Head-to-Head: The Godfather vs The Godfather Part II vs Goodfellas

Direction

Ah, finally, having three of what are commonly acknowledged to be the best mob movies of all-time in a head-to-head. Well, for this first matchup, it's very east to pick out a winner. Francis Ford Coppola was a fantastic director, and he handles both Godfather films in an extremely compelling fashion with his direction. The subdued, cool and rather merciless nature of the underworld is brought to life wonderfully through his work in the first film, and yet somehow within it manages to finds smidgens of humanity in sequences like the Sicily scenes and the scenes of family bonding, which he gradually corrupts over the course of the film to a spellbinding conclusion. His masterful handling of two parallel plot lines in Part II gives each half a distinctly different style that feels so specific to their respective time periods. The first film set up the backdrop of a heightened, dramatic, somewhat Shakesperean gang dynamic that espoused universal themes of loyalty and betrayal, ambition and corruption, and family; the second film takes it to even greater heights.

In the end, though, I'll have to give this to Scorsese. As Kevin P. Sullivan from Entertainment Weekly puts it, The Godfather films are great films that happen to be about a mob family, more universal in its set of themes; 'Goodfellas is about – yes, it’s about something – a specific lifestyle and the people who lived it' (http://www.ew.com/article/2011/08/12/the-godfather-vs-goodfellas), that being the deceptively glamourous, inwardly corrupt life of a gangster. Now these alternative approaches work incredibly well for both films, but I'd say Scorsese has an even bigger challenge in that he has to make Henry Hill's story both vibrant and exciting mob life and the hedonistic enjoyment of evils, while also exploring the ugly and gritty underbelly of it, sometimes within the same frame. The film could've completely failed as a tonally imbalanced piece of cinema but instead it works marvellously. Scorsese never holds back on style, uses every trick in his vast directorial book, and completely controls the film's dynamic, kinetic approach with the camera, yet also somehow allows enough space for the characters to breathe. The film never feels aimless even though like many Scorsese films it doesn't exactly have a 'plot', and also never feels like glorifiication of the mob life through its frequent, extremely effective bouts of violence which Scorses brings such a vivid, unforgettable quality to, especially in the casual fashion it is handled. Coppola's work on the Godfather films is sublime, but Scorsese's work is a career high.

Winner: Martin Scorsese, Goodfellas

The Lead

Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather

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Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather: Part II

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Ray Liotta as Henry Hill in Goodfellas

Interestingly enough, both The Godfather and Goodfellas had a relatively obscure actor leading them; Pacino was up till that point, mostly a stage actor who'd done a few indepedent films, though certainly nothing as huge as The Godfather, while Liotta had gotten a Golden Globe nomination for his work as a jealous ex-husband, ex-convict in Something Wild and a memorable supporting turn in Field of Dreams, but I'd say was still more of a character actor than an A-List star at that point. This caused an oddity in the subsequent awards races when both films reached critical and box-office acclaim, as Pacino somehow found himself placed in the Supporting category despite the whole film being about his personal arc, while Liotta found himself almost universally snubbed despite his performance being absolutely essential to the success of the film.

For Pacino, I should note firstly that he's very, very good in The Godfather: Part II as the Godfather more set in his ways than before, a much colder, darker man than before who doesn't hesitate in ordering murder so long as it helps the family, although his best moments are when he breaks that facade, like 'you broke my heart' and his outbreak of rage against Kay (Diane Keaton).

His best performance as Michael though is most certainly his work in the first film, where he depicts the iconic transformation of a good man into a bad one, though it's neve as simplistic as just that. It's masterful how Pacino gradually twists Michael's love for his family into that of a bond with the criminal empire, and he matches the terrific writing behind his character's arc at every turn. The episodes which gradually break down his humanity are all dealt with subtly and in a heartbreaking fashion, with his best scene being the first act of killing where we see, wordlessly almost, the transition of Michael to a point of no return. He shares some very tender chemistry with Keaton, and most importantly with his onscreen brothers and father, his final scene with Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) being particularly memorable.

