The Godfather is set in 1945 and tells the story of the Corleone family, a mafia family in New York, United States. The family, like their rival mafia families, are immigrants from Sicily, Italy. Vito Corleone (played by Marlon Brando), commonly referred to as Don Vito, is the head of this family. They carry out various criminal activities at the request of their clients. The film begins with the wedding of Connie Corleone (played by Talia Shire), Don Vito’s youngest and only daughter. During the family photo session, Michael Corleone (played by Al Pacino), the third son, has not yet arrived, prompting Don Vito to refuse to proceed with the photo session. This opening scene illustrates Don Vito’s deep love for his family.
Don Vito has two other sons, Michael’s elder brothers: Sonny Corleone (played by James Caan) and Fredo Corleone (played by John Cazale). Unlike their father, who is composed and elegant, Sonny is hot-tempered, arrogant, and prone to solving problems with violence. Fredo, on the other hand, is more gentle and tends to have little influence in the family’s mafia business. Michael Corleone, the film’s main protagonist, initially appears to be similar to Fredo in character. He shows no interest in his father’s dark criminal world, preferring instead to join the Marines and participate in World War II, which had just ended at that time.
Don Vito intentionally keeps Michael away from the mafia business. From a young age, Vito had groomed his third son to become a politician in the future. As mentioned earlier, The Godfather opens with Connie’s wedding. She marries Carlo Rizzi (played by Gianni Russo), who is also a friend of Sonny’s. Michael attends his sister’s wedding with Kay Adams (played by Diane Keaton), a beautiful woman who is his girlfriend at the time. Shortly after, a famous singer of that era, Johnny Fontane (played by Al Martino), arrives. His presence sends the guests, including Kay, into a frenzy, as she turns out to be one of his devoted fans.
Fontane is also Don Vito’s godson. His successful career is partly due to Don Vito’s criminal network in the entertainment industry at the time. After performing for the bride and his admirers, Fontane is welcomed by Don Vito and invited to talk in his private office. Fontane asks Don Vito for help to secure a role in an upcoming Hollywood film project that would further boost his fame. Previously, he had been rejected by Jack Woltz (played by John Marley), the head of the production company handling the project. Not wanting his godson to be disappointed, Don Vito orders Tom Hagen (played by Robert Duvall), his consigliere or right-hand man, to take care of Fontane’s request.
Hagen promptly travels to Los Angeles to meet with Jack Woltz, threatening the producer to ensure that Fontane secures a role in the film. Woltz refuses Hagen’s demands, accusing Fontane of ruining his reputation in the entertainment industry. Enraged by Hagen’s persistence, Woltz angrily yells at him and orders him to leave. Hours later, Woltz wakes up in his bed to the horrifying sight of his prized stallion’s severed head. Realizing this gruesome act is Hagen’s doing, Woltz has no choice but to grant Fontane the role he desires.
The story then moves to Christmas Eve, when a major drug dealer named Virgil Sollozzo (played by Al Lettieri) meets with Don Vito. Sollozzo offers a partnership, asking Don Vito to use his extensive political connections to protect Sollozzo’s narcotics business. Sollozzo reveals that he has already reached a similar agreement with the Tattaglia family, led by Don Philip Tattaglia (played by Victor Rendina). After careful consideration and concern about the political repercussions of being involved with narcotics, Don Vito declines Sollozzo’s offer. However, he grows suspicious that Sollozzo might retaliate against him for the rejection.
To preempt any potential moves from Sollozzo, Don Vito sends one of his enforcers, Luca Brasi (played by Lenny Montana), to spy on Sollozzo. Brasi meets Sollozzo and Bruno Tattaglia (played by Tony Giorgio), Don Philip’s son, at a restaurant. However, Sollozzo and Bruno, aware of Brasi’s intentions, ambush and strangle him to death. Shortly afterward, they also succeed in kidnapping Tom Hagen. Meanwhile, Don Vito plans a trip to the market to buy fruit. That day, his personal driver and bodyguard, Paulie Gatto (played by Johnny Martino), calls in sick, leaving Fredo to temporarily take over driving duties.
At the market, Don Vito is ambushed by a group of gunmen who fire a barrage of bullets at him. Fredo, inexperienced with firearms, is unable to retaliate or protect his father. Instead, he reacts in shock and panic as Don Vito collapses, gravely injured. The next day, Kay Adams, while spending time with Michael, is shocked to see newspaper headlines suggesting that Don Vito may have died in the attack. Michael calls to verify his father’s condition but receives conflicting information about Don Vito’s actual state. Meanwhile, Sonny receives a call from Sollozzo, who informs him that they are holding Tom Hagen hostage.
