The final scenes ofThe Godfatherhave gone down in history as one of the best moments in cinema history, and it’s because of the seven characters Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) killed. Theending ofThe Godfathersaw Michael execute all the Corleone family’s enemies at once, on the day of his nephew’s baptism. The scene moves incredibly quickly both within the film and in real-life, and it can be somewhat difficult to keep track of exactly who died and why Michael had them killed. That scene, however, is a big reasonThe Godfatheris one of thebest movies of all time, so understanding it is imperative.
Almost all the livingcharacters inThe Godfatherwere involved in the massive attack, and it completely changed New York’s underworld in a single day. With a few bullets, Michael Corleone usurped the former “Don of Dons,” eliminated several traitors within the Corleone family, and opened up an entire new city for them to expand their gambling to. It was an exceedingly successful moment in Michael’s career as Don, and it set the tone for the rest of his journey throughall theGodfathermovies.
7Don Victor Stracci
The Stracci family doesn’t play a large role in the narrative ofThe Godfather, but their Don was the first to die in Michael’s Baptism of Blood.Victor Stracci (Don Costello) was exiting an elevator when Clemenza (Richard Castellano) pulled out a shotgun and blew him away. As one of the heads of the five families, Stracci was in league with Barzini, which was enough to convince Michael to kill him. His position of power also made him one of the targets Michael needed to kill simply out of necessity, as he needed the chaos of whacking all five heads simultaneously for his takeover to work.
6Moe Greene
Moe Greene Refused To Sell His Hotel & Insulted Michael By Beating Fredo
Moe Greene (Alex Rocco) wasn’t a Don, but he stood in the way of Michael’s plans just as much as any other mob boss inThe Godfather. Moe was the owner of the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, which Michael wanted to use tp expand the Corleone family’s influence on gambling. Moe, however, refused to give into Michael and sell his hotel, and he also insulted the new Don by beating on his brother, Fredo (John Cazale).So, Michael had Moe killed at a massage parlor, both to open up Las Vegas for the Corleone expansion and as payback for Fredo.
5Don Carmine Cuneo
The Cuneo Family Was Caught Up In Michael’s Takeover Of The Five Families
Like the Stracci family, the Cuneo family didn’t have much to do inThe Godfather. They were, however, allied with the Barzini family and part of the five families, which made them a target for Michael. As a result,Michael had one of his men lock Don Carmine Cuneo (Rudy Bond) in a revolving door and shoot him dead. Killing all five heads of the families was important for Michael because it meant none of the families would be able to immediately seek retribution against him, and he would have time to take over all of New York.
4Don Phillip Tattaglia
The Tattaglias Tried To Assassinate Vito, Enabled & Protected Sollozzo
The Tattaglia family wasn’t the biggest threat to the Corleones, but they were the most openly hostile. The Tattaglias openly supported Sollozzo (Al Lettieri) and used his narcotic trade as an excuse to put a hit out on Vito.While Vito swore never to seek revenge against the other heads of the five families after Sonny’s (James Caan) death, Michael made no such promise. Michael’s men killed Don Phillip Tattaglia (Victor Rendina) along with a sex worker he was sleeping with in a hail of bullets. Tattaglia’s death both avenged Vito and was part of Michael’s takeover of the New York underworld.
3Don Emilio Barzini
Barzini Was The Secret Mastermind Of Sollozzo’s Attack On The Corleones
The main antagonist ofThe Godfatherwasn’t revealed until well over halfway into the film, but it still gave Michael enough time to get his revenge. Don Emilio Barzini (Richard Conte) was the “Don of Dons” and had the other three families in his pocket. He envied Vito’s political connections and network of favors from judges and politicians, so Barzini orchestrated his assassination.Years later, Michael would have his men gun Barzini down in the street for what he did to Vito and Sonny. Barzini was also the most important target in Michael’s Baptism of Blood, as it was all to take his place as Don of Dons.
2Salvatore Tessio
Tessio Arranged A Meeting Between Barzini & Michael, Meaning He Was The Traitor
Michael’s bloodshed didn’t end when the baptism ended. Before he died, Vito told Michael that the person who came to him to set up a meeting with Barzini would be betraying him. That person was Salvatore Tessio (Abe Vigoda), who tried to get the Dons to meet at Vito’s funeral.Tom then took Tessio out to his car, and after being told that Michael wasn’t driving with them, Tessio realized he was being killed because of his betrayal. He wasn’t the only traitor Michael dealt with, however.
1Carlo Rizzi
Carlo Confessed To Setting Up Sonny’s Assassination
The last person Michael killed inThe Godfatherwas his own brother-in-law, Carlo Rizzi (Gianni Russo). Michael suspected Carlo was involved in Sonny’s assassination, as the older Corleone brother was on his way to kill Carlo after he abused Connie (Talia Shire).Michael got Carlo to confess, and as soon as Carlo got into the car, Clemenza strangled him to death as revenge for Sonny’s death. Michael had no tolerance for traitors, and anyone who tried to defy him inThe Godfathersoon found out why he was the new Don.
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.
