{"id":25577,"date":"2026-08-02T22:15:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T17:15:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=25577"},"modified":"2026-08-02T22:15:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T17:15:24","slug":"the-godfather-took-28-years-to-pay-off-its-greatest-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=25577","title":{"rendered":"The Godfather Took 28 Years To Pay Off Its Greatest Line"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/tag\/franchise\/the-godfather\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>The Godfather<\/strong><\/a><\/em> trilogy is full of iconic quotes. Some of them have surprising everyday uses, like \u201c<em>He made him an offer he couldn\u2019t refuse,<\/em>\u201d or \u201c<em>Don\u2019t ask me about my business.<\/em>\u201d Others speak to something a little more profound, summing up the barbarity of organized crime (\u201c<em>It\u2019s not personal, Sonny, it\u2019s strictly business<\/em>\u201d) or encapsulating <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/the-godfather-michael-corleone-death-vito-marlon-brando-op-ed\/\" target=\"_blank\">Michael Corleone\u2019s moral downfall<\/a> (\u201c<em>Don\u2019t ever take sides with anyone against the family again&#8230; ever<\/em>\u201d). The first film\u2019s opening line tells us the central theme of the entire saga: \u201c<em>I believe in America.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<p>Whether it\u2019s \u201c<em>sleeping with the fishes<\/em>\u201d or \u201c<em>the day my daughter is to be married<\/em>\u201d or the old adage to keep your friends close but your enemies closer, <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/best-quotes-godfather-trilogy\/\" target=\"_blank\">the most memorable quotes from <em>The Godfather<\/em> trilogy<\/a> have gone on to define mafia traditions in the cultural consciousness. Francis Ford Coppola knows how to write a line that feels like a gut punch, like Michael telling his traitorous brother, \u201c<em>I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart!<\/em>\u201d (But, then again, Coppola also wrote the line, \u201c<em>How do you like my boner?<\/em>\u201d)<\/p>\n<p>But none of these qualify as the greatest quote from <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/godfather-movies-ranked-worst-best\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>The Godfather<\/em> trilogy<\/a>. That distinction goes to \u201c<em>Leave the gun, take the cannoli.<\/em>\u201d At first glance, it might not seem like such a hot line, but it tells us everything we need to know about this story, and the world these characters inhabit.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"the-godfather-part-iii-paid-off-the-original-movie-39-s-cannoli-line-in-full\">\n                        The Godfather Part III Paid Off The Original Movie&#8217;s Cannoli Line In Full<br \/>\n               <\/h2>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  image-expandable  img-article-item\" style=\"padding-bottom:50%\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/A-mob-hit-with-the-Statue-of-Liberty-in-the-background-in-The-Godfather.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n<figure><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/A-mob-hit-with-the-Statue-of-Liberty-in-the-background-in-The-Godfather.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/A-mob-hit-with-the-Statue-of-Liberty-in-the-background-in-The-Godfather.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/A-mob-hit-with-the-Statue-of-Liberty-in-the-background-in-The-Godfather.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/A-mob-hit-with-the-Statue-of-Liberty-in-the-background-in-The-Godfather.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/A-mob-hit-with-the-Statue-of-Liberty-in-the-background-in-The-Godfather.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/A-mob-hit-with-the-Statue-of-Liberty-in-the-background-in-The-Godfather.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"1650\" height=\"826\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A mob hit with the Statue of Liberty in the background in The Godfather\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/A-mob-hit-with-the-Statue-of-Liberty-in-the-background-in-The-Godfather.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/A-mob-hit-with-the-Statue-of-Liberty-in-the-background-in-The-Godfather.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture><figcaption style=\"display: none;\">A mob hit with the Statue of Liberty in the background in The Godfather<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The line \u201c<em>Leave the gun, take the cannoli<\/em>\u201d appears in the first <em>Godfather<\/em> movie, and it\u2019s spoken by Peter Clemenza, one of Vito Corleone\u2019s closest and most trusted associates. Clemenza says this after carrying out a hit on mobster Paulie Gatto. After Gatto is shot and killed in a car, with the Statue of Liberty gorgeously transposed in the background, belying the movie\u2019s theme of the dark side of the American Dream, Clemenza leaves behind the murder weapon, but takes the cannoli, because his wife had asked him to bring home some cannoli for dessert.