Shortly prior toThe Godfather’s release, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro swapped places for a totally separate gangster movie, and cinematic history would have played out very differently if they hadn’t. Unquestionably among thegreatest movies of all time,The Godfatherforged careers for almost everyone involved. One especially notable beneficiary ofThe Godfather’s success was a young, up-and-coming actor by the name of Al Pacino. While Pacino’s performance inThe Panic in Needle Parkearned him a foot in Hollywood’s door, he had still only appeared in two feature films before taking the career-defining role of Michael Corleone.
History repeated forThe Godfather Part II’s cast, this time with Robert De Niro as young Vito Corleone. De Niro had formed early working relationships with future legends Brian De Palma and Martin Scorsese even before starring in Francis Ford Coppola’s celebrated sequel, but was yet to truly transcend into Hollywood’s big leagues. As the original movie did for Al Pacino two years earlier,The Godfather Part IIgave De Niro his first truly standout performance. Also like Pacino, it would be one of many. Not long beforeThe Godfather, however,Pacino and De Niro’s respective paths were heading elsewhere.
Robert De Niro Replaced Al Pacino In The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight
A Bullet Dodged For Al Pacino
Around the timeThe Godfatherstarted production, another gangster movie was also in the pipeline. CalledThe Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight, the film was lighthearted in tone - an old-fashioned crime caper and a million miles from the atmosphere and aesthetic Francis Ford Coppola employed withThe Godfatherthe following year. Despite the two movies having as much in common as Luca Brasi and Mr. Bean, production onThe Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straightcrossed over with the making ofThe Godfatheron several occasions.
From Pacino’s perspective, the swap might have been the wisest decision he ever made.
These rival gang movies started butting heads when Francis Ford Coppola settled on Al Pacino as his perfect Michael Corleone. Pacino wanted the gig, but had already agreed to play Mario Trantino inThe Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight. Coppola ultimately won the Pacino tug-of-war, with the actor switching over toThe Godfatherand duly delivering one of cinema’s most memorable performances. Curiously,The Godfather/The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straightconnection continued, as the actor who stepped into Pacino’s shoes was none other than his future onscreen father, Robert De Niro.
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The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straightwas poorly received upon releaseand hasn’t aged especially well, but Robert De Niro’s turn as Mario Trantino possesses the clear hallmarks of a future star in need of better material. From Pacino’s perspective, the swap might have been the wisest decision he ever made, leaving behind a forgettable critical flop for a movie many still consider the greatest in history.
They Made De Niro An Offer He Absolutely Could Refuse
The connective tissue between gangster movies runs deeper still - just as Al Pacino quitThe Gang That Couldn’t Shoot StraightforThe Godfather,Robert De Niro quitThe GodfatherforThe Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight. As explained inThe GodfatherTreasuresby Peter Cowie, De Niro had been circling Francis Ford Coppola’s Corleone saga long before the 1974 sequel, initially auditioning for Sonny before losing out to James Caan. Impressing nonetheless,De Niro was offered the smaller role of Paulie- the Corleone turncoat who gets assassinated just before Clemenza’s iconic “leave the gun, take the cannoli” line.
De Niro understandably opted for the meatier part, andThe Godfather’s Paulie was instead portrayed by John Martino. After both movies were released, Robert De Niro would have been forgiven for ruing his decision somewhat, but it was difficult to argue that the eventual outcome wasn’t the right one. James Caan was clearly the sensible choice as Sonny, and De Niro added another leading gangster movie role to his collection - arguably more useful to his résumé than a fleeting appearance in a superior movie.
10 Gangster Movies That Are Considered Masterpieces
The gangster genre has produced some of the best movies ever made, with classics from big directors like Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese.
Fortunately for De Niro, his decision was fully justified when Coppola came calling aboutThe Godfather Part II. The true reward for turning down the part of Paulie wasn’t being able to star inThe Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight, but being able to star inThe Godfather PartIItwo years down the road.
Movie History Could’ve Gone Very Differently Without This Change
The Pacino/De Niro Switch Was A Key Moment In Hollywood’s Development
In an alternate universe where Al Pacino decided to honor his original commitment and remain withThe Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight, movie history would have taken an entirely different path. Without Pacino, theMichael Corleone role would have fallen to one of the other young actors consideredat the time, which included Dustin Hoffman, Martin Sheen (viaThe Godfather Family: A Look Inside), and Ryan O’Neal (viaThe Annotated Godfather: The Complete Screenplayby Jenny M. Jones). All of the above are talented stars, butit’s impossible to imagine anyone else playing Michael Corleonequite like Al Pacino did.
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It’s hard to imagine anyone but Brando playing Vito Corleone in The Godfather, but at one point more than 10 others were considered for the role. Who?
Without Pacino in the saga’s anchoring role,The Godfatherwould surely shed a degree of luster. Not enough to suddenly make the film terrible, of course, but perhaps enough that it wouldn’t still be considered one of the greatest films ever made 50 years later. Pacino himself, meanwhile, loses out on the role of a lifetime. Being deprived of his experience as Michael Corleone could mean later gangster roles inScarfaceandHeatnever come, sending the actor down a very different career route, albeit not necessarily a less successful one.
Without an Al Pacino-shaped hole inThe Gang Who Couldn’t Shoot Straight’s cast, Robert De Niro would have been left playing Paulie inThe Godfather, ruling him out as an option for theyounger Vito Corleone inThe GodfatherPart II. Again,De Niro’s Vito performance is so timeless that anyone else in that same spot would’ve struggled to match it, meaning Coppola’s sequel becoming yet another beloved gangster classic is not guaranteed.
Killers of the Flower Moon (2024)
Best Supporting Actor
Nominated
De Niro would have been forced to wait a little longer for his mainstream breakthrough, but missing out onThe Godfather Part IIneedn’t affect his career trajectory too much. By this time, the actor had already worked with Martin Scorsese onMean Streets, and being cast as Travis Bickle potentially had more to do with that established partnership thanThe Godfather Part II. Starring inTaxi Driver, Robert De Niro would then have been nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, and the fact that he played Paulie inThe Godfatherwould simply become movie trivia quiz fodder for the next 50 years.
Sources: The Godfather Treasures (Peter Cowie), The Godfather Family: A Look Inside, The Annotated Godfather: The Complete Screenplay (Jenny M. Jones).