Liotta's work as Henry Hill is that of an altogether more unhinged sort, which is necesarry, particularly since the character is drugged up for essentially the whole second half of his performance. For anyone who hasn't seen Goodfellas yet, Liotta's work can be best compared to that of Leonardo DiCaprio in the later The Wolf of Wall Street in that this is a protagonist who's completely amoral, through and through, and by the end of the film still hasn't really learnt his lesson. Unlike Michael Corleone, Henry Hill gets into the mob lifestyle not because of family or loyalty, quite opposed to that actually. The film depicts the real-life mobsters assimilation into the gritty gang life because he just enjoys being a criminal and gaining the perks of it, and Liotta is fantastic in bringing that passion to his performance and terrific narration. He's equally good at matching it with a gradual depiction of his character's horrors at the not-so-glamours aspects of the crime life.

Liotta's work should not have been ignored as it was, and he'd actually be my runner-up for 1990 Best Actor after Johnny Depp in Edward Scissorhands. Nevertheless, it's Pacino's work in the first Godfather film I'll give the win to here because of how seamlessly, and subtly he charters the growth and fall of Michael Corleone to absolute perfection.

Winner: Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather

The Boss

Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather

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Robert de Niro as Young Vito Corleone in The Godfather: Part II

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Paul Sorvino as Paul "Paulie" Cicero

All three of these Italian American Dons are of the supporting variety, looming over the film at our lead gangsters and watching their journeys take place.

Brando's Don Vito Corleone is easily the most iconic of the lot, you'll know the image of him stroking a cat even if you haven't even heard of the film. And to be sure he gives a very memorable performance to match that iconic quality. I won't say it's Brando's greatest performance, how could it possibly be when you have On the Waterfront, but he really disappears into the role of Vito, and all his Method acting works perfectly in establishing the very particular style of Vito's Godfather persona, and he certainly nails the more emotional moments like his reaction to his oldest son's death perfectly. He doesn't have much screentime but more than makes up for it with his indelibly iconic performance.

Paul Sorvino as Paulie Cicero has even less time to work with, as the father figure to our central criminals in Goodfellas. Sorvino, who I haven't seen much of elsewhere, is rather good at playing into the warm, fatherly qualities of Paulie in his guidance of the wiseguys, and also has a certain style to his mobster persona that works entertainingly. When he's more cold and incisive though, he's also rather good at turning that on its head and makes his character extremely fitting to Scorseses world of deceit and appearances.

My win here, however, goes to Bobby de Niro as the young version of Brando's character in Part II. De Niro garnered his first Oscar for his performance here, and it's so interesting to compare this performance to some of his other acclaimed turns. In contrast to some of his more exuberant and louder performances, De Niro as Vito is often silent for long, long stretches of time, and doesn't speak a word of English through his whole performance, speaking in a Sicilian dialect. It resembles above all his other performances, his career-best turn in The Deer Hunter, but more about that some other time. I love the way the film sets up the character of young Vito as a contrast to Michael, but it would've fallen completely flat if the actor playing young Vito wasn't up to scratch. De Niro manages to not only completely convince you that this is Vito in his younger years, but manages to bring an added depth to the performance by showing how the gangster qualities gradually come out of Vito in an almost silent fashion. Each act of murder he partakes in to fulfil his position as the Godfather is masterfully handled, and despite the film's central focus being Michael, De Niro always holds your attention onscreen and makes for an incredibly compelling presence in a great film.

Winner: Robert de Niro as Young Vito Corleone in The Godfather: Part II

The Crazy, Unpredictable One

James Caan as Sonny Corleone in The Godfather

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Joe Pesci as Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas

There is no real equivalent in Part II, I guess Frank Pentangeli kind of counts but he's not so much a nutcase as he is just a very emotional chap who comes to overly quick conclusions. Sonny and Tommy, on the other hand, are walking, breathing human fuses just waiting to explode at any point.

Caan's performance as Sonny is breathtaking because every moment, even when he's just chilling around and joking with his brothers or listening to business matters, he's ready to blow. A hotheaded and insolent individual like Sonny could've been too repetitive if overplayed, but Caan importantly allow the slightly gentler, at least less hotheaded, aspects of the character to shine through as well, and he's very entertaining to watch each scene onscreen.

