Vincent Corleone

Vincent Santino Corleone (né Mancini) is a fictional character in the 1990 feature film The Godfather Part III, in which he is portrayed by Andy García,^[1] who was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance. Vincent is the illegitimate son of Sonny Corleone and his mistress Lucy Mancini. He eventually succeeds his uncle Michael as head of the Corleone family. Retroactive continuity ("retcon") was employed to create the character's existence for The Godfather Part III, as it is evident from Mario Puzo's original novel that Lucy did not conceive a child with Sonny.

Coppola has said that Vincent is, roughly speaking, an amalgamation of the five Corleone family males, having Vito's cunning, Michael's ruthlessness, Fredo's sensitivity, Sonny's fiery temper and Tom Hagen's absolute loyalty.

Fictional character biography

The Godfather Part III

In The Godfather, Sonny Corleone and Lucy Mancini were having an illicit affair; Vincent Mancini is the result of that union. Being illegitimate, as a youth he was not included in the Corleone family. When Michael Corleone offers him employment in one of the family's legitimate businesses, Vincent declines, preferring to work for Joey Zasa, who runs the remnants of the Corleone family's criminal empire in New York City. Vincent attempts to ingratiate himself with his uncle by protecting him from rival Mafia families. Michael is initially hesitant to take an interest in his nephew, but he sees that Vincent has inherited Sonny's temper and fears he will suffer his father's fate. Encouraged by his sister Connie, Michael takes Vincent under his wing and starts mentoring him.

Vincent saves Michael from an assassination attempt orchestrated by Zasa at a Mafia summit in Atlantic City. That same night, Michael is hospitalized following a diabetic stroke. Believing Zasa will make another attempt on Michael's life, Vincent murders Zasa (with approval from Connie and Corleone assassin Al Neri). Michael is angry that Vincent used violence to deal with Zasa and did so without Michael's permission--even though Vincent used the same reasoning Michael used to justify his killing of Virgil Sollozzo 35 years earlier. However, he is impressed by his loyalty. When Vincent begins a relationship with Michael's daughter Mary, Michael fears that his nephew's growing involvement in the family business will endanger her life; he is also concerned about Mary having a relationship with her first cousin.

When Don Altobello, Michael's old ally, betrays him, Michael has Vincent spy on him. Vincent learns that Licio Lucchesi, a powerful Italian politician and criminal underworld figure, was the mastermind behind the assassination plot against his uncle and is controlling Altobello and was supporting Zasa.

Vincent wants permission to retaliate. Michael tacitly agrees, then formally retires as Don and names Vincent his successor. Michael's influence has made Vincent into a new man: wiser, more patient, and understanding his status as the new Don. His first act is to order the instigators of the plot - Lucchesi, Vatican accountant Frederick Keinszig, and corrupt Vatican official Archbishop Gilday - to be murdered. In return for being made Don, Vincent agrees to end his relationship with Mary. That same night, the Altobello's assassin Mosca accidentally kills Mary during an attempt on Michael's life. Enraged, Vincent kills Mosca with a single gunshot.

Abandoned sequel

What follows in Vincent's story, according to author Mario Puzo and director Francis Ford Coppola, is not exactly known. However, on The Godfather Part III's DVD commentary, Coppola explains that both he and Puzo had envisioned a storyline depicting Vincent's reign heading the Corleone family. Vincent, deviating from his predecessors' morals, would have entered the family into the drug trade, driving the Corleone clan back into corruption and eventual decline. Vincent's story ends with him being killed similarly to Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, and presumably ending the Corleone crime family.

This proposed film would have been titled either The Godfather Part IV or The Godfather: The Final Part. Flashbacks would include Vito Corleone's early days as Don, and the childhood days of Sonny, Fredo, Michael and Connie Corleone, when they discover exactly the nature of their father's business. The film would have portrayed the early days of Tom Hagen, Luca Brasi and Johnny Fontane, and Vito's first meeting with Hyman Roth. According to Coppola, Puzo had composed a rough draft alternating between Vincent's reign as boss and the "Happy Years" of 1926–1939. Leonardo DiCaprio, Luis Guzmán, Ray Liotta, and García himself all expressed interest in the film. However, this project has lain dormant since Puzo's death in 1999.

Family

• Sonny Corleone — father
• Lucy Mancini — mother
• Francesca Corleone — paternal half-sister
• Kathryn Corleone — paternal half-sister
• Frank Corleone — paternal half-brother
• Santino Corleone, Jr. — paternal half-brother
• Vito Corleone — paternal grandfather
• Carmela Corleone — paternal grandmother
• Tom Hagen — adopted paternal uncle
• Fredo Corleone — paternal uncle
• Michael Corleone — paternal uncle
• Constanzia "Connie" Corleone — paternal aunt
• Anthony Corleone — paternal cousin
• Mary Corleone — paternal cousin/lover
• Victor Rizzi — paternal cousin
• Michael Rizzi — paternal cousin

References

The Godfather
Novels	The Godfather The Sicilian The Godfather Returns The Godfather's Revenge The Family Corleone
Films	The Godfather The Godfather Part II The Godfather Part III
Video games	The Godfather (1991) The Godfather (2006) The Godfather II (2009)
Corleone family	Vito Corleone Michael Corleone Tom Hagen Sonny Corleone Fredo Corleone Carmela Corleone Kay Adams-Corleone Connie Corleone Anthony Corleone Mary Corleone Vincent Corleone Sandra Corleone
Family allies	Genco Abbandando Luca Brasi Willi Cicci Peter Clemenza Johnny Fontane Paulie Gatto Carmine Marino Rocco Lampone Tony Molinari Sal Narducci Al Neri Tommy Neri Ritchie Nobilio Frank Pentangeli Salvatore Tessio Don Tommasino Carlo Tramonti
Family enemies	Don Altobello Momo Barone Emilio Barzini Don Fanucci Vincent Forlenza Nick Geraci Archbishop Gilday Moe Greene Johnny Ola Carlo Rizzi Carmine Rosato Hyman Roth Louie Russo Virgil Sollozzo Anthony Stracci Bruno Tattaglia Philip Tattaglia Jack Woltz Joey Zasa
Others	Amerigo Bonasera Pat Geary Cardinal Lamberto Lucy Mancini Danny Shea Mickey Shea Billy Van Arsdale Aldo Trapani Albert Volpe
Rival families	Barzini family Carmine Rosato family Cuneo family Tattaglia family
Music	The Godfather (soundtrack) The Godfather Part II (soundtrack) The Godfather Part III (soundtrack) "Speak Softly, Love" "Promise Me You'll Remember"
Miscellaneous	Mario Puzo Mark Winegardner Ed Falco American Mafia Sicilian Mafia Five Families Corleone The Godfather Effect The Godfather Papers and Other Confessions The Sicilian The Freshman The Godfather Saga The Last Don Omertà
Book Category