NOTE – I JUST FINISHED TYPING THIS AND IT'S A LOT LONGER THAN I EXPECTED. I HOPE YOU ALL READ IT THOUGH AND GIVE ME FEEDBACK.
Before I start, let me just say that I was only introduced to the Godfather movies about 6 months ago. I've seen parts 1 and 2 twice, and part 3 once, so I don't know the “ins and outs” of the movies like most of you. I'm not familiar with all the “minor” characters and all the back-story, nor am I familiar with a lot of mob “lingo” and history. I just ordered the DVD pack online though, so hopefully I'll learn more.
This isn't going to be a “Script”, or even a “treatment”. It's more of just my general idea of how I would lay out the movie in a very broad sense. You'll also see a lot of “and then I would have this person do something like…”, because my ideas, like I said, aren't very detailed, but rather a very broad idea.
I like the idea of having two parallel stories between Vincent and a young Sonny. I'd set Sonny's story about 1934-1937, with Sonny ranging from 18 to age 21 ( I think). So this story would start about 11 years (?) after Part II, and end about 8 years before Part I. Vincent's story would take place from 1989-1992.
My main cast would include Andy Garcia as Vincent, Scott Caan (maybe, if not too old) as Sonny, Robert Deniro in a supporting role as Vito Corleone, Talia Shire as Connie, and a cameo appearance by Al Pacino as Michael.
The movie would begin in 1997 and show the exact scene of Michael's death that ended Part III. We would then roll the opening credits and begin Part IV with Vincent's wedding. More on that later.
I don't have many specifics on what the major conflict of Sonny's story would be, but the major points I would touch upon would include his “induction” into the family business, his first killing of a man, his meeting, and marrying of his wife, and his meeting, and possibly beginning of an affair with Vincent's mother. Another major theme I would touch upon would be Sonny's strong desire to “live up to his father's expectations”. They could play up that a lot of Sonny's anger comes from his lack of being able to please his father, and his unsuccessful attempts to get out from under his father's shadow. DeNiro, who yes, I believe could pull off playing a 45 (?) year old man, would have a good sized role, but wouldn't be the star of this storyline like he was in part II.
Vincent's story would begin the movie, and would show him getting married in 1989 (sticking w/ the large family gathering theme of opening the movie). The major difference I would incorporate in this storyline, compared to the other movies, would be to focus on the INTERNAL dissension in the Corleone family, rather than being “at war” with other families.
Shortly after his marriage, Vincent is indicted on some sort of charges (again, lack of details, I know). Because he makes a deal with the DA's office, and because of his political clout, he only receives an 18 month prison sentence. In his absence, he appoints his “right hand man” to run the family. I don't know what character this would be, what his family relation to Vincent (if any) would be, and what actor would play him, but he would be the main antagonist of the story. For the sake of me not having to keep saying “that guy”, I'll just call him “Tony” for the rest of the story. Later on, while Vincent is in jail, it becomes learned that Tony was the one who tipped off the FBI, and set up Vincent, so he could run the family business and get Vincent out of the picture. The story begins to heat up, and rages towards its climax when Vincent gets out of jail and tries to reclaim his position. It's then that he learns of Tony's betrayal, and the two wage war. The family is split in two, those siding with Vincent, and those siding with Tony.
At the end of the movie, Vincent arranges for a mass “house cleaning/killing” of Tony and all of his major associates (similar to the end of Godfather I and II). Another sub-story to the Vincent storyline would be that he has a mistress, like his father had. Towards the end of the story, while Vincent is arranging the murders of Tony and his men, his mistress comes to him and informs him that she is pregnant. This enrages Vincent, and he becomes angry and tells her to abort the baby. She refuses, and says if Vincent doesn't support her, she'll “go public” with the affair and pregnancy, and tell Vincent's wife. Vincent, knowing that this information would most certainly make his wife leave him, wonders what to do. His “advisors” tell him that he should have her killed. Vincent instantly scoffs at this idea, but after some more talking by his top associates, Vincent comes to realize that it's the only way to save his marriage. He very reluctantly agrees for the hit to take place. He then goes to Sicily to “hide out” while the murders of Tony and his men take place, and also to get away from everything and think about what he has just done as relates to his mistress. The more he thinks in Sicily, the more he realizes it's wrong.
