Today, cinema fans across the globe were devastated to hear the news that Hollywood legend Robert Duvall had passed away. The Academy Award-winning actor in films like The Apostle and Apocalypse Now was 95 at the time of his passing. Although modern audiences may know him more from his roles in Gone in 60 Seconds and The Judge, Duvall was best known for his role as consigliere Tom Hagen in the crime masterpiece from 1972, The Godfather, and its 1974 sequel.
Duvall’s portrait of Hagen is, without question, the actor’s finest performance – a nuanced role that saw Duvall rise higher to success after having played major parts in M*A*S*H and THX 1138. But although he was a central part of the epic journey of the Corleones, Hagen is not often given equal recognition. Constantly sent to the background when compared to the other major characters in the franchise, Hagen was an essential asset in the most morally compromised famiglia in Hollywood history. He stayed when everything began to crumble – but he never stayed quiet about what should have been done.
Duvall earned an Academy Award nomination for his role in the first Godfather (with his co-stars James Caan and Al Pacino also nominated). Though he didn’t win, his performance as the trustworthy advisor to the crime family will always remain the most underrated in the epic franchise that’s already known for top-notch performances.
Though Not a Corleone, Duvall’s Tom Hagen Always Proved His Loyalty Was Unbreakable
Always the one with a logical approach to the events during the fall and rise of the family, the lawyer continuously proved his loyalty by following whatever orders were given to him during chaos. Don Vito blindly trusted him and considered him a son, even though he was not of the Sicilian bloodline. After growing up among the Corleones, Hagen decides to become a lawyer to work alongside his “father.” While not an official sibling, he’s deeply immersed in the dynamics of the Corleone family, and he devotedly stands with them.
Everyone in the Corleone household had a major part in the family business. Some of the Corleone children strayed away, but in the end, they were the heirs. Hagen, on the other hand, remained loyal despite having no obligation (although leaving the family would have been hypothetically impossible). Cinema’s most famous consigliere was the key piece in keeping the Corleone enterprise in order when obstacles arose. And even when his role was reduced because of Michael’s unconventional ways, he was brought back afterward because he was the only one the new Don trusted.
Hagen Added the Necessary Balance to the Morally Complex Arc of ‘The Godfather’
Though not of Italian blood, Hagen speaks perfect Sicilian, marries an Italian woman, and integrates himself into the Italian-American empire. To prove his worth, he follows Vito’s mandate to serve the Corleones with unwavering loyalty. He doesn’t kill — that’s not who he is. Nevertheless, he does enough to make things easier for the Corleones, who resort to violence whenever necessary. Hagen is one of the few in the family who actually displays shame at some point.
Hagen is civilized, yet that doesn’t mean he’s not emotional. He blames himself for Sonny’s murder, and is deeply hurt when he’s taken out of the inner circle. However, he manages to set aside his emotions if it serves the Corleones. Throughout his journey as the perfect strategist, Hagen stands in the middle ground between his legally bound principles and the corrupted morals of the crime family. He’s resolute about paying respect to his “father” and the empire he built, but at the same time, there’s doubt in his voice when he’s forced to tell Michael he remains loyal. That lingering doubt fuels the moral complexity in the first Godfather movies, and was part of the late actor’s range when portraying the most overlooked yet indispensable member of the Corleone family.
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