from South Park😂😂
like the bloody leg in prince of tides
Ah no I think son Vito just under estimated the Turks greed for narcotics money , adding that son Vito looks tired of the life .
Luca... Not shaking sollozos hand... Pretty much gave him away... Loyal to the don to the very end...... Also... Fredo betrayed the family from the beginning... His reaction to the introduction of calo by sonny at the end of part II...
Maybe Luca gave a stingy wedding gift to Vito's daughter?
Well, to be fair the testicles of your enemies rarely go over well with the bride. It's the thought that counts ;-)
Actually luca gave the most at the wedding he is a interesting character
He is an associate but has a special place .
He killed henchmen sent by alcapone with utmost brutality.
He killed a corleone associate for making the family look bad.
He usually likes to keep himself to himself unless being called by vito specifically, he was fanatically loyal and I believe that Vito sent him because of his fanatical loyalty but also played a part of his death as no one would believe that Brasi would defect hence they should have sent a regular unknown associate.
Vito was losing his strength, underestimated the Turk and got caught slipping. Young vito would have realized something was off when Fredo was his own bodyguard. He knew his son had issues.
You're right. Michael was a much better don for the simple fact he didn't trust no damned body, as it should be in the business of life and death.
@@jaelge I think it's an open question the movies ask whether Michael was the better don. He was more ruthless and efficient, but at what cost? He lost everything his father had grown powerful trying to protect. He poisoned his own family and became a husk of a man winning every battle to protect nothing of true value. Or maybe that's the only way to win that game, and maybe that's part of the point. In any event, it isn't as simple as Michael was smarter and more careful and therefore better. He lacked his father's wisdom, and it mattered greatly.
Remember, Tessio was betraying the family at that time.
I find it interesting in the "sleeps with the fishes" scene; Sonny is irritated at Pauly and calls him the traitor while Tessio casually gives him Luca Brasi package message like it's nothing.
I think they were trying to indicate Tessio warned the Turk about Luca Brasi still being loyal to the Don, and they should take care him too.
The thing I never understood was Tessio never warning the Turk about Micheal's hit on him, maybe he thought Micheal was weak and would not been able to pull it off, or it would be too risky to inform the Turk because only 5 people knew about it; 3 of them being brothers so the suspicion would fall upon him sooner.
Tessio did not betray them until MUCH later. He was still loyal when the things you mention happened
True! Perhaps Barzini figured Solozzo was expendable & he could take over the Turk's rackets after he was killed by the Corleones. As well, it was certainly in Tessio's own self-interest to have Luca taken out since Brasi would have certainly come after him later on for betraying Vito/Michael. Not sure if Tessio had joined up with Barzini at that point as that was at least a couple of years before his betrayal. It seems likely though that Vito/Michael's refusal to let him & Clemenza break off & form their own families was the last straw for Tessio..
Tessio is the tall guy right? I didnt think he was a traitor till much later
the don sent luca because of their unique relationship .apart from his children luca was the only one he could trust.in fact thinking on it the don didnt have much luck with men he let in the family.paulie tessio and carlo turn as did joe spinells character later and frankie 5 angels.if you recall and theres more in the book michael and tom arnt even sure who the traitor is after his fathers death.they think it would be clemenza.the don realises the amount of money involved in the turks scheme makes his position as boss vulnerable.put simply he knows despite all the false loyalty his men seeing the fortune out there will get involved out of greed.its fairly true of the real life mob as in goodfellows where paulie never asks where the money is coming from from henry and the others but is content to take it .his outrage at finding out its drug money is palpably false .the top mobsters like genovese were heavily into the trade only the penalties it incurred made them in public deny involvment.theres even a hint of it in the sopranos when tony goes mad at richey selling heroin.however as we see richie was previously involved with beansy who runs a small pizza joint.beansy kicked up to tony as did richie pre prison.i think its a nod to the famous pizza connection case as beansy is later shown to be extremely wealthy .the inference being tony knew all along where the two were getting their money so richie goes back to it on release thinking tony was a hypocrite.with the don i think his intention with luca was two fold to gain info but more importantly to find a way to nip sollozo in the bud.being luca he thought if he thinks they are planning a move against the family he will kill the turk.and because its luca if he kills young tattglia as well so what?i can avert full scale war by saying look you cant control brasi you all know that! they threatened him he took them out i didnt want it but what can you do?thus averting the threat by eliminating the source of the drugs.i think he left it vague knowing lucas bestial instincts would take care of the problem with no comebacks.his big mistake was underestimating the turks cunning deep mob connections and long term plan.hes already decided to kill the don so he has to get rid of luca hes took insurance on himself with mcclusky.luca though loyal to the don is regarded by all the families as a law unto himself very much like his real life counterpart albert anastasia whose removal was neccesitated by the fact that he whacked anyone he felt like and was so fearsome that nobody questioned it until he got completely out of control.
