There may not be another film with a more watchable and intriguing cast of characters than Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather. Every single member of the Corleone family is fascinating, from Vito (Marlon Brando) to Connie (Talia Shire), as well as the supporting characters who bring their own purpose and color to the gangster world. The antagonists of The Godfather have typically been the characters most often ignored, as it's understandable we are more intrigued by our protagonist's villainy. However, whilst most will name Barzini (Richard Conte) as the main villain of The Godfather, Virgil Sollozzo (Al Lettieri), also known as 'The Turk' is perhaps the more significant of the two, for what his actions lead to, and how his ties to real-life gangsters add a degree of realism to The Godfather.
Sollozzo is the Sign of Change in 'The Godfather' World
Sollozzo enters The Godfather as the first real view the audience gets at how the mafia underworld truly functions as an ecosystem, with the different families delicately balanced, as to not lead to all-out war. His entire business is narcotics, wanting Corleone involvement to pay off politicians and police, so the narcotics can be safely imported. Vito Corleone declines Sollozzo's business for fear of how it will hurt the mafia eventually, claiming it would cause politicians to turn against the mob.
It's Sollozzo's acknowledging of Sonny’s (James Caan) hot-headed interest that pushes Sollozzo to go ahead with whacking Vito, and trying to finish the job after he survives the initial hit. Not only this, but it's this war that leads to Sonny’s death as well as Michael’s (Al Pacino) murder of Sollozzo that forces Michael into hiding and to eventually take over the business. All of this is because Sollozzo came to the Corleone’s to sell narcotics.
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Not only is Sollozzo a sign of change, but he really helps to sell the overall world these gangsters operate within in The Godfather. As Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall) points out, he happily uses a knife, “but only in matters of business with some sort of reasonable complaint.” It’s a tiny line, but shows how everyone within the mob lives by the rule that this is business, and it's not personal. This is a factor that really helps to present this elevated world that is scarcely believable and yet so watchable. It truly aids in providing a distinct contrast between the seemingly awful yet principled gangsters, versus the corrupt cops and wild politicians.
Sollozzo Is Based on a Real-World Gangster in ‘The Godfather'
Like much of The Godfather, author Mario Puzo based much of the fictional world on either his own Italian-American heritage, like how Vito Corleone is actually based on Puzo's mother, or taken from the real-world mafia. In keeping with this, Sollozzo’s murder is also based on the murder of real-world gangster Joe Masseria,who was murdered during a negotiation he was having with another gangster, Lucky Luciano, during dinner. Luciano also went to Italy, like Michael, but this was due to deportation rather than fleeing.
Sollozzo is such a fascinating character who is really only a small part of the overall narrative of The Godfather. He comes, instigates, and is then murdered. However, he is perhaps one of the most significant characters in the entire trilogy. He is not only the catalyst for change within the narrative, but he also fills out the wider mob world and adds realism to it. Without Sollozzo, The Godfather may still be a great film and novel; however, what you would lose without him makes it an offer that most actually could refuse.
The Godfather
R
Crime
Drama
Don Vito Corleone, head of a mafia family, decides to hand over his empire to his youngest son, Michael. However, his decision unintentionally puts the lives of his loved ones in grave danger.
- Release Date
- March 14, 1972
- Director
- Francis Ford Coppola
- Cast
- Marlon Brando , Al Pacino , James Caan , Richard S. Castellano , Robert Duvall , Sterling Hayden
- Runtime
- 175 minutes
- Main Genre
- Crime
The Godfather is available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S.
