[quote=Liggio]But not everyone goes for the romantic Godfather vibe to the Mafia. Some people actually like the thuggish ruthlessness of a Nicky Scarfo or the gruff and rough-around-the-edges Fat Tony Salerno. Many people accept that it's the cold harsh reality of the mob and they love it![/quot

For sure about that. That type is supposedly more realistic
But in the Godfather you had Clemenza who some might picture as Salerno type and there were some ruthless types
What the Godfather did was kind of not only make a lot of Americans,especially Italians aware of the mafia, but kind of made them seem acceptable that there was somebody out there that recognized that sometimes they weren't much worse than the government, but that they could serve justice for ordinary people when the government wouldn't..So for mafia afficionados or street guys it might not have seemed real, But it kept them in a positive light and a serious light for regular people