FRwL

Does anyone think he's inspirational? In the sense that Vito was really happy living in his apartment in GFII and couldn't ask for more (like when he puts the pear down on the table) just as he was throwing a big party on his estate in GFI. Vito managed to be both loved and feared while Michael was just feared. Managing to juggle the love/fear dynamic seems to be tougher. One thing about Vito's morals that is interesting is how notoriously gentlemanly he was as opposed to his sons' infidelities, when in the theater his friend asks him if the girl on stage is beautiful and he replies "for you she is beautiful, for me there is only my wife and son" that was an extremely deep thing said. Whattya think?

rw2516

The movies are slanted to make you sympathize with the Corleones. Like other anti-heroes, Bonnie and Clyde for example.

The man was an amoral cold blooded murderer.

Groucho

Nobody's perfect! But seriously, other than that...

Solid Snake

pretty much. Thought w/ B and C, in the movie anyways...I just kind of thought of them as dumb but adventurous people. Nothing really special about them besides their stake in history.

Vito? Yeah, I respect him as a character. Do I agree with his methods? No. But I respect that he does them out of the sake for his family. It's the world he's grown up in. It was tough. Vito got this way by an opportunity and choice he made. He's a bad guy, but a likable bad guy. Is he inspirational? I dunno about that. Not as someone to follow morally but at least in the sense of personal integrity...sure..kind of.

Ash Ketchum

See GOODFELLAS to see what kind of people mobsters are and how quick they are to sell each other out. No "honor among thieves" in that world. Or read any number of good books about the mob, includng the basis for GOODFELLAS, Nicholas Pileggi's "Wise Guys." Or Peter Maas's "The Valachi Papers."

If you want to read a romanticized version of a real-life mafia don, check out the book by Bill Bonanno, the son of Joe "Joe Bananas" Bonanno, "Bound by Honor: A Mafioso's Story." Fascinating account, but he really worships and whitewashes his father.

Shannon Nutt

I always liked how Francis introduced Michael as a stand-up guy (war hero at the beginning of I), turned him into a monster by the end of Part II, and then asked the question "can his sins be forgiven" in Part III...but most of you hate Part III, so we'll save that debate for another thread.

FRwL

Yes obviously the movie wouldn't be interesting if he was an ice cream vendor, so despite being a mobster, that his integrity is admirable as a character even if he is fictional.

Solid Snake

Admirable and inspirational are two different things. I admire his integrity, but in no way is he inspirational unless you're in the mob.

whoopdido

There are "good" mobsters and "bad" mobsters. Vito was a "good" mobster. Michael was a "bad" mobster. Joe Pesci in Goodfellas was a "REALLY BAD" mobster.

Like others have said, we were supposed to like and root for Vito. Sure he was a criminal, but he was portrayed as an honorable criminal. He was probably as "good" as a mobster can be but still a very bad person and not inspirational to anyone other than a criminal.

Numanoid

No. Immoral, sure. Not amoral.

rexinnih

Well he did say not to drugs at least. Have to give him that.

cleaver

Whenever I'm about to lose my temper with someone working in retail I think of Vito Corleone and how he never loses his ability to reason.
Plus I took him in the first round of the movie character draft.

FRwL

Ya see! He gives good life advice in that way. Right now he is a moral, no drugs, no infidelity, reasonability.

pjflyer

I would have bet big money this was a ButtMunker thread