Then there's Joe Pesci as the former shoeshine boy-turned-gangster Tommy, though don't mention that. Pesci as an actor is one with an incredibly distinctive screen presence. He's not physically imposing at all and yet somehow, he manages to be the scariest thing in Goodfellas. It's really difficult to take your eyes off him and yet, also hard to keep them on the screen whenever Tommy's around as he could be joking around one second, then bashing your brains out the next. The core quality to Tommy's character is his desire for respect; if you mock him, take the mickey out of him, or even vaguely disrespect him by just uttering a 'fuck you' in retort to his insults, beware the consequences. Tommy is a psycho, and Pesci takes a no-holes barred approach to reveling in all that glory. Each scene he's in is a highlight of the film, and even in his more casual scenes you can find that monstrous presence lurking within; and his final reaction to becoming a 'made man' is a brilliant, if brief, finale to his performance as Tommy finally gets what's coming to him.

Winner: Joe Pesci as Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas

The Right-Hand Man

Richard S. Castellano as Peter Clemenza in The Godfather

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Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen in The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II

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Robert de Niro as James "Jimmy the Gent" Conway in Goodfellas

Castellano and Duvall are completely solid as two of the most consistent characters in the Godfather franchise.

Clemenza is the family man who also happens to be the most proficient killer in the Corleone family, and Castellano bridges these two sides rather well. He makes for a very engaging presence within the film and I wish he'd reprised his role for the sequel.

Duvall is interesting in that this was his 'breakout' role of sorts, garnering him his first Oscar nomination for the first film, and yet in many ways it's a pretty thankless role. Tom Hagen is the most strict and professional of all characters in both films, and remains always distanced somewhat from the viewer. And to be fair on Duvall he's perfectly competent at that every step of the way, and has a few standout scenes which show the man behind the businessman. Far from his best performance; his real debut in To Kill a Mockingbird I'd argue allows him to show his talents in a greater fashion in far less screentime, and later on he'd team up with Coppola again to give a far meatier and in turn, more iconic performance as the one and only Lieutenant Bill Kilgore.

It'll be De Niro once again here, though, and admittedly Jimmy Conway is a much meatier role than the aforementioned two. I'd argue that this is actually De Niro's best performance in a Scorsese film. He's not given as much Oscar-y scenes to work with like he is in Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and The King of Comedy (all great performances, by the way), but I'd say he impresses me all the more because of that. The very particular nature of Jimmy as a smooth operator is perfectly handled by De Niro as you completely buy into how revered and respected he is by the underworld, and also how loved he is by Tommy and Henry, which makes it all the more disconcerting in the final act of the film when an increasingly paranoid Jimmy starts to go insane in a very strange fashion. He's still a 'professional', so to speak, but De Niro indicates with some brilliant, silent reactions how his growing anxieties about being arrested gradually drive him to increasingly desperate ends, including potentially killing off his friends. I love each of De Niro's silent reactions, particularly THAT one of him smoking in a bar, seething with hate, and they add to his compelling portrayal of a gangster to build up to one of De Niro's best performances.

Winner: Robert de Niro as James "Jimmy the Gent" Conway in Goodfellas

The Loose Ends That Need to Be Tied Up


Basically everyone who's murdered in the final act of The Godfather

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Lee Strasberg as Hyman Roth and Michael V. Gazzo as Frank Pentangeli in The Godfather: Part II in The Godfather: Part II

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John Cazale as Fredo Corleone in The Godfather: Part II

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Billy Batts (Frank Vincent), Morrie (Chuck Low) and all the Lufthansa heist fools in Goodfellas

The final act of The Godfather which builds up to that unforgettable ending consists of basically, murder after murder of men who've wronged the Corleone family. Each scene is extremely effective, from a visual (Moe Greene, played by Alex Rocco, being shot in the eye, his eyeglasses cracking), and dramatic (Tessio, played by Abe Vigoda, and his silent resignation to being found out for his betrayal) standpoint.

The victims in Part II are all given slightly more screentime and development, and Strasberg as the aging but still power-hungry associate of Michael, and the dangerously emotional and neurotic Pentangeli (Michael V. Gazzo) who threatens to collapse the order of the Corleone family, are very effective too. In particular, Gazzo's testifying scene is a particularly memorable one, and his final scene also rather poignant.

