For many The Godfather sits high up on their favourite films list. But for former mob boss Michael Franzese, despite it being his top film, one scene doesn’t ring true at all
16:00, 04 Jan 2025Updated 16:03, 04 Jan 2025
Michael Franzese says despite The Godfather being his top film, one scene doesn’t ring true at all(Image: MediaNews Group via Getty Images)
An ex-mob boss has said that one of the greatest mafia movies of all time got it very wrong in one scene.
For many The Godfather sits high up on their favourite flicks list. In fact on IMDb (the Internet Movie Database), film fans have had it battling for years for the number one spot in its Top 250 titles in history, with the likes of the Shawshank Redemption and The Dark Knight. And former Colombo Family captain Michael Franzese is no exception to that admiration, previously putting the Hollywood classic in the top category of his gangster film and series reviews.
But there is one part of Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece that just doesn’t sit right with the man that was once sentenced to 10 years in prison on conspiracy charges.
The Godfather is currently the second highest rated film on IMDb(Image: CBS via Getty Images)
When it comes to depicting organised crime on the big or small screen, Franzese is probably better placed than most when it comes to substantiating whether movie bosses have done a good job.
In fact so high profile was he during his mob days, he is even one of the people portrayed in another highly-rated crime film classic, Goodfellas.
And while the former captain in New York’s notorious crime organisation admitted to being a huge fan of the fictional tale of the Corleone family, he said one part was definitely not based on reality.
Franzese said that one part of The Godfather which saw Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) insulted, was definitely the work of fiction(Image: CBS via Getty Images)READ MORE: Woman wears smirk as well as orange jumpsuit in mugshot after beach drunk driving arrest
Appearing on the YouTube channel BuzzFeedVideo, Franzese talks about the scene in which the new Don, Michael Corleone, sits down with Las Vegas heavyweight, Moe Greene, and offers to buy him out.
In the clip, which stars Al Pacino as Corleone, and Alex Rocco as Greene, Rocco’s character can be seen ranting at Don Corleone for the perceived insult. He casts a number of aspersions at the don, including casting a racial slur, before storming out.
This, however, did not sit right with Franzese at all. “Nobody wants to be called that when you’re Italian,” he said. “Having said that to a guy in Michael Corleone’s position wouldn’t have worked.
Franzese is better placed than most to critique mob films(Image: Getty Images)
“He would have gotten hurt right there on the spot. I mean, he’s insulting him left and right, you just don’t do that.”
Franzese also picked up on the German/Irish character Tom Hagen, played by Robert Duvall, who acts as the crime family’s consigliere. “Duvall played this role brilliantly, but it was fictional,” he said. “The consigliere is a real position.
“You gotta take the oath and become a made member in order to be consigliere.”
Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone with Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen sitting behind him in The Godfather(Image: Hulton Archive)
He added: “He wasn’t even Italian, and you can’t become a made guy unless you’re Italian.”
Finally, Franzese picked up on Michael’s brother Fredo (John Cazale) shouting at his brother for the way he spoke to Greene.
“There’s no way that Fredo would have told Michael in real life, ‘Hey, do you realize who you’re talking to?’ when his brother is the mob boss,” he said.
“I thought The Godfather was the greatest mob movie ever, I really do. I still feel that way, but that scene was very unrealistic. If I had to rate that scene for realism on a scale of one to five, that would be a one. It might even be a zero.”
To see Franzese’s full review click here.