Who Was REALLY The Better Consigliere In The Godfather?

[@mattpope1746]

Vito was strategic enough to know Tom’s strength and value to the family was not as a streetwise consigliere. Rather, he saw in Tom the potential for a legitimate, high-powered lawyer loyal to the Corleones as any of his other sons, but with the Madagon looks, name and education to operate in the halls of power in America where Vito really wanted his family to be. If Vito had his way during the war of the five families he probably wouldn’t have wanted Tom in a wartime consigliere role anymore than he wanted Michael to kill Sollozo. He didn’t invest all that time and money on Tom’s education just to have him be a street fighter. Genco may have been a better strategist and advisor in the trenches, but he also wasn’t going to be the man sitting by Michael’s side at the Senate Hearings, or setting up Pat Geary, or convincing Frankie Pentangeli to kill himself without actually having to say it. Genco was the more traditional Sicilian consigliere for a street fight, but Tom who Vito really wanted to represent his family in the acquisition of American-style power.

[@studogable]

Perfectly said. Genco was an old-school mafia consigliere. Tom was the guy who would move the family to the next level.

[@LeopoldoNotarianni-rk9vv]

Well put

[@GREGWATSON-lc8cc]

Genco

[@viqarkagzi3922]

Tom was Strategic & very instrumental. He learned sllot of from Vito. Tom gained a reputation as a peaceful don just like Vito possessed.

[@TheFrizbaloid]

Trick question. The best consigliere in The Godfather was the Godfather himself when he took the role after turning the family business over to Michael.

[@kavalere]

Genco was the better consigliere, but Tom was more valuable overall to the family. Tom also served well as the interim Don.

[@LeopoldoNotarianni-rk9vv]

I agree

[@viqarkagzi3922]

Tom was he was more likely to succeed.

[@studogable]

9:30 - I've never read "you're out, Tom" as a dismissal of Tom because he wasn't capable. Rather, I don't think Dartmouth-educated Michael wanted his corporate attorney implicated in the bloodbath that he and Vito were planning.

[@duckyhines7391]

Exactly and I saw it as Michael not wanting to conflict Tom with smoking out the rat. Michael also may have not trusted Tom's judgment, which is pointed out when Tom thought the rat would have been Clemenza (who was solid and loyal 100 percent) instead of the real rat in Sally. Tom was good at taking orders but not advising in war time. Tom did a good enough job as acting don in Part II after the hit attempt after Anthony's Communion ceremony but Michael also had no choice being that Santino had long since passed and Fredo was a weak imbecile.

[@mphrdldn]

I always thought Michael may have resented Tom telling him on Dec. 7th 1941 that he and his father had discussed Michael’s future “many times.”

[@viqarkagzi3922]

@@mphrdldn Tom was. very educated u of m An arbor according to his background

[@kevinhealey6540]

In the book it was mentioned that Genco had played with him in Sicily. In the book Sonny did not beg his father to take Tom in. Sonny found him on the street and just brought him home and then Tom lived with the family. Tom had an eye infection of some sort and Don Corleone brought him to the best eye doctor and the doctor cured the infection. In the book when Sonny was killed, Tom then admitted to himself that Genco would have seen through that that it was a trap and that would not have happened if Genco was still around and Tom realized he was not the man Genco was. He also realized that unless Don Corleone would rise up from his sick bed, he was going to have to tell the other 5 families that the Corleone family surrenders.

[@ivanhoe23be]

The conclusion is based on the premisse that Genko was the better wartime consigliere. That may be true, but it's not always wartime. So the conclusion doesn't hold. Also, the reason Tom was cut out by Michael is explained in the Godfather 2. Tom even became the Don in Michael's absence during another time of war. And he did a pretty good job.

[@ycshittu5412]

Genco was a wartime consigliere but Tom was important to the don to help him legitimate their businesses

[@bwweaver78]

You can’t blame Tom for Sonny’s death. Tom tried to stop Sonny from charging out on his own, then immediately ordered bodyguards to follow him when he couldn’t.

[@LouHemi]

Imagine if we had seen them both operate Genco as the full consigliere and Tom as acting and lawyer or attorney

[@jamesgmenzel8646]

Genco was the better due to the fact he helped start the family business. Tom uses the law to defend the family. Tom is also valuable for info on legalities with this issue or that issue.

[@bentencho]

Genco was more useful during the start up phase and for wartime. Tom was geared for the long-term success of the family, when they will need to jump over legal hurdles.