While in Sicily he goes to visit the very reclusive, and “hermit-like” Michael Corleone, who has been living there since the death of his daughter. Michael and Vincent haven't seen each other or talked since Michael's daughter's funeral. Vincent goes and sees Michael, and the two begin to talk (it starts very awkward and with much tension). Vincent has come to get Michael's advice about what to do (relating to Tony, and also his mistress). He wonders if what he is doing is “wrong”. Though it's exactly what he came for, Vincent is very reluctant to tell Michael, who by the way, went blind the previous year, about his affair, the baby, and the “hit”. Michael, sensing something is seriously troubling Vincent, finally gets it out of him. Vincent tells Michael the whole story, and Michael just sits silently, thinking. Finally, Michael begins to pass along his “words of wisdom” to Vincent. Michael goes on to talk about having Fredo killed, and how it has haunted him every day of his life ever sense. He talks about how sometimes a man becomes too powerful, and loses touch with reality, and loses touch with what is right and wrong. While Michael is saying all this, there are shots cutting between him talking, and the murders of Tony and his men (similar to the cuts between the baptism and the murders in part I). Michael continues to talk about how he still has nightmares about Fredo, and would give anything to change what he did. He says “Not a day goes by where I don't consider putting a gun to my head and ending this never-ending nightmare… But it's my strength that pulls me through”. Michael, realizing he still hasn't “convinced” Vincent yet, decides to “drop the bomb” on him. He says, “if that doesn't change your mind, maybe this will…. After he says this, Tony's murder is shown. It then cuts back to Michael who goes on to tell Vincent that his father (Sonny) organized a similar hit when he found out that HIS mistress was pregnant (with Vincent). Vincent is shocked. Michael tells him that a couple of days after organizing the hit, Sonny was killed. This was a very big family secret that only a few select people knew about. After Sonny's murder, Vito caught wind of the hit and called it off. Vincent, finally realizing the irony of the situation, and realizing that he doesn't want to be like his father and wants to “right the wrong”, leaves Michael and goes to find a phone. He decides to call off the hit of his mistress. He calls his top associate and informs him that he wants the hit called off. His associate says “I'm sorry, Vincent. It's already done”. Vincent is speechless. The phone slowly slides down his side and falls to the floor. We then cut the scene of Vincent's men busting in on his mistress and shooting her. She falls to the ground as she clutches her stomach, and the unborn baby inside of it. We then cut back to Vincent's shocked face, which now has a lone tear rolling down the side of it.
The Godfather music begins to play as we cut to 1997, and Michael's burial. Most of the Corleone family is there, as Michael was flown back to New York to be buried with his family (mother, father, Sonny). Connie is shown weeping. Strangely, as we pan the spectators of the burial, we don't see Vincent. A close-up of Michael's headstone is shown, reading “Michael Corleone 1920-1997”, as people throw roses. The camera then pans over to the other headstones, first Vito's, then Sonny's. Finally, after a pause, the camera pans over to a headstone reading “Vincent Mancini: 1948-1993”.
We then cut to a shot of Vincent, in 1993. His face looks weathered, with a “set in stone” sadness that he has lived with for the last year, since having his mistress and unborn baby killed. As he sits on the couch, a near-empty bottle of bourbon sits in front of him. He then gets up, with his now permanent sad and stoic look, and walks off into a nearby bedroom. As he walks, Michael Corleone's voice is heard, dubbed in over the scene saying “Not a day goes by where I don't consider putting a gun to my head and ending this never-ending nightmare…But it's my strength that pulls me through”. As this line is being said, Vincent goes in the bedroom and closes the door behind him. The shot remains in the living room where Vincent just was. After Michael's line is said, there's about a 2 second pause, and then a gun shot is heard.
We fade to black, and roll credits as the Godfather theme begins to play.