The Goodfellas murders are all handled in a particularly dispassionate fashion, as is shown by the film's very first, in medias res scene where we open with a barely alive Billy Batts being brutally stabbed to death. It's an effective set of sequences based around his character, vividly depicted by Scorsese's direction with his foreshadowing, employment of violence, and also a degree of dark humour. The the Lufthansa murders are all great too, accompanied by 'Layla' by Derek and the Dominos and make an indelible visual impression. A surprisingly soft-spoken Sam L Jackson as Stacks even gets murdered in a very similar way as Fredo in The Godfather: Part II.

Fredo. Oh, poor Fredo. Poor, sensitive Fredo; all he wanted to be was a somebody, and no just a bum, something more than just the stupid, incompetent brother. Cazale was really good in the first Godfather with his brief screentime, and is particularly good in the scene where he utterly fails in trying to protect Don Vito from the assassins. By all accounts it was the fact he was so good in the role which led Coppola to increase his role in the sequel, and Cazale more than proves himself worthy of this ascended status. His Fredo is a disarmingly pathetic loser who can't seem to get anything in his life right, and it's tough to watch Cazale's perfect portrayal of a perennial incompetent. Fredo is stupid, very stupid, and Cazale shows that that's the case through and through. Then as we gradually see the more deceitful and angry side of Fredo come out, it's magnificent as we find the rage and anger broiling within the overlooked brother come out with such a haunting quality. His interactions with Michael are heartbreaking, and the film does well in never pigeoning him as a villain or Michael as a hero. They're both bad people doing bad things, only Fredo was never cut out for the mob life, and Cazale's magnificent performance, my second favourite supporting performance of all-time, makes his arc and fate the ultimate tragedy of The Godfather trilogy.

Winner: John Cazale as Fredo Corleone in The Godfather: Part II (although the way the schmucks are depicted in Goodfellas works brilliantly as well) 

Married to the Mob

Constanzia "Connie" Corleone (Talia Shire), Apollonia Vitelli-Corleone (Simonetta Stefanelli), Kay-Adams Corleone (Diane Keaton) in The Godfather, Connie and Kay in The Godfather: Part II

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Lorraine Bracco as Karen Hill in Goodfellas

Here's where Goodfellas exceeds The Godfather by miles. Shire, Stefanelli and Keaton are all decent throughout the films, and Shire and Keaton both have occasional standout moments in both films when showing the more emtoional sides of the characters. Most of the time, however, they're a bit sidelined. Shire, who would go on to show much more range in a sweeter and bigger role in the Rocky films, and Keaton who's an amazing actress when given suitably colourful roles but can't really make much out of the boring Kay here, are decent but ultimately overshadowed - although Keaton is rather great in the ending of The Godfather. And it's notable that the most notable aspect of Apollina is her death scene, and even that because of Pacino's performance than anything else.

Bracco deservedly got an Oscar nom for her portrayal of the mobster's wife and one of the strengths of the writing behind her character is that she's not just one thing or the other. Karen starts off as being a rather simple, sweet Jewish girl who gradually becomes corrupted by Henry's influence. She has dynamic chemistry with Liotta and effectively shows through both her narration and her performance how her character gradually becomes more immoral and oblivious to her husband's crimes. Then in the final act she's an extremely convincing ball of paranoia, a double act of despearation with Liotta. Margot Robbie is good in The Wolf of Wall Street but Bracco shows how this sort of role should really be played to perfection.

Winner: Lorraine Bracco as Karen Hill in Goodfellas

The Ensemble as a Whole

All three films have great ensembles, but I'll have to give it to the first Godfather here since every character, every actor, whether it's John Marley's arrogant studio executive to Lenny Montana's Luca Brassi, and of course Sterling Hayden's corrupt cop in typical Sterling Hayden fashion, makes an indelible impression.

Winner: The Godfather

The Screenplay

As aforementioned, The Godfather has a great screenplay that depicts one man's downwards spiral in a grandiose fashion, while Goodfellas has a brilliant screenplay which is effortlessly funny, incisive, delivers exposition brilliantly, has fully-fleshed characters and also never loses sight of its main character's journey. The Godfather: Part II however handles two journeys of two iconic characters seamlessly, manages to find emotional poignancy in its deeply corrupted criminal world, and strings together several complex relationships between characters in a compelling fashion while at the same time crafting a very satisfying narrative. All three scripts are great but I'll give Part II the edge for the timebeing. 

