Tony Montana Or Michael Corleone?

[Mitch Henessey]

VS

Al Pacino is one of greatest actors of all time, and he has played many roles, but there are two characters Pacino has played who stand out among all of the others.......Tony Montana(Scarface) and Michael Corleone( The Godfather film series). Let's review both characters:

Tony Montana(Scarface)- In this film, Pacino played the ruthless drug lord who would stop at nothing to become #1. Montana was able to come from nothing, rise to power, and build an empire.

As far as personality goes, Montana was a complete and total asshole. He was a dick to his friends/employees, his wife, his sister, and his boss, and he made a couple of bad decisions which cost him BIG time.

Michael Corleone(The Godfather film series)-Michael's path to becoming boss began after the death of his father, Vito. Corleone didn't really come into his own until the second Godfather film. He also rose to power through ruthless tactics, but unlike Montana, Corleone began to feel regret for the terrible things he had done during the third Godfather film.

Corleone was cold and calculating, but towards the end of his life, he tried to turn things around.

Now of course over time Tony Montana has become the more popular Pacino character. It drives me nuts when people feel the need to quote Scarface so much, but Montana is definitely the more quotable character.

If you ask me who's the better character, then I would have to say it's Michael Corleone. Corleone was evil, but he was also smart when it came to running his empire. Montana turned into a drug addict and a paranoid physco when his empire fell apart, and he also made some bad choices, which led to his demise.

Tony Montana is the more iconic character. Over the years, Montana has become a legend. When many people think about The Godfather film series, they tend to focus on the films, and Michael is never usually a focal point. Pacing did a great job in The Godfather films, but Michael Corleone is no where near as popular as Tony Montana.

Who is the better character? Tony Montana or Michael Corleone?

Who do you think is the more iconic character?

 

[Kashagi]

I agree with you, while Tony Montana is the character most people remember more, I simply love his portrayal of Michael Corleone so much more. I will even go to say that Pacino gives one of the greatest performances ever in film in part 2. There are two absolutely stunning scenes that Pacino gave as Michael Corleone. Both in which he has no dialogue at all.

If you have not seen The Godfather Part II I am spoiling major parts of the movie ahead.

One of my favourite little moments in The Godfather is that moment when Michael realises his brother is in contact with Johnny Ola and Hyman Roth, as Fredo stupidly talks about going to clubs with Johnny, every little movement Pacino makes in this moment is stunning, as he slowly acknowledges what he is hearing and breaks down quietly. Through no dialogue we understand what just happened, even if we missed Fredo's line.

Another scene that always sticks out to me is the last scene in which Kay and Michael come into contact in Part II. As Connie tries to insist she leaves before Michael shows up, of course Michael arrives to the room before Kay can leave, and once again through no dialogue, we can see just how much Michael hates this woman now, the woman who threw away his baby. Simply by looking at those eyes, the coldest glare Pacino has ever given in the series (and thats saying something).

These are only two scenes that I can compliment Pacino on, there are so many other moments I could write about, the transformation from War Hero to Don, the dinner scene, the baptism by fire, the hospital scene, the ending of part II etc. While Tony Montana is a fine character and is definitely more quotable and more appealling to most people. I have to say Pacino gave his greatest performance as Michael Corleone, and in my eyes it isnt even close.

 

[Davi323]

Lets be fair...it isn't that people like Tony Montana more, they just like saying "say hello to my little friend!" more.

Give me Michael Corleone's slow, cold calculated descent to evil over Tony Montana's over the top thuggery any day of the week. Any halfway descent actor could have pulled off Tony Montana, there wasn't any depth to the character at all...he was a Cuban drug lord in Miami, insert stereotypes, and that is all you get. Michael Corleone is probably Al Pacino's greatest role, the most complicated, the most psychologically disturbing. Where Tony Montana was over the top, Michael Corleone, if anything, is understated. Calm. Even when he is planning on using his son's baptism to cover the murder of multiple people. Tony Montana was an asshole. But, he was an obvious asshole. Michael Corleone is far more devious.

This is where I think Pacino doesn't get enough credit. The Godfather III is generally not as well liked, but I tell ya, its where I really came to appreciate the character. Unlike Tony Montana, Michael Corleone has a conscience, and it haunts him. Rather than wallow in his decadence and evil, he attempts redemption. Both with his family, including Kay, the Catholic church, and the world at large. He attempts to escape the hell that he created. Giving Michael Corleone a conscience, gives him a much more satisfying character.

 

[Ferbian]

Who is the better character? Tony Montana or Michael Corleone?

I have to admit I prefer Michael Corleone, while Tony Montana was definitely a character, and it was one of the movies he is recognized for (alongside the Godfather Trilogy which had 2 of the movies before Scarface) I feel that the character Al plays in The Godfather, is the true picture that describes a mafia family, a mafia boss, he played it very well with a great mixture of both anger, a sense of calmness and what I feel ultimately, passion, the whole trilogy in it self follows the character from rise to fall, which I feel is one of the main reasons for me choosing Michael over Tony.

They're both great characters, but Tony's rise to power etc. just isn't as heartfelt and passionate if you ask me, as the whole background of Michael dealing with having to control a family, while controlling an empire, the whole action behind actually being a mafia boss I feel was better portrayed through Michael than anything Tony could've ever portrayed for me.

Who do you think is the more iconic character?

Michael as well, as I said, you follow Michaels rise through more than one movie, you really get to know him in a wise scenario of confrontations that he has to deal with, he's cold, calm but ultimately ruthless, the kind of persona that should be the true portrait of a mafia boss.

