The Godfather (1972)
James Caan: Sonny Corleone
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Quotes
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Sollozzo : Bene, Don Corleone. I need a man who has powerful friends. I need a million dollars in cash. I need, Don Corleone, all of those politicians that you carry around in your pocket, like so many nickels and dimes.
Don Corleone : What is the interest for my family?
Sollozzo : Thirty percent. In the first year your end should be three, four million dollars. And then it would go up.
Don Corleone : And what is the interest for the Tattalgia family?
Sollozzo : [smiles at Tom] My compliments.
[Hagen gives a formal nod]
Sollozzo : I'll take care of the Tattaglias, out of my share.
Don Corleone : So, I am to receive thirty percent for finance, for legal protection and political influence. Is that what you're telling me?
Sollozzo : That's right.
Don Corleone : Why come to me? What have I done to deserve such generosity?
Sollozzo : If you consider a million dollars in cash merely finance...
[raises his glass]
Sollozzo : Te salut, Don Corleone.
[the Don gets up to take a drink and sits closer to Sollozzo]
Don Corleone : I said that I would see you because I had heard that you were a serious man, to be treated with respect. But I must say no to you and let me give you my reasons. It's true I have a lot of friends in politics, but they wouldn't be so friendly if they knew my business was drugs instead of gambling which they consider a harmless vice. But drugs, that's a dirty business.
Sollozzo : No, Don Corleone...
Don Corleone : It makes no difference, it don't make any difference to me what a man does for a living, you understand. But your business is a little dangerous.
Sollozzo : If you're worried about security for your million, the Tattaglias will guarantee it.
Sonny : Whoa, now, you're telling me that the Tattaglias guarantee our investment without...?
Don Corleone : Wait a minute.
[the Don gives his son a cold stare, freezing Santino into silence. The others fidget with embarrassment at this outbreak, but Sollozzo looks slyly satisfied...]
Don Corleone : [dismissive] I have a sentimental weakness for my children and I spoil them, as you can see. They talk when they should listen. Anyway, Signor Sollozzo, my no to you is final. I want to congratulate you on your new business and I'm sure you'll do very well and good luck to you. Especially since your interests don't conflict with mine. Thank you.
[Sollozzo leaves]
Don Corleone : Santino, come here.
Don Corleone : What's the matter with you? I think your brain is going soft with all that comedy you are playing with that young girl. Never tell anyone outside the Family what you are thinking again. Go on.
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[Sonny pays a visit to his sister Connie. He is surprised to find her subdued and evasive]
Sonny : [surprised] What's the matter? Huh? What's the matter?
[He looks at her swollen face and understands what has happened. He pulls away to go after Carlo...]
Connie : [grabbing his shoulders] It was my fault!
Sonny : Where is he?
Connie : [weeping with terror] Sonny, please. Sonny, it was my fault. It was my fault. I started a fight with him. Please, Sonny...
[Sonny, now under control, hushes her and kisses her forehead]
Sonny : Okay... I'm just going to get a doctor to come down and take a look at you.
Connie : Sonny, please don't do anything. Please don't do anything.
Sonny : What's the matter with you, huh? What am I going to do? Am I going to make that baby an orphan before he's born?
[Connie gives a chuckle, and Sonny kisses her again and good-humouredly shrugs his soldiers]
Sonny : All right?
[cut to Sonny beating up Carlo]
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[Sunday dinner at the Corleone home...]
Sonny : Niggers havin' a real good time up in Harlem...
Carlo Rizzi : I knew that was going to happen as soon as they tasted the big money.
Connie : Papa never talked about business in front of the kids.
Carlo Rizzi : Shut up, Connie.
Sonny : Hey, don't you EVER tell her to shut up, you got that?
Mama Corleone : Santino, don't interfere.
[Silence reigns around the table for a while]
Carlo Rizzi : Sonny, Tom, I'd like to talk to you after dinner. I think I can do a lot more for this family...
Sonny : We don't discuss business at the table.
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Tom Hagen : Sollozo is known as the Turk. He's supposed to be very good with a knife. But only in matters of business, or of some sort of reasonable complaint. His business is narcotics. He has the fields in Turkey, where they grow the poppy. In Sicily he has the plant to process it into heroin. He needs cash and he needs protection from the police for which he gives a piece of the action, I couldn't find out how much. The Tattaglia Family is behind him here in New York so they have to be in it for something.
Don Corleone : What about his prison record?
Tom Hagen : Two terms, one in Italy, and one here. He's known as a top narcotics man.
Don Corleone : Santino, what do you think?
Sonny : There's a lot of money in that white powder.
Don Corleone : Tom?
Tom Hagen : Well, I say yes. There is more money potential in narcotics than anything else we're looking at now. If we don't get into it, somebody else will, maybe one of the Five Families, maybe all of them. And with the money they earn they'll be able to buy more police and political power. Then they come after us. Right now we have the unions and we have the gambling and those are the best things to have. But narcotics is a thing of the future. If we don't get a piece of that action we risk everything we have. Not now, but ten years from now.
Sonny : Well, what's your answer gonna be, Pop?
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Sonny : Tom-anuch! Hey, a hundred button men on the street twenty-four hours a day. That Turk shows one hair on his ass, he's dead. Believe me.
Sonny : [to Michael, whose face is bruised] Hey Michael, c'mere. Let me look at you. You look beautiful, just beautiful, you're gorgeous. Hey, listen to this. The Turk, he wants to talk. You imagine the nerve on this son of a bitch, hey? Craps out last night he wants a meetin' today.
