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“ | I say to all of you that I have been treated this day with no respect! I've made you all money. And I asked for little. Good. You won't give, I'll take! As for Don Corleone, he has made it very clear today that he is my enemy! You must choose between us. | „ |
~ Joey Zasa trying to undermine Michael Corleone. |
Joey Zasa is a major antagonist in the 1990 film The Godfather, Part III. He is a treacherous caporegime and Street Boss of the Corleone crime family who plots with Don Altobello to overthrow Don Michael Corleone.
He is portrayed by Joe Mantegna, who voiced Fat Tony and Fit Tony in The Simpsons and Grem in Cars 2.
He is loosely based on three real-life mafiosi: John Gotti, Joseph Colombo and Joe Gallo.
History[]
Past[]
Zasa rose up through the ranks of the Corleone family as a member of Peter Clemenza's regime. By 1979, when the film takes place, Michael Corleone and the Commission have given him control over the Corleone family's criminal activities in New York, granting him the title of Street Boss. Nevertheless, Michael has mixed feelings about him; he respects Zasa's shrewdness and business acumen, but is wary of his flamboyance, violent streak and hunger for publicity. He is especially displeased with Zasa's ambitions to get into the drug trade, something Michael's father Vito had forbidden years before.
The Godfather Part III[]
Zasa first appears at a ceremony honoring Michael's charitable works, during which he gets into an argument with Vincent Mancini-Corleone, the illegitimate son of Michael's long-dead brother Sonny. Vincent accuses Zasa of saying “f**k Michael Corleone “behind his back, to which Zasa cooly replies, "All bastards are liars." Enraged, Vincent bites Zasa on the ear. Zasa retaliates by hiring two assassins to kill Vincent, but Vincent kills both of them.
Sometime later, Zasa attends a meeting of the Commission in which Michael announces he is dissolving his criminal empire and dividing the profits among the board members - leaving Zasa with nothing but an insult from Vincent who whispers “nothing for you “ to him. Insulted, Zasa announces that if Michael will not give him what he feels he is owed, he will take it by force. He the storms out, followed by Michael's old friend and ally Don Altobello. Moments later, unseen gunmen open fire on the group, killing all but Michael and Vincent and Michaels soldier Al Neri . Michael deduces that Altobello is the power behind Zasa, but suffers a stroke, rendering him temporarily powerless. While Michael recovers, his sister Connie gives Vincent permission to kill Zasa.
Shortly afterward, Zasa goes to a local street festival flanked by bodyguards and surrounded by press, to whom he denies the existence of the Mafia. Suddenly Al Neri, disguised as a member of the church procession, kills two of Zasa,s men. Zasa runs for cover. but Vincent (disguised as a mounted patrol officer) corners him and shoots him twice in the back, killing him.
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Villains | ||
The Commission Corleone Family Tattaglia Family Barzini Family Stracci Family Cuneo Family Almedia Family Mangano Family Granados Family Rosato Family Others |