The GodfatherandThe Godfather Part IIare amongthe greatest gangster movies of all time, and the characters are a huge reason why—from their personalities to their levels of intelligence. There are many chess pieces moving throughout the trilogy, and part of the allure is its ability to show just how much strategy goes into, say, the assassination attempt on Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), the successful assassination of Sonny (James Caan), planting the gun in the restaurant bathroom for Michael (Al Pacino), or any other plot point throughout the franchise.
The adaptations ofMario Puzo’s bestselling novel couldn’t be taken seriously without the astounding writing and acting to make some characters look smarter than others. The audience is just as surprised as some of the characters are, and yet the explanations given make sense. It is no easy feat to make someone seem brighter than most other people, as some screenplays try to hide relatively dumb characters by making everyone around them even dumber. Though it’s not one of the most realistic depictions of the mafia,Francis Ford Coppola’s mafia sagafeelsreal because we as an audience believe that people like Vito Corleone and Hyman Roth are more deliberate with their actions than we would be. The fifteen most intelligent characters inThe Godfatherimpress us more than the rest, but the process of ranking them isbased on how much they surprise other intelligent characters, how correct they are in their observations, and how successful they arewith their schemes.
The Godfather
15Moe Greene
Played by Alex Rocco
Moe Greene (Alex Rocco) isn’t on this list for what he does, since he doesn’t have much screen time. He’s here for what hehasdone beforehand, which includes running his casino (though it’s currently not doing great) and making enough dough to confidently tell off Michael Corleone to his face when the man suggests he buy the casino. Moe is privy to the fact that the Corleone family has lost a good amount of muscle by then, and it’s clear that he has accrued a formidable amount of power himself. Telling of Michael proves fatal, but no one really saw that move at the end coming.
Moe also proved to be an effective boss, as he explains how Fredo was messing with his casinoby sleeping with cocktail waitresses during business hours. He knocked Fredo around in public a little to get him straightened out, but the man runs a tight ship to keep that ship from sinking. Ostensibly, standing up for himself was the right move. Furthermore, the fact Hyman Roth held him in high regard also speaks to the man’s intellect.
14The Rosato Brothers
Played by Carmine Caridi and Danny Aiello
In the beginning ofThe Godfather Part II, Frank Pentangeli is eventually able to complain to Michael that he doesn’t have enough support back east. The Rosato brothers (played byCarmine CaridiandDanny Aiello) are taking over his territory, and Pentangeli won’t be able to stop them without the necessary muscle. Although the Rosato brothers have a lot of power, you still need to have the smarts to use that power wisely.
While Pentangeli isn’t enough of a strategist to find a way out of this situation,the Rosato Brothers are intelligent enough to not squander their growing territorial gains. Taking advantage of Michael shifting things out west, they’re also working with Hyman Roth. Although Roth winds up losing this battle, he is still one of themost sophisticated characters in the franchise; and it speaks to the Rosato brothers' judgment that they take sides with him.
13Philip Tattaglia
Played by Victor Rendina
The Corleone family is pretty tough, so it takes a tough family to fight them in a mafia war. This would be the Tattaglia family, headed by Philip Tattaglia (Victor Rendina). Although Vito Corleone tells Tom that Philip wouldn’t be able to fight Santino without help, it’s still a smart move for Tattaglia to recognize that and join up with Don Barzini. Self-awareness is a sign of intelligence, even if it admits a degree of weakness in a certain field.
There’s also the fact that Don Tattaglia was able to successfully keep this a secret. Only at the meeting with the heads of the various families does Don Corleone realize that Barzini was pulling the strings the entire time. Notice also that Tattaglia doesn’t quite trust Don Corleone’s offer of peace at first, which ends up being somewhat prophetic. He anticipates that Corleone’s position will grow, and he might resume vengeance on the family that took his son. Michael eventually carries out an even more aggressive move during the Baptism sequence, so the old don wasn’t quite wrong.
12Don Ciccio
Played by Giuseppe Sillato
The very firstvillain portrayed inThe Godfather Part II, Don Ciccio (Giuseppe Sillato) is the reason why young Vito Corleone fled Italy at the turn of the century. He had Vito’s brother killed, and he understood perfectly well that Vito would seek vengeance as an adult. So he had the boy’s mother killed and tried to have Vito killed too. That would have been the end of his troubles, but the boy was able to escape. Sure enough, Vito does exactly as the cruel don predicted.
Although Don Ciccio is only seen in the very beginning and end ofPart II, he is still in charge of Corleone throughout all of that time in-between. Holding on to that much power is a formidable challenge, and he was apparently brutal enough to maintain his stranglehold on the community for decades.The fact that he was only assassinated at a very old age, and in a way that he tried to prevent, only speaks to just how smart(and ruthless) he was.
11Don Tommasino
Played by Corrado Gaipa
After killing Sollozzo and McCluskey, Michael has to flee to Italy until things cool down in America. But who’s going to protect him? Italy may keep him from the United States' authorities, but it’s still a dangerous place. Luckily, Michael has Don Tommasino (Corrado Gaipa) on his side. Tommasino wasn’t able to make his security foolproof, as Michael’s wife is killed right as he was about to leave, but Michael still gets home in one piece because of this man.
