As two undeniable classics of the gangster genre,GoodfellasandThe Godfathershare a sizable portion of DNA. Both are sweeping, urban epics charting the rise and fall of a mafia empire, told through the eyes of an ambitious up-and-comer.
Coppola and Scorsese cake their respective offerings in a layer of illicit grime that makes for visceral, yet deeply compelling, viewing, whether it’s the story of Henry Hill or the misadventures ofthe Corleone family. Robert De Niro, meanwhile, plays integral roles in both, first asThe Godfather Part II’s younger Vito, then asGoodfellas' Jimmy Conway.
Despite their many similarities, however,GoodfellasandThe Godfatherare two very different flavors ofgangster movieice cream. Leaning into its real-life inspiration, Scorsese’s film has a colder atmosphere compared toThe Godfather’s noir-ish glow.Goodfellasalso delves deeper into themes of substance abuse and paranoia, seeking to remove the glamorous fallacy of what it means to become a “wiseguy.”
In search of that fidelity,Goodfellascontains one scene in particular that pullsMartin Scorsese’s moviefar away fromThe Godfather, and simultaneously exposes what might be considered the biggest flaw of Coppola’s legendary magnum opus.
Tommy Killing Spider Exposes The Godfather’s More Noble View Of Gangsters
That Wasn’t Very Funny…
That scene isJoe Pesci’s Tommy DeVitoruthlessly gunning down young mafia bartender Spider in retaliation for a simple “go f**k yourself.“Goodfellasplays Spider’s sad demise as a moment of utter pettinesson Tommy’s part. Pesci’s loose cannon shoots a defenseless young boy over a simple bruised ego, leaving Henry and Jimmy aghast.
Tommy’s hot-headed nature is, of course, a running through-line ofGoodfellas, with the definitely-not-funny hoodlum unleashing his temper upon Billy Batts, as well as teasing Henry with the memorable “funny how?” routine. Nevertheless, it is Spider’s death that truly paints Tommy - one ofGoodfellas' central three protagonists - as a fragile soul devoid of reason or honor.
EvenThe Godfather’s resident hothead, Sonny, never goes so far as to shoot an innocent youngster because of a harmless jibe.
This couldn’t be further from howThe Godfatherportrays its own protagonists - the Corleone family. The main players - Vito, Michael, and Sonny - are responsible for plenty of deaths across Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo’s decade-spanning saga, but these are almost always presented with some semblance of nobility.
Whether it be the treacherous Sollozzo, the turncoat Paulie, the abusive Carlo Rizzi, or the villainous Don Fanucci,the Corleone big shots invariably assassinate characters thatThe Godfatherencourages audiences to think “had it coming.“These victims are hardened criminals, usually demonstrably worse than the Corleones themselves.
EvenThe Godfather’s resident hothead, Sonny, never goes so far as to shoot an innocent youngster because of a harmless jibe. One could say that whereGoodfellasattempts to depict the mafia warts-and-all,The Godfatherallows its central charactersto retain a thin shroud of heroism - one of the few things Coppola’s masterpiece could be criticized for.
That is not to say the Corleones never kill a person because their egos get bruised, of course. Michael includes Moe Greene on his christening day wishlist partly because the casino tycoon publicly manhandles Fredo - a ballsy insult to the Corleone name.The Godfatherdoes, however, go to great efforts to make Moe Greene utterly detestable in the audience’s eyes, siphoning away any possibly sympathy. Poor Spider, he is not.
The closestThe Godfathercomes toGoodfellas' mafiosa pettiness is Vincent’s feud with Joey Zasa inPart III. Even then, Coppola introduces this as a generational divide, with Michael left exasperated by the new era’s inability to not take things so personal.
How The Godfather Avoids Completely Glamorizing The Gangster Lifestyle
It’s Not All Sunshine & Cannoli
The Godfathercertainly puts an attractive sheen on the gangster life, and yetanyone who emerges from the trilogy wanting to quit their job and become a button man for the local mob obviously hasn’t been paying attention. While not as pronounced as inGoodfellas,The Godfatherdoes hide a murky layer of darkness beneath the surface of the Corleone family.
The real cautionary tale of Michael’s story comes inThe Godfather Part III.
For starters, the delicate matter ofhow the Corleones make their moneyis seldom addressed. Reading between the lines of the family’s various enterprises, however, it can be assumed that plenty of innocent civilians have found themselves on the wrong end of the Corleones' wrath when payment deadlines weren’t met.
These are not simple olive oil merchants. If Johnny Fontaine’s band leader had not succumbed to Luca Brasi’s threat, maybe his brains really would have been splattered all over that fateful contract. And whileThe Godfathernever draws attention to it,the climactic bloodbath clearly shows civilians getting caught in the crossfireof Michael taking outNew York’s Five Families.
The Godfathernever reveals whether Luca Brasi really would have pulled the trigger, or whether the threat was just an intimidation tactic.
WhileGoodfellasbrings the darkness of its leading gangsters into the open, then,The Godfatheralludes toward it more gently. The real cautionary tale of Michael’s story then comes inThe Godfather Part III, as the mastermind of a criminal empire dies miserable and alone, having sacrificed love and family for power and money.
The Godfather
Cast
The Godfather chronicles the Italian-American Corleone crime family from 1945 to 1955. Following an assassination attempt on family patriarch Vito Corleone, his youngest son Michael emerges to orchestrate a brutal campaign of retribution, cementing his role in the family’s illicit empire.
Goodfellas
GoodFellas chronicles the life of Henry Hill, a young Brooklynite with half-Irish, half-Sicilian heritage, as he rises through the ranks of a Mafia family. As he navigates the criminal underworld, he is mentored by seasoned gangster Jimmy Conway amidst the backdrop of organized crime in New York.
