Seems to me that Vito had decided he was going to whack Fanucci from the beginning of the payout scheme. I never understood why the spaghetti scene where Vito spoke to his partners about paying less...what was the point? When asked by Tessio and Clemenza if he was sure Vito replied "that's my business". What was he talking about?
Although it wasn't covered in the movie, there's a part in the novel where Vito witnesses an attack on Fanucci from three young teenagers who wanted to challenge him and kill him. Apparently, the father of the boys pleaded with Fanucci to spare their lives, and Fanucci agreed but demanded payment and was able to cow the rest of the neighborhood into thinking that he was connected with Maranzano.
However, Vito was certain that this guy was bluffing and that he wasn't connected at all, since (based on his experience as a kid and the killing of his father and older brother) he knew that a true mafioso would not have let those teenagers off the hook for trying to kill him. He would have killed all of them.
I think Vito was getting a bit irritated with Clemenza and Tessio, since they were ready to give in to Fanucci and trying to override Vito (who obviously wasn't the boss yet). So, Vito's reply of "that's my business" may have been Vito's way of saying that "You two would make great underbosses, but I'm going to have to be the one running this outfit." He saw through Fanucci's bluff, and they didn't.
He met with Fanucci in the cafe and paid the man and then followed him home to kill him. First he did was take his wallet. Why not pay in full if he was going to recoup the money anyway?
I think offering him less money was perhaps a final test and way for Vito to further confirm that Fanucci was nothing more than a bag of hot air. Fanucci should have been furious, yet he let Vito get away with it and even said he would help him find work. At that point, Vito had made his decision.
Of course, Clemenza and Tessio would have known immediately that it was Vito who killed Fanucci, and Vito would have been seen as a kind of "liberator" for the neighborhood, which would have engendered the loyalty of the local residents and shopkeepers. Clemenza and Tessio recognized that Vito was clearly better suited to lead their organization than they were. He had the balls to cross a line they were unwilling to cross.
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flare_for_roach
8 years ago
Outstanding! That sums it up for me and makes perfect sense. I just happened to see this part last night on HBO's "Godfather Epic". I was surprised to see additional footage that wasn't in the original GFs. They showed a scene where Fanucci was attacked by three teenagers and they managed to cut his throat. Vito was delivering groceries at the time and witnessed the attack. (I had always wondered how Fanucci received his scar on his neck.) It all makes sense now. Thank you very much!
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BenjiCarver
8 years ago
Stevicus-2, thanks so much for this post. It explains a lot. As the other poster said, they included Fanucci throat cut scene in the Godfather Saga that has been showing on HBO recently, but not the father pleading for their lives.
I had always wondered about the Vito/Fanucci cafe scene. I guess I had always figured that Fanucci was pissed and was going to get some muscle to teach Vito a lesson. But your explanation makes much more sense. Fanucci was a BS artist.
We had a birdbath at my house growing up. Sometimes When there was a bird drinking, my dad would say "he's wetting his beak like Don Fanucci."
I call woo woo on you,
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steely3000
8 years ago
I like this post a lot myself, thank you.
So in that cafe scene, suppose Fanucci had shown Vito he had a pair, and said "you have 24 hours to get me the rest of the money", or something like that. Would Vito had reconsidered his murdering of Fanucci?
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Stevicus-2
8 years ago
So in that cafe scene, suppose Fanucci had shown Vito he had a pair, and said "you have 24 hours to get me the rest of the money", or something like that. Would Vito had reconsidered his murdering of Fanucci?
Maybe, although even giving Vito 24 hours might have been too revealing of the weakness Vito already suspected of Fanucci. He certainly didn't give the theater owner 24 hours before pulling a knife and threatening his daughter. Vito saw that Fanucci can be tough with an old man and his daughter, but when a younger man alone comes to face him one on one, then he gets to see how tough he really is. Fanucci didn't pull a knife or try to threaten Vito, maybe because he was afraid to. Maybe Vito saw fear in his eyes.
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Robb_Stark
8 years ago
Great write up. You also missed another little clue that I love.
When Fanucci first confronts Vito in the car, he threatens Vito by saying if Vito and the others don't comply, then he'll send police to their houses. A real Don with muscle would NEVER send the police on to another hood for business like that. That was just another observation that Vito had that added to his thoughts on Don being a fraud.
AWW *beep* IT'S WAYNE BRADY SON!
