Why was his Vito Corleone such a compelling character?
Well, there’s a multitude of reasons: his underdog beginnings, his outsider status, his multi-faceted personality (how many mob bosses besides Vito, his son Michael, and Tony Soprano do we root for?), and his supporting cast. Vito had nothing to start his life. No dad, no older brother…nothing but a mom who was kind enough to ask the local mob boss to spare her son’s young life because he was so “dumb-witted”. Thanks, ma! None of this was gonna stop ol’ Vito, however. He booked it on over to the U.S. of A and caught on real nice. He had a better understanding of the “American Way” then any Americans did. They were just puppets. He’d be the one who refused to dance on the strings. He’d be the one who was willing to create his own rules, his own code. DeNiro gave the Don a quiet dignity and an indomitable soul, even moreso than Brando. That leads us to another fascinating component of his portrayal: his incorporation of all three of Vito’s sons’ strengths. Vito’s toughness and refusal