Tommasino is an old friend of Vito Corleone. They went into the olive oil business together; Tommasino produces the oil, and Vito sells it. InPart II, it’s Tommasino who helps Vito exact revenge upon Don Ciccio.Tommasino then takes over the town of Corleone as Ciccio’s replacement, and he’s able to keep his power for a long time. InThe Godfather III, he still proves his usefulness to Michael by telling him about people in the Vatican. Although he would eventually get assassinated, this guy definitely had a good run.
10Connie Corleone
Played by Talia Shire
Though largely a background character, Connie (Talia Shire)displays a surprising amount of intelligence when she wants to. The first movie in the trilogy begins with her marriage to a man who would later abuse and cheat on her. When Michael kills him, Connie understands immediately what happened; she even says to Kay, “Why do you think he kept Carlo at the Mall? All the time he knew he was gonna kill him.” Michael had to wait for his father to die in the meantime, which Connie also points out.
Michael never admitted this, yet Connie still brings it up with the utmost confidence inPart II. She also marries men who only seem to use her for her money, which isn’t the smartest thing to do. However, she is so self-aware by the end of the sequel that she tells Michael that she entered those relationships out of hatred for him. Then, inPart III, Connie compellingly schemes to get Vincent (Andy García) higher up in the ranks. It appears that she learns more and more through experience.
9Peter Clemenza
Played by Richard Castellano and Bruno Kirby
There’s a reason why Clemenza (Richard Castellano) is able to take over in New York after Michael leaves for Nevada, and it’s not just because he’s the one who got Vito into organized crime in the first place. He’s smart and reliable, as is implied at the end of the very first scene inthe iconic film trilogy. Notice that Clemenza agrees with Michael when the latter states that killing Vito is the key for Solozzo’s plan to work. He’s also able to find a way to plant the gun in the restaurant.
It was Michael’s idea, sure, but he’s not the one who had to work out the specifics, like leaving the weapon in the bathroom. Through all those years of experience, Clemenza knows more than just how to assassinate people. He also understands that leaving the table is a challenge in itself, which is why he tells Michael to ask permission to go to the bathroom. This makes him seem less eager. Along with introducing Vito to organized crime inPart II,Clemenza proves one of the smarter mobsters.
8Salvatore Tessio
Played by Abe Vigota and John Aprea
Salvatore Tessio (Abe Vigota) doesn’t get quite as many memorable moments as Clemenza, butPart IImakes it clear that he was there to help Vito rise to power in New York. That alone is a marker of his intelligence. Don Corleone was also going to give him his own family at the end of the first film, which obviously shows that the Don still trusted both his friend’s abilities and strength of mind. Things didn’t work out that way, of course.
On the surface, Tessio’s betrayal doesn’t sound like the smartest thing in the world, but that’s because Vito gave Michael some significant advice. Without his father’s counsel, which is more valuable than anyone else’s, Michael most likely wouldn’t have known that the meeting Tessio set up with Barzini was a trap. Tom tells Michael that he thought Clemenza would have been the one to betray the family, but Michael explicitly says that it was “the smart move. Tessio was always smarter.” Can’t argue with the screenplay.
7Don Fanucci
Played by Gastone Moschin
Don Fanucci (Gastone Moschin), otherwise known as The Black Hand, has Little Italy in his pocket at the start ofPart II. It’s explained to the audience that he’s an Italian who steals from Italians because he knows they have no protection. That’s a cold move, but it certainly works. He makes everyone pay him off, and his stranglehold on the community is so tight that he commands respect on sight. His insistence on having everyone let him “wet my beak” is one of thebest quotes inThe Godfather Part II.
It takes a man as courageous and clever as Vito Corleone to take him out. Funny enough, Don Fanucci recognizes that Vito is a man he himself can use. When the young Corleone doesn’t give him all the money he asked for, Fanucci is impressed by his confidence and demeanor. Although Vito kills him later that day, he was apparently going to get a well-paying job from the don had he decided to take the less ambitious path.
6Virgil Sollozzo
Played by Al Lettieri
During their meeting in the first movie, Don Corleone tells Virgil Sollozzo (Al Lettieri) that he agreed to meet with him because he was told that Sollozzo is a serious man who’s treated with respect. At that same meeting, Sollozzo immediately intuits that Sonny would support his deal when the young man speaks out of turn. He’s also able to see that Tom thinks it’s a good idea as well. Vito is old-school; that’s why he doesn’t like the drug game, and it makes him the outlier in the family. Take him out, and the rest will follow.
Of course, it’s not quite so simple: Sonny (and Luca Brasi) will be furious when he finds out his father’s been assassinated. Anticipating that, Sollozzo briefly kidnaps Tom to tell him he needs to talk some sense into the new don. Along with knowing that Luca Brasi is acting as a spy and picking up on Michael’s confusion (though not getting suspicious enough) about going to eat in New Jersey,Virgil Sollozzo is definitely one of the craftier players in the franchise.