Tom Hagen : What did he say?
Sonny : What did he say? Badda-beep, badda-bap, badda-boop, badda-beep, he wants us to send Michael to hear the proposition, and the promise is the deal is so good we can't refuse. Hey.
Tom Hagen : What about Bruno Tattaglia?
Sonny : That's part of the deal. Bruno cancels out what they did to my father.
Tom Hagen : Sonny, we ought to hear what they have to say.
Sonny : No, no, no! No more! Not this time, Consigliere! No more meetin's! No more discussions! No more Sollozzo tricks! You give 'em one message - I want Sollozzo. If not, it's all-out war, we go to the mattresses.
Tom Hagen : Some of the other families won't sit still for all-out war!
Sonny : Then they hand me Sollozzo!
Tom Hagen : Your father would want to hear this. This is business, not personal.
Sonny : They shot my father? It's business, your ass.
Tom Hagen : Even the shooting of your father was business, not personal, Sonny!
Sonny : Well then, business will have to suffer, all right? And listen, do me a favor, Tom. No more advice on how to patch things up, just help me win, please. All right?
Tom Hagen : I found out about this Captain McClusky who broke Mike's jaw.
Sonny : What about him?
Tom Hagen : Now, he's definitely on Sollozzo's payroll and for big money. McClusky has agreed to be the Turk's bodyguard. What you have to understand, Sonny, is that while Sollozzo's being guarded like this he is invulnerable. Now, nobody has ever gunned down a New York police captain. Never. It would be disastrous. All the five families would come after you, Sonny. The Corleone Family would be outcast. Even the old man's political protection would run for cover. So, do me a favor, take this into consideration.
Sonny : All right, we wait.
Michael : It can't wait.
Sonny : Huh?
Michael : It can't wait. I don't care what Sollozzo says about a deal, he's gonna kill Pop. That's it. That's a key for him. Gotta get Sollozzo.
Clemenza : Mikey's right.
Sonny : Let me ask you something, Professor. I mean, what about this McClusky, huh? What do we do with this cop here?
Michael : They want to have a meeting with me, right? It will be me, McClusky and Sollozzo. Let's set the meeting. Get our informants to find out where it's going to be held. Now we insist it's a public place - a bar or a restaurant, some place where there's people there so I'll feel safe. They're going to search me when I first meet them, right? So I can't have a weapon on me then. But if Clemenza can figure a way to have a weapon planted there for me, then I'll kill them both.
Sonny : [Clemenza, Tessio and Sonny laugh] Hey. What are you gonna do? Nice college boy, huh? Didn't want to get mixed up in the family business? Now you want to gun down a police captain, what, 'cause he slapped you in the face a little bit, huh? What do you think, this the Army where you shoot 'em a mile away? No, you gotta get up close like this - badda-bing! - you blow their brains all over your nice Ivy League suit. C'mere.
[Kisses Michael on the head]
Sonny : You're taking this very personal. Tom, this is business and this man is taking it very, very personal.
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Sonny : Hey, whaddya gonna do, nice college boy, eh? Didn't want to get mixed up in the Family business, huh? Now you wanna gun down a police captain. Why? Because he slapped ya in the face a little bit? Hah? What do you think this is the Army, where you shoot 'em a mile away? You've gotta get up close like this and - bada-BING! - you blow their brains all over your nice Ivy League suit. C'mere...
[kisses Michael's head]
Michael : Sonny...
Sonny : You're taking this very personal. Tom, this is business and this man is taking it very, very personal.
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[after Sonny beats up Carlo Rizzi for hitting Connie]
Sonny : You touch my sister again, I'll kill you.
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[Michael gets ready to leave the house]
Sonny : Where're you going?
Michael : To the City.
Sonny : [to Clemenza] Yeah? Well, send somebody with him.
Michael : No, I'm just gonna go see Pop.
Sonny : I don't care, send some bodyguards with him.
Clemenza : He'll be all right. Sollozzo knows he's a civilian.
Sonny : Yeah? Well take care, all right?
Michael : Yes, sir.
[Michael leaves]
Sonny : Send someone with him anyway...
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Sonny : Goddamn FBI don't respect nothin'.
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[the Corleone Family poses for the wedding photo]
Don Corleone : [to Sonny] Where's Michael?
Sonny : Don't worry. He'll be here.
Don Corleone : We're not taking the picture without Michael.
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[Paulie enters the Corleones' study]
Sonny : What is it?
Clemenza : Hey, Paulie, I thought I told you to stay put.
Paulie Gatto : The guy at the gate says there's a package.
Sonny : Yeah? Hey, Tessio, go see what it is.
Paulie Gatto : You want me to hang around?
Sonny : Yeah, hang around. You all right?
Paulie Gatto : [coughing] Yeah, yeah...
Sonny : You hungry? There's a little food in the ice box.
Paulie Gatto : Nah, nah.
Sonny : Well, how about a drink? Some brandy, it'll sweat it out of ya. Alright, babe...
[Paulie leaves]
Sonny : [to Clemenza] I want you to take care of that sonofabitch right away. Paulie sold out the old man, that stronz. I don't want to see him no more. I want you to make that first thing on your list, understand?
Clemenza : Understood.
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Sonny : [On his was to his car to go and take care of Carlo; to his bodyguards that were just sitting around] Get up! Do something!
