I had already talked about another mafia villain, Tony Soprano, I feel devoted to, but now it is time to talk about the real Don, and I’m not referring to Vito, his father, but to Michael Corleone.
It was last Saturday, chilling out after too much party, when I reviewed The Godfather trilogy once again. I’ve reached the commitment with myself that I have to watch the saga once every year, same as with Star Wars.
This last time I had a kind revelation related to Michael Corleone. On one hand it was again confirmed I’m in love with young Al Pacino in physical terms. Yes, I find him stunning and super handsome. And on the other hand, and this is the revelation I was referring too, the evolution of his character becoming a dark, enigmatic and cold blood villain, is absolutely awesome.
This last time I realized that the more he’s assuming the responsibilities of managing the family business, so his power is growing, the more evil and manipulative he becomes, and I couldn’t help but finding resemblances among him and the shockin’ Tony Soprano we saw portrayed on the last episodes. I loved it! Guess I will go on with such idea in depth soon.
Michael Corleone, who arrives late to his sister’s wedding reception, is introduced as a IIWW young hero, a captain, no less, who talks carefree to his girlfriend Kay about the family business and its members as if it was a reality far away from him. He lives in Manhattan, not too attached to his family, enjoying the average American way of life comfortably, unaware of his father’s troubles with other families.
Events related to the family change the course of his life. At the moment his father is forced to be out of the picture when the Sollozzos fail to murder him, Michael has to fill the gap providing common sense and wisdom over Sonny’s rage and Fredo’s stupidity, in order to preserve the family.
Vito Corleone never wanted such fate for his favorite son. He’d worked hardly for him to develop a career full in the legal side of society. He had dreamed of his son moving into politics, ending up as senator, or who knows, president of the US.
Michael has to leave the country after sorting the Sollozzo’s conflict radically, and is hidden by Don Tommasino in Sicily. Enjoying a humble and peaceful time he has a crush on Apollonia and marries her, but mob war in America goes beyond control and she’s killed by a car bomb intended on him. Such loss will mark him for life, and his vitality will turn into darkness for good.
Merciless Michael, is capable of killing his brother in law, and his own brother, who’s turned him down many times, no obstacle will ruin his career to the top, and if you are not by his side, he’ll let you down, as he did with his wife.
It’s impressive TheGodfather part II, showing a calculating and analytic don, mostly calm in appearance, but penetrating. By his gaze you never know what his mind is working on, until he starts acting, and when he does, you gotta be careful, even though you’ve been his right hand over the years, as Tom Hagen, his consiglieri, was.
Michael Corleone, is the definite villain, wise and cold, who eventually transmits this feeling of distrust, causing fear not only to those against him, but also to those standing for him. Fuckin’ A!
