Luca Brasi
From The Godfather Wiki
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| Luca Brasi | |
|---|---|
| Biographical information | |
| Gender |
Male |
| Eye color |
Brown |
| Hair color |
Grey |
| Born |
June 8, 1892 |
| Died |
December 20, 1945 (Aged 53) |
| Family | |
| Title(s) | |
| Portrayed By | |
- "Don Corleone, I am honoured and grateful that you have invited me to your home today on the day of your daughters wedding...and I hope that their first child, be a masculine child."
- ―Luca Brasi[src]
Luca Brasi was one of Vito Corleone's most trusted Enforcers. He was portrayed by Lenny Montana.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
- "There are men in this world who go about demanding to be killed. They argue in gambling games; they jump out of their cars in a rage if someone so much as scratches their fender. These people wander through the streets calling out "Kill me, kill me." Luca Brasi was such a man. And since he wasn't scared of death, and in fact, looked for it... I made him my weapon. Because I was the only person in the world that he truly hoped would not kill him. "
- ―Vito Corleone[src]
Luca Brasi was a feared enforcer for the Corleone Family, known as one of the most dangerous men in the eastern underworld. Fluent in Italian and able to handle himself in any fight, he had a dark reputation among the underworld as a savage killer.
[edit] Recruitment
In the late 1920s, Brasi impregnated a young Irish prostitute and later murdered her, but did not stop there; on the day of his daughter's birth, he forced the midwife, Filomena under pain of death, to hurl his own daughter into a furnace, an act for which she never forgave herself, describing him as an unholy demon that night. He claimed that "None of that race should live." It was unknown whether he meant that it was because the child was half Irish, or that it was his child, and felt that he was doing the world a favor by removing his bloodline from it Filomena was at first reluctant, but Luca slashed her arm with a knife and then she obliged and tossed it in the furnace after she did this she fled from the house sobbing. Filomena later left for Sicily, where she was employed by Lionele Tommasino.
After that night, Brasi killed the young girl and allowed himself to be arrested. He tried to kill himself in his cell with a broken bottle by slashing his throat open but he didn't die, in the end he was rescued from prison by Vito Corleone, who saw Brasi as a potential asset. The tales of Brasi's prowess soon became legend.
[edit] Luca's Legend
One such incident involved Brasi killing off two of Al Capone's henchmen (one of whom was Willy Russo, brother of the future Don of Chicago, Louie Russo) hired to kill Don Corleone. Brasi subdued both of them and tied and gagged them with towels stuffed in their mouths. He then leisurely hacked one of them to pieces with a fireaxe. When he went to finish off the other one, he found that the man had gone through a shock convulsion and choked to death on the towel.
Brasi's talent, it was said, was that he could do a job, or murder all by himself, without confederates or backup who might rat him out. Since Luca made sure to leave no witnesses either, this made a criminal conviction almost impossible. He is also known for killing, in two weeks, six men who attempted to kill Don Corleone. These six deaths ended the famous "Olive Oil War." His almost fanatical loyalty to Don Corleone was unquestioned, and was said to have killed a Corleone soldier just for making the Corleone family look bad. Brasi often claimed that he'd sooner kill himself than betray the Godfather. During the Pacification of New York, he killed Don Alioto as a warning to the Family, who immediately sued for peace.
[edit] The Wedding
At Connie's wedding, Michael Corleone explains to his then girlfriend Kay Adams, the story of how Don Corleone helped his godson Johnny Fontane. Michael explains that his father went to convince bandleader Les Halley to release Johnny from a personal service contract that was holding back Johnny's singing career. After refusing an offer of $10,000 Don Corleone returned the next day with Luca Brasi and within an hour the bandleader signed a release for a second offer of only $1,000. Luca Brasi had held a gun to the bandleader's head while Don Corleone assured him that either his brains or his signature would be on the release contract. Brasi did not expect to be invited to the wedding of the Don's daughter, and was very suprised and grateful when he was. He gave a large sum for Connie's bridal purse directly to Vito (said to be the largest given by any of the guests). .
[edit] Secret Assignment
- "I'm a little worried about this Sollozzo fella. I want you to find out what's under his fingernails. Go to the Tattaglias, make them think that you're not too happy with our Family...find out what you can."
- ―Vito Corleone[src]
Shortly before Vito Corleone is shot, Brasi was summoned by the Don, who intends to draw out rival mobster Virgil Sollozzo and the rest of the Don's enemies by having Luca pretend he had switched allegiances. Luca hung around Bruno Tattaglia's nightclub, eventually going to bed with one of his bargirls and complaining about not making much money, knowing that word would eventually get back to Bruno. When Bruno offers a meeting, Luca drives to the meeting, wearing a bulletproof vest.
[edit] Murder
Sollozzo, after promises of friendship, a job, and $50,000 he then rams a knife into Luca's hand, pinning it to the bar as Tattaglia's henchmen garrottes him from behind. A Sicilian message is later sent to the Corleone family: a fish wrapped in Brasi's bulletproof vest. The meaning is made clear to the Corleones: "Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes."
Brasi's role as personal enforcer/bodyguard to the Don was later filled by Al Neri. Tom Hagen once said to Michael following the completion of Neri's training, "Well, now you've got your Luca." Luca's old safehouse remained primarily vacant after his death until 1959 when Michael gives it to Dominic to use, and later Vincenzo Pentangeli briefly stays in it while awaiting to appear at Michael's 1959 trial.