Winner: The Godfather: Part II

Cinematography

The Godfather has beautiful cinematography and colour schemes in each of its most iconic sequences, particularly Vito's death and that ending.

The camerawork in The Godfather Part II is similarly flawless, particularly in the young Vito scenes with the murder of Don Fannuci being unforgettable from a camera's stance. 

But Goodfellas has all those tracking shots, as well as other subtler little touches in scenes where most director's might have just done a workmanlike shot, which are every film fanatic's wet dreams brought to life. Technically a lot of the crafty camera tricks are a bit show-offy, but do I care? Not really. 

Winner: Goodfellas

Editing

Again, all three films are flawless from this standpoint, as they flow along so effortlessly despite their long running times. I'll give the win to Goodfellas as Thelma Schoonmaker just seems to have a knack to giving such a scattershot story such structure with her incredible pacing and intertwinement of one scene after the other. Although the fact that both Godfather films maintain such strong momentum for their 3 hour plus running times is certainly nothing to be sniffed at.

Winner: Goodfellas

Sound

It's mostly about the gunshots. Again, from a technical standpoint there's nothing to criticize from each of these films from a sound perspective. Again, Goodfellas takes the cake because of how it flits in and out of its soundtrack and sounds with such an immersive feeling, each gunshot and fisticuff as resonant as each lighting of a cigarette, each line of dialogue. 

Although credit also has to go to the Godfather films for making mumbling coherent and also making violent scenes which might've seemed dated in a modern-day perspective, still pack quite the punch because of how in-your-face the sound effects are. 

Winner: Goodfellas

Set Design

Oh, I kind of regret doing this head-to-head now. The Copacabana, man, it's a set with such a character all of its own, as is the Neirs Tavern. The Godfather has great sets of both interior and exterior quality. But Part II has sets which stick in your mind forever.

Winner: The Godfather: Part II

Costumes

The best sort of costumes tell you about the character before you've even heard them utter a word or perform an action. Goodfellas and The Godfather have great costumes, for sure, but The Godfather: Part II takes that a step further by having each costume tell a story, from Don Vito's well-permed, prim and proper attire and moustache to Michael's dark colour scheme, to the fact that you can always clearly identify which side a character's on by the sorts of clothes they're wearing. 

Winner: The Godfather: Part II

Soundtrack

For The Godfather films, it's the score, for Goodfellas it's the soundtrack choices. The 'Love Theme' from The Godfather is arguably the most iconic score of all-time, rightfully so, and both films utilize it wonderfully, as well as Part II expanding upon the soundtrack of the original to great effect. Goodfellas never sets a foot wrong either in the songs department. 'Sunshine of Your Love' by Cream playing to Bobby de Niro's death glare is just about the most inspired choice in film history, and the whole list of songs that appear in the film (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodfellas_(soundtrack)) which all fit into it in some way and are all specific to the time period, are eclectic, with of course the Rolling Stones thrown in, and perfectly matching.

Winner: It's a tie between all three. 

Emotional Impact

The Godfather and Goodfellas all have their fair share of emotional moments, with the deaths of Vito, Sonny, and Apolliona, and the predicament of Karen all delivering a degree of emotional investment. But The Godfather: Part II easily impacts me the most out of them all. My aforementioned comparison to the films as Shakespearean is realized most vividly here and you feel such empathy and a connection with characters who are so far removed from you and yet so identifiable, making each of their fates worthy of an intense emotional investment.

Although Goodfellas, does have the most daring attempts at finding a connection with the viewer, and The Godfather has one of the greatest endings of all-time.  

Winner: The Godfather: Part II

The Godfather - 3

The Godfather: Part II - 7

Goodfellas - 7

Can't lie, these are all great films. I might not consider the original The Godfather one of the 10 greatest films of all-time like many do, but I still think it's a brilliantly made film, and The Godfather: Part II and Goodfellas are both in my top 30 of all-time. I suppose I think Goodfellas is the more superior film in terms of craftsmanship, but The Godfather: Part II ranks higher on my list because it just hits me in the sweet spot, with its Fredo subplot, the emotional power of its performances, and the whole parallel story structure.