U clearly didn't watch the movie tessio didn't betray the corleones until years later
If only Mario could tell us, but I think it was Luca's fault as the Don would have expected him to take care of himself, having said that he could have used someone more convincing to do the job instead of Luca, but he needed someone he could absolutely trust...why or why not? Only Mario knows, it's just a book.
Vito didnt know who his enemy was.
He knew that with Luca's reputation they would either be extremely eager to hire him away , or too scared to attack him.
Barzinni just saw an opportunity to kill Vito's most dangerous enforcer without Vito even knowing he was the one who ordered it...but the fact that it happened is what let Vito know that the Alliance against him was bigger than he thought.
The price of blind loyalty poor Luca
He was a psychopath lol
@@ayanjit9196 So? What is your point then?
@@theportugueselegend he is not "poor luca". He died as he lived. Even though it was in the hands of evil men.
@@ayanjit9196 It's still "poor Luca", regarding his loyalty and his fate. He's a mobster not Hitler. He's not a psycopath either, do you think he killed for fun? For what you see in the movie you should describe him as such: a loyal scary enforcer.
@@theportugueselegend he did kill for fun.
And all this time I thought it was Lou Cabrasi!
Even as a kid of about 14, when I first read the "The Godfather", it struck me as kind of "off" and hare-brained for Don Vito to send Luca Brasi to meet with Sollozzo The Turk.
Lenny Montana, the ex-wrestler who played Luca Brasi, was acting in a film for the first time, so I can see where Brasi comes off bad in the movie. Fortunately, I read the book years before I saw the movie, and I can only assume that he was slowing down but assumed that he could get out of the bar. OTOH, I thought that the idea of Luca turning in the book was too unlikely to be believable. Maybe if they found their police officer (who took over Brasi’s role as the in-your-face hitter) before, they could have sent him in as the possible turncoat, since he hadn’t the reputation as loyal to overcome.
Don Vito would never have sent Luca Brasi to his death, knowingly, unless he had a replacement lined up, or Brasi was obviously about to become uncontrollable. Neither was the case.
Luca was unhinged. Everybody heard about the whole ‘baby in the fire’ business & was disgusted and horrified. Vito knew then that Luca needed to be killed, that Luca wanted to die and due to his unswerving loyalty, was willing to die for his Don. Therefore Vito kept Luca in his pocket until such a time that his death could be advantageous to the Corleone’s. Your opinion that sending Luca as an agent, just for him to be killed made the Corleone’s look weak is exactly the double bluff Vito was trying to orchestrate. He wanted to wrong foot the other families.
This!
And THAT ladies and gentlemen is why Vito Corleone is THE GODFATHER! Slipping? That is EXACTLY what he wanted EVERYONE to think including us the viewer! Here it is 50 years later and some folks still aren’t sure about his thoughts and motives. While Brazini was busy playing checkers, Don Vito was playing chess!
Ppl should realize that some time ⏲️ has past since Vito asked Loca to see 👀 what's what because he ask him, I believe the day of his Daughter's wedding or just day afterwards and when you see Loca go to the hotel 🏨 for the meeting it winter time in fact it's Christmas time and Connie's wedding was in the summer ☀️ time ⏲️ so the movie goers should of pick up on that
There was no reason at that point of sending Luca to wack Sollozzo. Luca was simply going on a spy mission. He simply just didn't realize that Sollozzo was going to do what ever it takes to get his deal through.
bs. It was an obvious blunder by Vito
@@jhfit Vito was worried, but not worried enough honestly. He underestimated the situation. So made a blunder
@Vinnie Provolone And it was clearly a fatal mistake
I refuse to believe that Don Corleone didn't know what would happen if he sent Luca. He knew that Luca would die. Luca wasn't subtle, he wasn't a spy. He was a hitman. There's no way he would send Luca without knowing that they would kill Luca.
He sent him to his death to test if it was a trap or not. He didn't want to lose someone smart like one of his sons, or any of his capos.
I have always wondered about this move by Don Vito Corleone....
A lot of talking and theorizing without providing the real answer which is: he didn't. Vito send Brasi because he was convinced of Brasi's loyalty (unlike Tessio's and Clemenza's) and did not expect this to happen to Brasi, who in fact sealed his own fate by making himself look suspicious when he refused to shake hands. By the way, something that was completely unreal about the killing scene of Brasi is that it took only seconds for him to die, while he offered little resistance. In reality it takes several minutes to throttle somebody, especially a big strong guy like Brasi who also would have pulled the knife out of his hand (providing him with a weapon), fight like a lion and probably overpower his assailants.
I don’t know if this was supposed was a directors mistake or not but I found it weird that Luca was extremely nervous when he was reading the speech but when Vito called him over for the meeting about the Turk Luca was serious af.
It was said that he was in aw being in the room with the don that he really did mess his lines up so they just keep it in.
Because that was business, not personal.
