Emilio Barzini

Lore & Background

Barzini first appears as a guest at Connie Corleone's wedding before orchestrating a complex plot involving drug lord Virgil 'The Turk' Sollozzo. He arranges for Sollozzo to meet Don Vito Corleone with an offer to join the Barzini and Tattaglia families in the narcotics trade, hoping to leverage Vito's political connections. When Vito refuses, calling it a 'dirty business,' Barzini approves Sollozzo's plan to assassinate him. He believes that Sonny, as the successor, will accept the deal. When Sonny also refuses after his father survives, Barzini secretly conspires with the Tattaglia, Cuneo, and Stracci families to wage war on the Corleones. He manipulates Carlo Rizzi, Vito's bitter son-in-law, to draw Sonny into a trap where he is assassinated by Barzini family hitmen while driving to his sister's house.

In Their Own Story

Following Sonny's death, Don Corleone agrees to peace, but Barzini remains unsatisfied and begins a larger plan to absorb the Corleone territory. At Vito's funeral, he utilizes his mole, caporegime Salvatore Tessio, to approach Michael Corleone with a request for a meeting. The true intent is to assassinate Michael. However, the elder Corleone had explicitly warned Michael that enemies would attempt to kill him at a supposed peace meeting, and whoever proposed it was a traitor. Aware of this trap, Michael allows Barzini to weaken his family to lull him into complacency before striking back. Shortly thereafter, Al Neri, disguised as a police officer, lies in wait outside the New York Supreme Court building at Foley Square. When Barzini emerges, Neri guns down his bodyguard and driver, then shoots the fleeing Don twice in the back, letting his corpse tumble down the stairs.

Reader's Guide

Emilio Barzini leads one of the Five Families and maintains a key rivalry with the Corleone family. His known associates include Virgil Sollozzo, whom he uses to initiate the drug war, and Salvatore Tessio, his mole within the Corleone organization. Barzini's status is deceased, having been eliminated by Michael Corleone's counter-strike. His real-life inspirations include Vito Genovese, whose attempt to control the Mafia ended at the Apalachin meeting, and Frank Costello and Lucky Luciano, who influenced Barzini's mannerisms and management skills.

Did You Know?

• Barzini is based partly on Vito Genovese, whose attempt to seize control of the New York Mafia ended disastrously at the Apalachin meeting.
• Richard Conte, who played Barzini in the film, was previously considered for the role of Don Vito Corleone.
• In The Godfather: The Game, the character Aldo Trapani, rather than Al Neri, is the assassin who shoots Barzini on the courthouse steps.
• Barzini's criminal empire includes narcotics, gambling, and prostitution, with a specific goal to expand into Las Vegas casino rackets.
• The elder Corleone explicitly warned his son that a peace meeting proposal from an enemy was the signature move of a traitor.