[@mehousetijerina6414]

I would say it is a tie. Genco, helped Vito crawl to the top. Tom, helped Michael develop a global empire that even took on the US government.

[@nitro8in]

I don’t understand Genco’s qualifications, he worked in his father’s grocery store..Tom was a lawyer…

[@JoseDelgado-bq3hj]

My vote goes to Genco the man helped the family through the Olive Oil war and while I love Tom's role in the family but I think Vito was very powerful in the role to Michael all the advice he gave Michael helped save the family after he was gone and I like many think Vito helped plan the murder of the heads of the 5 family's something I don't think Tom could've done

[@davidmasi4682]

Genco was the all encompassing and undefeated consigliere. Tom was excellent but his Achilles heel was that he wasn't a good war time consigliere and that he also wasn't Italian that would hinder him because he wouldn't be allowed input outside the family he served.

[@mphrdldn]

It’s difficult for moviegoers to appreciate Genco because his efforts were not shown. The book goes into the competition, violence and grisly deeds Vito and Genco followed to rise to the top.

[@albertangeloro5832]

Enzo The Baker

[@dartsport1974]

Thanks for the video. Just looking at this video alone I guess I’d have to say Genco. I think Tom though was very useful as a lawyer. Since I never read the book, if this means anything from what I seen in the movie and this video, Tom was good with dealing with people externally, but maybe Genco was good with the family business internally.

[@MrEab2010]

I'm going with Genco. He kept the family intact during the mob wars of the '30s. Under Hagen, whether his fault or not, Vito and Michael was nearly killed, Sonny was killed and the family was inundated with traitors. In the later novels Hagen himself turned state's.

[@danmcn61]

Tom could not have controlled Sonny. He was too volatile and emotional. Clemenza and Tessio could not have reined in Sonny either. Only the Don himself could have controlled him.

[@Vmac1394]

It's pronounced con-see-lee-err-ee. If you see "gl" in any Italian word, do not make a hard g sound, just emphasize the l. Hard g sounds are not heard in Italian unless they are followed by h's as in "ghiaccio" (gi-ah-cho) or "ice."

[@mandolindleyroadshow706]

Genco must have had his dumb moments too, as Vito was shot for the first time in the 1930s during the Olive Oil War.

[@stillsolid5785]

Sonny had a very good heart

[@aisle_of_view]

His family went on to invent the largest blue jeans on Earth in the 90s.

[@Sangria]

I vote Tom since he’s a better actor

[@shadeofshattered3]

This comparison always ate at tom that's why he became more ruthless started overseeing the death of everyone besides fredo

[@mphrdldn]

Agreed. I don’t think he liked his role or living in Nevada. GF2 shows Tom’s reaction when Michael tells Johnny Ola that Tom won’t be joining their meeting as he is involved only in certain aspects of the business.

[@Jay-k4l8j]

He would never have seen that trap but they needed someone with experience for wartime

[@cbl1984]

In the Spanish dubbed version of the Godfather movie shown in South America, Michael states that Tom is not a good Consiglieri...point blank. The nuance of Tom not being a "wartime" Consiglieri is dropped entirely

[@jayssonglist9466]

Johnny Fonton? 😂.

[@TheShahofBaltimore]

Tom was better lowkey! He was SMOOTH!

[@JessicaGonzalez-uq8jk]

Genco

[@raybenitez7057]

Tom wasn’t a good consigliere. He should have seen Solozzo and his drugs business coming. Tom should have known all along that it was Barzini and not Tartaglia the pimp. That introductory meeting shouldn’t have been an inquiry as to what Solozzo was proposing. The Corleones should have known what Solozzo wanted before he met with them and most importantly they corleones should have surmised that all the families had Solozzo’s back Tom was not only a bad consigliere he was fatally flawed

[@donaldcapomolla911]

The Micheal from godfather 3 would agree what Tom hagen.

[@WilliamBodenhagen]

Tom

[@Austintx78721]

All of y'all in these comments that yall comments will be wrong if you're saying Tom

[@RoofDoctorsJoanne]

He could never have been a Consigliere bro.....his last name was Hagen. Come on an Irishman? Lmao

[@aisle_of_view]

Hagenini!

[@tonysoprano1234]

Problem is Tom Hagen was not italian he could not be consiliere.

[@damianstarks3338]

Nice mob match up

[@Jonny-317]

Bro, you need to learn how to pronounce Consigliere and Genco

[@seltzer30]

cone sil yee air ee

[@incognito-cq4yu]

Genco