The Godfatherremains one of the most acclaimed and celebrated crime dramas ever made. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola and released in 1972, the film chronicles the transfer of power from aging mob boss Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) to his reluctant son, Michael (Al Pacino).The Godfatherreviewswere glowing and the film was a commercial success, not only launching Pacino to stardom, but spawning two immediate sequels.
The Godfatherfeatures a handful of iconic scenesthat have stood the test of time, including several that are shockingly violent. Though the film couldn’t be characterized as an action movie,a number of graphic shootouts and slayings play out over the course of Michael’s rise to power, including the attempted assassination of Vito, Michael’s killing of corrupt police captain Mark McCluskey (Sterling Hayden) and drug baron Sollozzo (Al Lettieri), and the brutal slaying of James Caan’s Sonny Corleone.
Former Mobster Assesses Michael’s Dual Godfather Killings For Realism
Francis Ford Coppola’s Film Makes Some Key Mistakes
Michael’s killing of McCluskey and Sollozzo inThe Godfatherisn’t entirely realistic, according to former mobster Anthony Ruggiano Jr. Marking what is arguably the most shocking moment in theCoppola movie, Michael retrieves a gun from a restaurant bathroom before heading back out to the table where he was meeting with McClusky and Sollozzo. Michael shoots both men dead, with graphic mists of blood erupting from both characters. Michael then heads for the door, dropping his tape-wrapped pistol on the way out.
How The Godfather’s Best Pacino Scene Saved The Movie
The iconic scene in Louis Restaurant in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather saved the jobs of Al Pacino, Coppola, and the movie itself.
In a recent video forInsider, Ruggiano analyzes Michael’s restaurant killing scene inThe Godfather, pointing out that one major unrealistic element is that Pacino’s character is slaying a police captain. According to the former mobster, even though McCluskey is corrupt,killing a police captain is “unheard of.“Ruggiano also points out inaccuracies with the stowing of the gun in the toilet stall and the decision to leave the weapon at the scene. Despite the inaccuracies, the film still earns a decent score. Check out Ruggiano’s analysis and score forThe Godfatherbelow:
“I don’t know if all that would take place with the gun hidden on top of the toilet bowl. You know, there was a group of carpenters who worked exclusively for the mob and they would build traps. They would look around and they would find something, and they would build something where you could open it and put something in and then close it, but you couldn’t see it with the naked eye. When the cops came in they wouldn’t be able to see it, but you would know where it was.
“It was a great scene, don’t get me wrong. It was shocking and it really made the movie. You know, it was a great scene, but would it happen like that in real life? Not really, no. First of all, to kill a police captain, that was pretty much unheard of, even though he was corrupt. I mean, back then mostly all the police officers in New York were corrupt. The guys would go in and commit the murder and then leave. They wouldn’t be sitting at the table, having a conversation, then shoot the guy.
“I never heard of anybody leaving a murder weapon at a scene. Guns were untraceable, don’t get me wrong, because they were either stolen or purchased down south and brought up to New York. They also put tape on the butt of the gun so he wouldn’t leave any prints behind. I mean, I guess if you were going to leave the gun at the murder scene you wouldn’t want your prints on it. DNA came later on. Back then, there was no such thing as DNA.
“I would give The Godfather probably a seven [out of 10]because a lot of stuff in The Godfather would not happen. It was really Hollywood.”
What The Inaccuracies Mean For The Godfather
The Film’s Reputation Won’t Be Damaged
The Godfatheris often mentioned as not just one of the best crime dramas ever made, but one of the best movies of all time. OnRotten Tomatoes, the film enjoys a stunning critics' score of 97%, with the audience-driven Popcornmeter score coming in at 98%.The fact that the film features some mistakes in terms of realism is unlikely to detract at all from its reputationas one of the most iconic works in movie history.
The Godfather, Part IIis considered by some to be better than the original. It sports a 96% critics' score and 97% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Michael’s killing of McCluskey and Sollozzo inThe Godfatherremains one of the most important scenes of the movie, not just because the violence serves as an exclamation point in the story, but because it results in Michael fleeing to Italy, where he meets and marries Appollonia (Simonetta Stefanelli). Her eventual death is key to Michael’s eventual rise to power. Even though the restaurant shootout may not be entirely realistic, it remains a crucial part ofThe Godfather.