@@GodMath7 It was the actor that was in awe of being in the room with Marlon Brando.
Luca's loyalty was so steadfast that it was a joke to even contemplate sending him on that fool's errand. This scene is purely for brutality effect. He didn't get to enjoy that pre-war Scotch.
I think i read somewhere that the actor who played luca brazi was an actual henchman for one of the five families of new York and the godfather was his first role
I always thought Vito smelled a rat in his meeting with the Turk. He had no idea how deep things actually went, of course. But he also knew there was more to the deal than the Turk was admitting. So, he sent Luca to meet with the Turk and the Tattaglias. If Luca could find more information, then Vito would've been happy to have it. But if something sinister was going on, the Tattaglias would naturally attack Luca. Vito probably figured that Luca would be the only survivor. Plus, Luca killing the Turk and Bruno Tattaglia in legit self-defense would tend to put a kink in whatever deeper plan was going on. So, either Luca would come back with more information or else Luca would come back with the Turk and Bruno's blood on his hands. Either way, Vito figured his immediate problem would be solved.
But it never crossed Vito's mind that three guys could get the better of Luca. I imagine that the minute Vito saw his attackers coming, he had a pretty good idea of what had happened to Luca.
You should do a video on the one-line that confused many viewers: "Michael Corleone says hello" as Pentangelli was nearly murdered.
Thought that was to mess with Pentangelli or as a cheezzy plot point. Remember how Hagan had to reinforce it by saying how he played it well.
@@kevinbergin9971 Yeah, that seemed to have been done for the audience or for plot convenience. If they wanted him dead they would have killed him--he didn't need to know why. It's only useful to tell him so that he survives the assassination attempt and thinks Michael betrayed him, giving him a motive to turn state's evidence. All for the benefit of the viewer.
They never really let you know but I'm assuming the whole thing was a setup. They were never going to kill Pentangelli the cop showing up was always part of the plan which was to convince Pentangelli that Michael had betrayed him so that he testify.
@@Paul-vf2wl That's possible! I thought about that and it's not out of the realm of Hollywood plot possibilities. It explains the comment, but what an elaborate and risky ploy just to down the Corleone family. Requires a lot of pieces to fall into place.
@@zachb.6606 Willie Cicci surviving to testify was probably a lucky accident.
Pretty much, Sollazo and Tattaglia had no business killing Luca, even though they knew dam well he was only with them to investigate for Vito. Whether the failed assassination would happen or not, that right there was the first move made in sparking an instant war.
I never really put any thought into why Luca was killed until now but it does make sense.... I wish they had shown the scene of Luca and Vito threatening the band leader instead of it just a story Michael tells his then girlfriend Kay....
I consider this one rather differently. I don't think Don Corleone slipped. I think he made a calculated gamble and lost. Overall, we see him having become successful, often by recognizing people's real motives.
Though we only see Barzini and Tattaglia briefly, I gather that Don Corleone knows more about their respective abilities than we realize. I think Don Corleone suspects more than Tattaglia behind Sollozzo, yet realizes that Tattaglia and Sollozzo may not realize themselves as pawns to someone's intent. He suspects something afoot, yet doesn't know what. Or whom. He needs to send someone to root out the real enemy, yet who? He can't send his sons; Sonny too hot-tempered, Fredo too credulous, Michael and Sonny both too conspicuous. ..Besides he has plans for Michael. Clemenza and Tessio, as capos, currently have too much to lose. A common "foot soldier" won't be near the top soon enough and could be coopted. Luca though, might just work. Though known for his loyalty, he's better suited to portray himself as a passed-over capo. He's known for being a bit of a maverick. I think Don Corleone hopes that Luca succeeds as "undercover agent", yet also realizes the risk to the whole family. Even Luca's death might incidentally reveal the as-yet-unseen enemy.
In a way, he's right. Though Luca winds up dead and Vito hospitalized, Vito has ample time to quiz Hagen about the course of events. From what he knows of the various men, Tattaglia and Barzini especially, he has means to know the real enemy. I think Don Corleone recognizes the nature of the situation in the course of the meeting of the families. In keeping with his typical strategy of allowing others to underestimate him, ..he doesn't say a word to the others, only confiding to Hagen, his consigliere, about the situation afterward.
No matter how useful a tool is it wears out eventually and has to be replaced.
I think Vito was ready to retire. Connie was married, Michael survived the war, so his personal family obligations were fulfilled.
Luca would be a problem, though. He wouldn't truly obey anyone bit Vito, and he certainly wouldn't retire himself. Vito wouldn't want such a loose cannon out there.
I suspect he put Luca to a task Vito knew he was ill-suited for. Problem solved, no blood on his hands, actually an inspiration to his soldiers.
Side note: I've always syspected that they slipped him a mickey at the bar to slow him down. It's never explicitly stated, but it is a tool often employed by bar, nightclub, and brothel folks.