<\/p>\n<p>This line is a classic case of showing instead of telling. Clemenza doesn\u2019t tell us that he treats murder as an everyday chore \u2014 a job that he has to balance with his family life at home \u2014 but he shows us that haunting dichotomy by being more concerned about his wife\u2019s dessert than the human life he just brutally cut short. Nearly three decades later, <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/the-godfather-3-connie-corleone-story-op-ed\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>The Godfather Part III<\/em> paid off this line beautifully when Connie killed someone<\/a> with a poisoned cannoli.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"connie-is-one-of-the-best-things-about-the-godfather-part-iii\">\n                        Connie Is One Of The Best Things About The Godfather Part III<br \/>\n               <\/h2>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  image-expandable  img-article-item\" style=\"padding-bottom:50%\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/connie-looking-off-screen-in-the-godfather-part-iii.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n<figure><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/connie-looking-off-screen-in-the-godfather-part-iii.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/connie-looking-off-screen-in-the-godfather-part-iii.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/connie-looking-off-screen-in-the-godfather-part-iii.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/connie-looking-off-screen-in-the-godfather-part-iii.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/connie-looking-off-screen-in-the-godfather-part-iii.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/connie-looking-off-screen-in-the-godfather-part-iii.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"1650\" height=\"826\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Connie looking off-screen in The Godfather Part III\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/connie-looking-off-screen-in-the-godfather-part-iii.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/connie-looking-off-screen-in-the-godfather-part-iii.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture><figcaption style=\"display: none;\">Connie looking off-screen in The Godfather Part III<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/godfather-part-3-better-reasons\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>The Godfather Part III<\/em> is generally considered a low point<\/a> for the franchise. The first <em>Godfather<\/em> is a timeless masterpiece that changed American cinema, and <em>The Godfather Part II<\/em> was somehow even better. The sequel went deeper and darker, and completed Michael\u2019s journey to becoming a cold-blooded monster. Coppola wanted to leave it there as a duology, but Paramount executives had dollar signs in their eyes and would\u2019ve made a <em>Godfather<\/em> threequel whether the godfather himself (Coppola) was involved or not. So, Coppola <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/the-godfather-3-michael-corleone-son-mafia-vito-op-ed\/\" target=\"_blank\">made <em>The Godfather Part III<\/em> as a coda to Michael\u2019s story<\/a>, and anyone expecting a <em>Return of the King<\/em>-style epic finale was sorely disappointed.<\/p>\n<p>But, while it\u2019s nowhere near the untouchable masterworks that the first two films were, <em>The Godfather Part III<\/em> isn\u2019t as bad as it\u2019s made out to be. Andy Garc\u00eda gives an incredible turn as Vincent Corleone, the ending is appropriately heartbreaking, and the threequel is easily Connie\u2019s finest hour. Talia Shire was always great in the role, but Connie was often sidelined in the first two movies \u2014 largely to show how female voices get silenced in the patriarchal mafioso culture \u2014 but in <em><strong>The Godfather<\/strong><\/em> trilogy\u2019s third and final entry, Connie gets way more involved in the family business.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Godfather trilogy is full of iconic quotes. Some of them have surprising everyday uses, like \u201cHe made him an offer he couldn\u2019t refuse,\u201d or \u201cDon\u2019t ask me about my business.\u201d Others speak to something a little more profound, summing up the barbarity of organized crime (\u201cIt\u2019s not personal, Sonny, it\u2019s strictly business\u201d) or encapsulating&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25578,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/the-godfather-part-iii_f6996d4f.jpg?w=1600&h=900&fit=crop","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsweek-trending"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25577\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}