The Godfatheris widely regarded as one of the best film trilogies of all time. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, the series of films ushered in the Coppola family’s dynasty in Hollywood.A 1972 mob epic based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Mario Puzo,The Godfather’s phenomenal castboasts Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, and more.While the Corleones are the crime family at the heart ofThe Godfather’s story, their enforcer, Al Neri (Richard Bright), is an underrated factor in their successthroughout the trilogy.
Enforcers in the Italian mafia are the people responsible for keeping the family organization in order and punishing those who break the rules. In Puzo’sThe Godfathernovel, Al, a former police officer convicted of manslaughter, is sought out bythe Corleone familyto work as an enforcer due to his knack for scare tactics and experience as an authority figure. This backstory is not mentioned in theGodfatherfilms, but is alluded to.Neriruns such a tight ship that Michael Corleone frequently evades the law and attains success as a crime boss, but the enforcer’s importance is severely downplayed.
Al Neri Is The Most Overlooked Character In The Godfather Trilogy
Al Is A Vital Cog In The Corleone Family’s Wheel
Al Neri is Michael Corleone’s (Al Pacino) bodyguardwhen he returns to New York City from exile in Sicily. He quickly becomes Michael’s second in command, managing major operations for the powerful Corleone crime family. Al plays a very significant role inThe Godfather’s bloody ending sequence, in which the heads of the other mafia families are killed during Michael’s daughter’s baptism ceremony in the Catholic Church. Al is disguised as a police officerin homage to his character in the novel.
Vito Corleone’s Real Right-Hand Man, Hidden By The Godfather, Only Appeared In A Deleted Scene
From Tom Hagen to Peter Clemenza, Vito Corleone has a lot of trusted associates in The Godfather — but his true right-hand man is in a deleted scene.
Without Al, the blood-soaked deed could not have been accomplished. Michael would have had his cover blown, and ruined what was supposed to be a special milestone for his family. Al got the job done and cleaned up the scene, all before the mass was over.Without this level of organization, Michael would not have become a successful crime donin the violent world ofThe Godfather.
Why Al Neri Was So Important To Michael Corleone’s Success
Al Is Not Torn Between Two Worlds
Al Neri goes on to save Michael’s life several times throughoutThe Godfather’s three movies, notably in the third installment, in which they attend a meeting with the Commission in Atlantic City that turns into an attempt on his life.Al is so important to Michael’s success because he always has his boss’back in unprecedented situations. Michael did not always want to go into the family business and is fairly inexperienced with its atrocities at the start of the trilogy. Al helps Michael cover his blind spots.
Michael Corleone’s rise to power inThe Godfatherand the success of the Corleone Family weren’t possible without the experience and expertise of Al Neri.
Michael attended Dartmouth College and served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. Michael’s father,Don Vito Corleone(Marlon Brando), raised him around organized crime, but understood Michael’s initial desire to avoid the family business and lead a normal life. While highly intelligent,Michael was originally not cut out for the criminal life, but Al always has been.Michael Corleone’s rise to power inThe Godfatherand the success of the Corleone Family were not possible without the experience and expertise of Al Neri.
The Family Business Is A Lonely World
A recurring theme ofThe Godfather, and Michael’s story in particular, is how more power brings increasing loneliness. As Michael becomes a bigger deal inThe Godfatherand its sequels, he drifts further and further away from his wife, his children, and the siblings he hasn’t yet killed. From the moment he takes over from his father as the head of the Corleone family,the concept of having a friend becomes lost upon Michael. Employees and business associates are lurking around every corner, but genuine friends are virtually non-existent for the Godfather.
Despite technically being on the Corleone payroll, Al Neri is probably the closest thing Michael has to a friend in Francis Ford Coppola’s entireThe Godfathermovie trilogy. This becomes most apparent inThe Godfather Part III, particularly during Michael’s health scare.The relationship between Al Pacino and Richard Bright’s characters has evidently evolved into a more relaxed dynamicby this point, and they respect each other as individuals, not just as a boss and employee.
Despite starting as an enforcer, Al Neri rises to the position of caporegime.
At this juncture in their respective careers, Al Neri likely could have retired in peace, or shifted to a less demanding role within the Corleone family’s structure, at least. The fact that Neri remains staunchly by Michael’s side speaks to the level of personal loyalty between them. That might not be a traditional mark of friendship, but it is the closest Michael Corleone gets.
Al Neri Is Effectively The Godfather’s Luca Brasi Replacement
But Al Neri Doesn’t Sleep With The Fishes
Coppola’s firstThe Godfathermovie highlights the importance of Luca Brasi as an enforcer for the Corleone family. The wedding sequence makes clear thatLuca has served Vito Corleone as a loyal soldier for many years, and has played a vital role in the Godfather’s prosperity. The brutal renegotiation of Johnny Fontaine’s contract is just one given example of howThe Godfather’s Luca Brasihas aided the Corleone family during his service. Such is Luca’s importance to the Corleone operation, Sollozzo and the Tattaglia family are quick to have him killed when they begin moving against Don Vito.
Luca Brasi and Al Neri were both equally pivotal in lifting their respective dons to the top of the mafia world.
Al Neri effectively steps into Luca Brasi’s soggy shoes after Michael Corleone becomes the new boss, filling the same role and proving just as effective. Whereas Luca was a physically imposing blunt instrument, however,Al Neri is more subtle in his methods - less intimidating to look at, certainly, but no less deadly. What Luca Brasi and Al Neri share in common is their immense loyalty to their employers. Luca almost revered Vito Corleone, and while the same cannot be said of Al with Michael, the latter pair also enjoy a bond that extends beyond basic professionalism.
Without doubt, Luca Brasi and Al Neri are both equally pivotal in lifting their respective dons to the top of the mafia world. Perhaps the key message behind such characters, then, is how the titular dons ofThe Godfather’s story are standing on the shoulders of less celebrated men who quietly do the dirty work in the background and allow their bosses to retain an air of legitimacy.
The Godfather
Cast
The Godfather chronicles the Italian-American Corleone crime family from 1945 to 1955. Following an assassination attempt on family patriarch Vito Corleone, his youngest son Michael emerges to orchestrate a brutal campaign of retribution, cementing his role in the family’s illicit empire.
