Vincent Santino Corleone is a fictional character in the 1990 feature film The Godfather Part
III, in which he is portrayed by Andy García, 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 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. Coppola describes Vincent as 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
Born as Vincent Mancini in the late 1940s, he is the illegitimate son of Sonny Corleone
and Lucy Mancini, and is not included as one of the Corleone family. When his uncle, Michael
Corleone, offers him employment in one of the family's legitimate businesses, Vincent
declines, preferring to work for Joey Zasa, who by then is running the remains of the
Corleone criminal empire in New York City. Vincent attempts to endear himself to his
uncle by trying to protect him from rival Mafia families, but the aging Michael sees
that Vincent has inherited Sonny's temper and fears he will suffer his father's fate.
Michael takes him under his wing with the encouragement of his sister, Connie.
Vincent saves Michael from an assassination attempt orchestrated by Zasa. Later that night,
Michael is sent to the hospital with a diabetic stroke. Believing Zasa will take another run
at Michael, Vincent then personally murders Zasa. Michael is angry at Vincent for acting
without his approval, and is troubled by Vincent's burgeoning romance with Michael's daughter
Mary. Michael fears that Vincent's growing involvement in the "family business" will
put Mary in danger. Mary asks Vincent about the stories he heard about Sonny and Michael
in the "old days". Vincent tells her that Sonny was a legend and "the prince of the
city" and that he heard numerous stories about Sonny, who died prior to Vincent's birth.
Vincent calls Michael "a hero that saved the family". Mary asks if its true that Michael
killed his brother Fredo, Vincent says they're "just stories".
When Michael realizes that his old ally, Don Altobello, has turned against him, he has
Vincent spy on Altobello, making him think that he wants to strike out on his own. It
is there that Vincent learns the real mastermind in the plot against his uncle is Licio Lucchesi,
a powerful Italian politician. Vincent reports back to Michael, asking for
permission to strike back. Michael not only tacitly agrees, but formally retires as Don
and names Vincent his successor. Vincent's time spent with Michael has made him into
a new man: much wiser, patient, and aware of his status as the new Don. His first act
as Don is to order the deaths of Lucchesi, Frederick Keinszig and Archbishop Gilday.
In return for being elevated, Vincent ends his relationship with Mary. The same night
the romance ends, however, Mary is killed in an assassination attempt on Michael. An
enraged Vincent quickly kills the assassin responsible, Mosca, with a single shot to
the chest. 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 of which would deal
with Vincent's reign as head of the Corleone family. Vincent, in opposition to the morals
of his predecessors, was to have heavily involved the family in the drug trade driving the Corleone
clan back into corruption and eventual decline. Vincent's story ends with Vincent being hunted
down and killed in a manner similar to the death of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar,
and presumably bringing about the permanent end of the Corleone crime family.
This proposed film, titled The Godfather Part IV or The Godfather: The Final Part, would
also have flashbacks to Vito Corleone's early days as a 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 also 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 have all expressed
interest in doing this 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 Costanzia "Connie" Corleone — paternal aunt
Anthony Corleone — paternal cousin Mary Corleone — paternal cousin/lover
Victor Rizzi — paternal cousin Michael Rizzi — paternal cousin
References