 

[Phoenix]

In answer to both questions, it simply has to be Michael Corleone. His story is how he was the young war hero that wanted to not be involved with the family but ended up being forced into it by circumstance, while he refused to any have any sort of dealings like this, he still fell into the corruption of that life and turns out to be a lot more darker than we could have ever expected him to be, and this is only in Part One of the Godfather!

As for Tony Montana, his story was more about luck and betrayal in order to live the American Dream, he didn't care what had to be done unless he was on the winning end of it, whether it was money or drugs, he simply acted on instinct than logic. But he has one redeeming element which people have overlooked, he refuses to kill children and women which is what lead to his demise. Where his life was successful due to backstabbing, betrayal and living dog eat dog, the only time we see him show remorse and concern is what leads to his demise. Where it would screw things over as a drug lord, he died because he took a moral high ground.

Going back to Michael, the important thing for him was family which is why he became so cold and calculative as he we know him in Part Two. Part One saw his actions based on revenge and where Montana would be going guns blazing while screaming "FUCK!" at the top of his voice, Michael would plan it with a dish best served cold, the ending of Part One saw him fall to the darkness of the business and Part Two is where we effectively saw him at his darkest. Where he was still about protecting his family, he unfortunately saw that elements of his family will betray him like Fredo and Kay, and still in the mindset of protecting his family, hell hath no fury like Michael Corleone. While Michael is cold and calculating, you see that his actions are purely based on protecting his family, but he's too blinded by that theory to keep himself from carrying out elements like what to do with Fredo. Part Three sees Michael's attempt at redemption from his actions because he realises he has gone too far with taking revenge against people, like he says to his Nephew Vinnie "I don't need tough guys, I need lawyers!"

Before I carry on overboard, I find Michael's presence to be so intimidating and brilliant, his scenes like after the assassination attempt or Kay's admiitance to an abortion just show how deadly he is and it's just moments like that Michael Corleone is simply one of the best on-screen characters portrayed by one of the greatest actors of all time.

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[SalvIsWin]

Tony Montana hands down. Tony was not as developed as Corleone (whom was fleshed out in three movies), but overall he had more substance to him. I don't mean to suggest that Michael was a throw-away character, but for example I feel that Sonny Corleone would be a more comparable match to Tony Montana, Michael always seemed a bit stock. Al Pacino did a good job, and his character did take off more in the Godfather Part II, however I don't think overall there can be any comparison made.

 

[Loveless]

Corleone without any doubt. Montana is pretty much all about ambition and excess while Michael is about so much more. At the start of the film there's no real doubt that this is a good man, even his father realises this and firstly makes a point of him keeping outside the business, then tries to legitimise the business for his son. Probably the most tragic scene in the first scene is when The Don realises that Michael, in trying to protect his father, has been sucked into revenge. He also realises that Michael can't be the leader that he was because of how he views the business. This is played out through the magnificent Godfather 2 where you get to compare the difference between how father and son do business. Right there he already has more depth than Montana

Pacino was also so much better in The Godfather series. Anyone can play the wide-eyed madman but subtlety and quiet intensity is far more difficult. Corleone is scary as fuck in Godfather 2, just by sitting in a chair glaring at someone.

 

[jmt225]

The better character is without a doubt Michael Corleone. We actually got to see him progress from war hero to a Don. All we get from Tony Montana is a montage, right after he kills Gene Hackman. That was literally all his development for him to get to where he got in the drug World. Whereas with Michael Corleone, he resisted, resisted, and resisted some more, until the attempted hit on his father pushed him to the point where he couldn’t resist anymore. And you also get a better insight on his love life than you do with Montana. You see his struggles to keep a REAL marriage going, after the true love of his life dies in sudden fashion. You also see him as a father, brother, and son. You did not get that kind of development with Montana. Tony Montana was who he was, and that’s all there was to it. However, with Corelone, it was much more complex and complicated, which caused for a way more interesting character.

Now, as far as which character is more iconic, without a doubt it’s Tony Montana. The fact is, when people think of The Godfather, they don’t even think of Michael Corleone; no, the first image that pops into their head is Michael’s father, Vito Corleone (the version played by Marlon Brando). Michael Corleone and the job Al Pacino did with that character simply does not get the recognition and praise it deserves. Only us movie snobs see how masterful that character/performance was, whereas with casual folk… they don’t see it that way. Michael’s just the guy who kissed and then killed his brother. Sad, but true.

Tony Montana’s popularity on the other hand has continued to grow and grow throughout the years, thanks to really that MTV show Cribs. When Cribs started, all you saw were rappers pull out their Scarface DVD and say how much they loved it. That literally lasted for like 4 seasons. And it’s because of that Scarface and Tony Montana’s popularity has grown to what it is this decade, and the film/character will only get more popular as the years go by.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

All we get from Tony Montana is a montage, right after he kills Gene Hackman.

If your referring to the Frank Lopez character it was Robert Loggia that played him not Hackman. I can see a little resemblance though.



Well Im the same page as just about everyone else in saying Michael Corleone is the better character and Tony Montana is the more iconic one. A simple reason as to why is because we get three movies to watch his rise and maintain his role as a mafia Don. Michael was by far the smarter of the two, he knew how to be patient and plan out hits and such whereas Tony was the shoot first ask questions later type.

Definitely a no brainer that Tony Montana is the more iconic of the two. Mainly just for the classic quotes that are used from him that are used over and over again whether its through songs,movies, or people speaking in general. Plus look at over the past ten years on how marketable the Montana character has become with clothing, wall pictures, halloween costume which you see tons of people doing every year, and even video games.