OVERLAY REPORT

In the 1972 film *The Godfather*, the plot is set in motion by a series of events involving a business proposal that exposes a fatal rift within the Corleone family. While the film opens with Connie’s wedding, the primary narrative engine begins when **Virgil "The Turk" Sollozzo** approaches the family. The specific actions that start the plot in motion are: ### 1. Sollozzo’s Narcotics Proposal Following the wedding, Virgil Sollozzo, a heroin smuggler backed by the Tattaglia crime family, requests a meeting with Don Vito Corleone. Sollozzo asks for: * **A $1-million investment** to jumpstart a large-scale heroin operation. * **Political and legal "protection"** using the Don’s influence over judges and politicians to ensure that if his men are caught, they receive light sentences. ### 2. Vito’s Refusal and Rationale Don Vito Corleone politely but firmly declines the offer. He explains that while he has no moral objection to the business itself, his political allies view narcotics as a "dirty business." He believes that if he moves into drugs, he will lose the political protection that currently shields his gambling and bootlegging operations, which would weaken the entire family. ### 3. Sonny’s Verbal Slip (The "Fatal Error") During the meeting, Vito’s eldest son, **Santino "Sonny" Corleone**, interrupts to ask a question about the Tattaglia family’s guarantee of the investment. This is the pivotal moment that puts the plot in motion because: * **It reveals a rift:** It shows Sollozzo that the heir apparent to the Corleone family is actually "hot for the deal" and disagrees with his father. * **It creates a motive for murder:** Sollozzo realizes that if he kills Don Vito, Sonny will take over and likely accept the drug deal. * **The Warning:** After the meeting, Vito famously scolds Sonny: *"Never tell anybody outside the family what you're thinking again."* ### 4. The Assassination Attempt on Vito Corleone Spurred by Sonny’s indiscretion, Sollozzo decides to "remove the old man." Shortly before Christmas, while Vito is buying oranges from a fruit stand, two of Sollozzo's hitmen open fire. Vito is shot five times but survives. ### 5. Michael’s Shift from Outsider to Participant This assassination attempt forces the youngest son, **Michael Corleone**, into the conflict. Previously a war hero who wanted nothing to do with the "family business," Michael’s involvement escalates through two key actions: * **The Hospital Scene:** Michael visits his father and discovers that the police (corrupt Captain McCluskey) have removed the guards to allow Sollozzo’s men to finish the job. Michael moves his father to safety and stands guard, having his jaw broken by McCluskey in the process. * **The Double Murder:** Realizing that Sollozzo will never stop until his father is dead, Michael volunteers to murder both Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey at a "peace meeting" in a Bronx restaurant. Michael’s decision to commit these murders is the "point of no return" that transitions the film from a business dispute into an all-out gang war and seals Michael's fate as his father's successor.