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OptimumTaurus
8 years ago
I noticed what Robb said as well, about how a real Mafioso would never threaten to call the cops.
Fanucci was actively taking advantage of the fact that these people in this neighborhood had little idea of how real mobsters operated and assumed Fanucci had all the power he claimed to have. Vito, the last Andolini, KNEW how these people operated due to his whole family being murdered and his subsequent escape.
Also, there's another reason why Vito had that meeting with Fanucci to give him that money-- Vito DID already know he was going to kill Fanucci. But, he'd had a public spat with Fanucci. By holding that meeting in public, Vito could, if challenged by the police after Fanucci's murder, state he had no reason to kill Fanucci because he had already made a public deal with him.
This, by the way, turned out to be an unnecessary caution. The cops had no interest in finding Fanucci's killer-- they were glad to be rid of him.
Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgment. -Michael Corleone
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vicky_lc2001 (1907)
6 years ago
I love how insightful many posts are in here. I knew of Stevicus' posts and even the unnecessary caution Vito took (as you mentioned), though I would've forgotten to write it. So putting it all here is great!
But I also did not catch the Fanucci threathening Vito with the cops instead of his own men, great insight guys!
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OddsAreIAmRight
8 years ago
A real Don with muscle would NEVER send the police on to another hood for business like that.
Fanucci was no Don (family structures in organized crime were just being sorted out back at that point of the 20th century)
He was pretending to be with the Black Hand Society though (instead of just a stooge for them), and he was representing the Black Hand had dirty cops on the take to harass people.
Recall that Tataglia (really, Bodzini) sent Captain McCloskey to get rid of Michael at the hospital before Hagan showed up. It's not a NEVER thing to use dirty cops that way.
I don't think it's "ratting" to send the police to harass enemies if you own the police. (Millers Crossing had some great takes on this theme.)
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chus07
8 years ago
I am sure that Vito was testing Fanucci but I have questions on the scene with Vito, Tessio and Clemenza.
Fanucci tells Vito that he heard that he and his team "earned" $600 on a robbery. He then asks Vito for $200 or $100 in case they made less. Is that per person or as whole?. It seems that it is a whole since he talks about one robbery.
I say that because I think Vito tells Clemenza and Tessio that Fanucci is asking for $200 each. My question is if that is a mistake or Vito, on top of everything else, is also scamming money from his friends. Perhaps it is to make them think he is doing them an even bigger favor.
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OptimumTaurus
8 years ago
Fanucci wanted $200 each from Vito, Clemenza, and Tessio. He also says he's willing to take a little less if he's wrong about the amount they robbed. So, when he meets with Vito, he's expecting $600, or at the very least $300.
Vito shows up to the meeting and offers Fanucci $100-- Tessio's $50 and Clemenza's $50. After the meeting, in a hallway, Vito murders Fanucci and takes the $100 back. It is not ever said he gives the money back to Clemenza and Tessio, but here's why it's not a "scam" even if Vito pocketed the money.
Instead of Clemenza and Tessio giving Fanucci $200 apiece, for him doing absolutely nothing to help them, they gave $50 apiece to Vito, who PERMANENTLY resolved the situation of Fanucci extorting them. As far as they are concerned, Vito DID do them a favor.
Even if Fanucci is not actually Black Hand (which he clearly wasn't) and he didn't actually work for Maranzalla (which he probably didn't) he threatened to call the cops on Vito's mini-crew, and Vito fixed that problem. This also makes Clemenza and Tessio respect Vito's resolve and makes him the clear leader of the three. They'd be willing to follow him for what he did for them.
too long, didn't read version: Giving Vito $50 to permanently diffuse the situation with Fanucci was MUCH more preferable to constantly being threatened by Fanucci going forward. That $50 was basically tribute, which they would continue to pay Vito in the many decades going forward as his caporegimes.
Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgment. -Michael Corleone
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Tabbycat (748)
6 years ago
[I think offering him less money was perhaps a final test and way for Vito to further confirm that Fanucci was nothing more than a bag of hot air. Fanucci should have been furious, yet he let Vito get away with it and even said he would help him find work. At that point, Vito had made his decision.]
Makes perfect sense to me.
I didn’t read the book and so was wondering, same as OP.
This also explains the unexpected (to me) thoughtful look on Vito’s face as Fanucci left. Seemed odd, as I would have thought the temporary acceptance of much less money and the job offer a victory. But Vito was clearly more perceptive and street-smart than I.
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