Michael Corleone is a complex and multifaceted character in the Godfather trilogy, which follows the lives of the Corleone crime family. Michael, the youngest son of Vito Corleone, is initially hesitant to join the family business and wants nothing to do with the world of organized crime. However, over the course of the three films, Michael becomes increasingly involved in the family's criminal activities and ultimately becomes the head of the family after his father's death.
As a young man, Michael is portrayed as idealistic and ambitious, with dreams of leaving the world of organized crime behind and making a name for himself in legitimate business. He is smart, resourceful, and capable, and his intelligence and ambition are evident even in his early years. However, Michael's desire to distance himself from the family business is ultimately thwarted by a series of tragic events that draw him back into the criminal underworld.
One of the most significant events that shapes Michael's character is the assassination attempt on his father, Vito Corleone. The attack, which is orchestrated by a rival crime boss, leaves Vito critically injured and Michael deeply shaken. In the aftermath of the attack, Michael becomes increasingly involved in the family's criminal activities and eventually takes over as the head of the family. This decision is not made lightly, as Michael knows that he will be sacrificing his own dreams and ambitions in order to protect and honor his family.
As the head of the family, Michael becomes a powerful and ruthless figure, willing to do whatever it takes to protect his loved ones and maintain control over the family's criminal empire. He is cunning and manipulative, using his intelligence and charisma to outmaneuver his enemies and solidify his position as the leader of the family. However, his rise to power is not without its costs, as Michael is forced to make difficult and often ruthless decisions that ultimately come back to haunt him.
Despite his intelligence and ambition, Michael is also a deeply flawed character, driven by his own selfish desires and a need for control. His love for his family is ultimately overshadowed by his own ambition, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to protect his own interests. This ultimately leads to a series of tragic events, including the deaths of several loved ones and the betrayal of those he once considered friends.
In conclusion, Michael Corleone is a complex and multifaceted character, whose arc takes him from a young man with dreams of a legitimate career to the head of a powerful and ruthless crime family. He is intelligent and ambitious, but also deeply flawed and driven by his own selfish desires. As such, Michael serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of power and the sacrifices one must make in order to attain it.
List of The Godfather characters
Faith is tested in each of these stories and the choice becomes to either succumb to this evil world, turn to God, or perhaps something else altogether. Michael recognizes that Vincent has inherited Sonny's fiery temper and fears Vincent will suffer his father's fate, making crucial misjudgments fueled by anger. About Us We want to encourage and support in-depth, intellectual discussion. So, when Kay asked him if he did indeed have a hand in killing Carlo, Michael was enraged that someone - even if that someone was his wife - would question his authority. Bruno Tattaglia Son and underboss of Philip Tattaglia and colleague of Virgil Sollozzo, played by Tony Giorgio. The third part could never hope to live up to the first two and obviously fails to do so, but I find the final scene and epilogue in it to be among the most powerful and meaningful scenes of the series.
The Godfather: 10 Times Michael Corleone Was The Scariest Character
His cancer and his family weren't the catalyst for breaking bad; they were just an excuse to break bad and live the life he'd been too afraid to pursue up until he had nothing left to lose, in his eyes. It was a great moment where he doesn't become more evil, he simply realizes the true nature of his ambition and ruthlessness - that grasping at a pretense of redemption was simply naive, and to lean into the darkness rather than hide it. Before even becoming a mob boss, Michael had proven himself as an overachiever. The man who justifies everything by family, makes his sister a widow, his nephew fatherless, and murders his brother. Don "Vito" Corleone Frederico "Fredo" Corleone Moe Greene Peter Clemenza Santino "Sonny" Corleone Captain Mark McCluskey Thomas Hagen Kay Adams Johnny Fontane Salvatore "Sal" Tessio Virgil 'The Turk' Sollozzo Emilio "The Wolf" Barzini Carlo Rizzi Constanzia "Connie" Corleone handle it business casino buy out take sides family hero proud strictly business cop dishonest kill bodyguards love take care affairs attractive son patience mixed up gun career smart move bathroom wine powerful assassinated negotiator innocent traitor guarantee careless flight killed guards godfather wedding picture personal The Godfather. One shot in this sequence interestingly highlights the beginning of Michael gravitation towards his family obligations and the eventual abandonment of Kay. At the end of Part III, Michael dies alone in the yard of his Sicilian villa.
The Godfather: Michael Corleone's 10 Best Traits
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He is a former actor who, as an inexperienced executive at Paramount, transformed the floundering studio into the most powerful organization in Hollywood. The film closes with Michael sitting alone in the Corleones' Lake Tahoe compound. McCluskey: I thought I got all you Guinea hoods locked up! Immensely talented and powerful, he is undone by tragic flaws: his insatiable desire for vengeance, which creates a web of violence and recrimination that he cannot escape; his illusions of omnipotence, which blind him to the fact that achieving legitimacy is impossible; and his sense of being perpetually at war, which never allows him a moment of rest. Back in New York, Michael becomes the head of the Corleone family and marries Kay Adams, his college sweetheart and has a son, Anthony. Later, the Don collects on his favor by asking Bonasera to prepare Sonny's body for his funeral.