Sollozzo informs Sonny that neither he nor Bruno intends to kill Hagen. Instead, Sollozzo makes Sonny the same offer he had previously proposed to Don Vito, assuming that Don Vito is dead and that Sonny has now taken over as the head of the Corleone mafia. Sollozzo and Bruno release Hagen to negotiate the deal with Sonny. However, only a few hours after Hagen’s release, Sollozzo receives word that Don Vito is still alive. This revelation throws Sollozzo into a panic, as he struggles to comprehend how Don Vito survived the onslaught of bullets.
The Corleone family then gathers for a meeting, during which Sonny receives a package containing a bulletproof vest with two dead fish inside. This symbolic message, reminiscent of the restaurant where Don Vito had sent Brasi, signifies that Luca Brasi is now dead. Meanwhile, Paulie Gatto, who had previously called in sick, returns to work. Paulie’s awkward demeanor upon reuniting with his colleagues, especially Sonny, raises further suspicions about his involvement in the attack on Don Vito. Growing increasingly distrustful, Sonny orders Peter Clemenza (played by Richard Castellano), a caporegime or captain in the Corleone mafia, to handle Paulie. Clemenza pretends to need Paulie to drive him somewhere, only to eliminate him en route.
Amid rising tensions between mafia factions, Michael advises Kay to stay away temporarily for her own safety. Michael then visits his father in the hospital, where he notices something suspicious: no guards or hospital staff are stationed near Don Vito’s room. Realizing that their enemies may attempt a second assassination, Michael asks a nurse for help in moving his father to a different room. Shortly afterward, Michael encounters Enzo (played by Gabriele Torrei), a family friend and baker who has come to visit Vito. Michael instructs Enzo to wait outside, sensing that danger could strike at any moment.
Michael takes advantage of the night’s darkness to deceive Sollozzo’s men, who are expected to arrive at the hospital to finish off Vito. He disguises Enzo to look like an armed mafia bodyguard, creating the illusion of a strong security presence. When Sollozzo’s men finally arrive, they hesitate and retreat upon seeing Enzo, mistaking him for a capable guard. Shortly thereafter, police officers led by Captain Mark McCluskey (played by Sterling Hayden) arrive at the hospital. Michael accuses McCluskey of being on Sollozzo’s payroll, resulting in McCluskey punching him in the face. Helpless against a police officer, Michael has no choice but to endure the assault.
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Fortunately, Clemenza and Tom Hagen arrive just in time to rescue Michael from McCluskey’s clutches. This brutal encounter marks a turning point for Michael, transforming him from a law-abiding man into someone increasingly drawn to his father’s criminal enterprise. The next morning, Michael, Clemenza, and Hagen learn that Sonny has killed Bruno Tattaglia, believing Bruno to be responsible for the two assassination attempts on Don Vito. With tensions between the Corleone family and Sollozzo escalating beyond reconciliation, Michael devises a plan to kill both Sollozzo and McCluskey. To execute his strategy, Michael arranges a meeting with Sollozzo at a restaurant, knowing that McCluskey, having been bribed as Sollozzo’s bodyguard, will also attend.
Michael instructs Clemenza to hide a pistol in the restroom of the restaurant where the meeting is to take place. Additionally, Clemenza is tasked with preparing a fabricated news article detailing the deaths of Sollozzo and McCluskey to cover their tracks after the plan succeeds. At the meeting, Michael sits down with Sollozzo and McCluskey. After some conversation, he excuses himself to go to the restroom, where he retrieves the concealed pistol. Returning to the table, Michael initially appears nervous and uncertain, but he ultimately summons the courage to shoot Sollozzo and McCluskey in the head, killing them both with precision.
The deaths of Sollozzo and McCluskey ignite an all-out mafia war across New York, although the conflict is primarily depicted in the film through media reports. Once Don Vito recovers from his critical condition and returns home, Sonny and Tom Hagen brief him on the events that transpired in his absence. Vito learns that Fredo, his second son, has been sent to Las Vegas to oversee business operations and to keep him safe from the ongoing mafia war. Meanwhile, Michael is in exile in Sicily to avoid becoming a target of revenge from Sollozzo and McCluskey’s allies. While in Sicily, Michael meets a captivating woman named Apollonia (played by Simonetta Stefanelli), whom he eventually marries.
The story then shifts to Sonny, who visits Connie and discovers that his pregnant sister has become a victim of domestic violence. Enraged that his sister has been abused, Sonny tracks down Carlo on the street and brutally beats him. However, Carlo does not learn his lesson. Days later, he assaults Connie again, this time after she confronts him about a phone call from his mistress. Furious upon hearing about this, Sonny rushes out to confront Carlo, intending to kill him. Tragically, Sonny is ambushed on his way by a group of gunmen armed with machine guns. The hail of bullets riddles Sonny’s car, leading to his gruesome death.
Tom Hagen informs Don Vito of Sonny’s brutal murder. To the surprise of his subordinates, Vito instructs them not to investigate Sonny’s death. Even if they discover who is responsible, Vito forbids any acts of retaliation. Instead, he calls for a meeting with the leaders of New York’s most powerful mafia families. Meanwhile, Michael receives news of his elder brother’s death while still in Sicily. Advised to relocate immediately for his safety, Michael prepares to leave with Apollonia. Tragically, before they can depart, the car meant for their escape explodes due to a planted bomb, killing Apollonia.
The story progresses to a meeting of the five major mafia bosses, organized with the assistance of Don Emilio Barzini (played by Richard Conte), leader of the Barzini mafia. During the meeting, Don Vito makes a surprising decision to retract his longstanding opposition to the narcotics trade. He acknowledges that much of the recent turmoil in the mafia world stemmed from his refusal of Sollozzo’s proposal regarding the drug business. However, Vito insists that the narcotics trade must be tightly controlled, with strict rules such as prohibiting sales to children. In this gathering, Don Vito also works to ensure that neither the Tattaglia family nor the Corleone family harbors lingering resentment over the deaths of their respective sons, Bruno Tattaglia and Sonny Corleone.
He tells Don Philip Tattaglia that revenge will not bring their sons back to life. Vito emphasizes his goal of establishing peace among the mafia families, expressing his desire for an end to the war so that Michael can safely return to America. During the meeting, Don Vito secretly realizes that the true mastermind behind Sonny’s death was not the Tattaglia family but rather Barzini. Following the mafia truce, Michael returns to America and reunites with his family. He rekindles his relationship with Kay, and the two eventually marry and have two children.
With Don Vito’s health deteriorating and Fredo unfit for leadership, Michael is appointed as his father’s successor. Michael initiates a major restructuring of the Corleone mafia hierarchy. In a surprising move, Michael appoints Carlo as consigliere, replacing Tom Hagen, who had proven his loyalty and expertise over the years. This decision raises eyebrows, especially since Sonny had been killed while on his way to confront Carlo. Michael also names Don Vito as his personal advisor. Meanwhile, Tom Hagen is reassigned to Las Vegas to strengthen the Corleone family’s position in the gambling industry, a decision that Don Vito supports, seemingly aware of Michael’s larger strategy.
Michael himself travels to Las Vegas, where he meets Moe Greene (played by Alex Rocco), a Jewish hotel and casino owner who employs Fredo and Johnny Fontane. Michael reveals his plan to forcibly buy Greene’s hotel and casino as part of the Corleone family’s transition to Las Vegas. Greene, enraged by the proposal, inadvertently admits that his connections with Barzini could thwart Michael’s takeover. This slip confirms Michael’s suspicion that the Barzini mafia has been behind the attacks on the Corleone family. Michael now understands who the real enemy is and prepares to face them head-on.
In his final moments with Michael, Don Vito warns him to be cautious of anyone who arranges a meeting with Barzini, stating that this person will be the traitor. Shortly after, Vito passes away peacefully while playing with his grandson. At his funeral, one of the Corleone family members approaches Michael to arrange a meeting with Barzini. Unexpectedly, the person orchestrating this meeting is revealed to be Salvatore Tessio, a trusted caporegime who had been close to Vito for years. The meeting is scheduled to coincide with the baptism of Connie’s child, where Michael has agreed to be the godfather.
On the day of the baptism, as Michael stands at the altar pledging to be the child’s godfather, his hired assassins execute a series of coordinated murders. They eliminate all the rival mafia bosses in New York and New Jersey, including Moe Greene, who is shot in the eye. Michael assigns Tom Hagen to oversee Tessio’s execution by the Corleone family’s hitmen. Following the baptism, Michael confronts Carlo and exposes his betrayal. Carlo had been bribed by Barzini to lure Sonny out on the day of his murder. Given the gravity of Carlo’s betrayal, Michael orders Clemenza to kill him, showing no mercy toward his brother-in-law.
Connie, suspicious of Carlo’s sudden disappearance, confronts Michael, accusing him of murdering her husband. She also tells Kay that Michael was behind the killings of all the mafia leaders on the day of the baptism. Michael denies Connie’s accusations, reassuring Kay that he is not involved in the violence. Initially, Kay believes her husband’s denial, trusting that Michael has not become a ruthless killer. However, Kay’s faith is shaken when she witnesses a defining moment: the Corleone family caporegime address Michael as “Don Corleone.” They kiss his hand in reverence, a gesture once reserved for his father, Don Vito. Realizing the truth about Michael’s transformation into the new head of the Corleone family, Kay is left in silent despair. The film concludes with Michael’s full ascent to power, solidifying his role as the new Don of the Corleone mafia.
