Luigi Angelini

Luigi Angelini is one of the protagonists of Family Business and he is portrayed by Robert De Niro. He was an Italian mafia boss who, despite his business being founded on various criminal activities, possessed the traits of being a kind and generous man who upheld a strict moral code of loyalty to his friends and, most importantly, family.

Personality
Luigi Angelini was a fatherly gangster who was an inspiring leader and he upheld a strong moral code, with his priority being caring for and protecting his family no matter the cost. He was a kindhearted, generous and caring husband, father and friend who preferred using words rather than violence and he cared for every member of his criminal organization instead of treating them like expendable minions, treating them very well and making them feel valued. On the other hand, Luigi had a great distaste for egomaniacs who were arrogant and treated their men like they're expandable and held their power over their heads all the time as well as others outside of their organization, generally having a low opinion on them and viewed them as foolish because they recklessly created enemies everywhere. Luigi's kindness and generous demeanor worked like a strategy on the people he dealt with, making it less likely they would betray him or go to the police. He would make people who came to him for help not feel ashamed or scared, ensuring them they made the right choice and that Luigi would give them the help they needed legally or illegally. As well as valuing family above everything, Luigi also greatly valued friendship and treating strangers with respect and viewed friendship as almost important as family.

Luigi was a highly intelligent and logical mafiasco with a naturally strategic mind, which makes him one of the most dangerous individuals in the criminal underworld and, despite his reputation as a kind and generous man willing to help others, he was also known for his cunning and strategies in crushing the enemies foolish enough to cross him. Luigi can be very vengeful when he is betrayed, with his patience being so keen that he was willing to wait even years so the enemy will have their guard down as long as he exacts his long-awaited revenge and he knew when to act too quickly for his enemies to react. He always knew when to take a deal or not, and how to go about doing so. Luigi had the foresight of a master chess player, able to predict the ramifications and possible opportunities from seemingly random events years in advance. As a Don, Luigi was a firm believer in the long-time benefits of courtesy, goodwill and maintaining the reputation of a fatherly, benevolent benefactor. He never liked violence or threatening others despite the nature of his business and being associated with hundreds of dangerous killers under his command, he insisted maintaining an outwardly humble appearance, almost never lording his wealth and power over the people who came to him for help. Luigi never lost his temper or gave in to his passions, always displaying a cool and collected demeanor. This made business easier while simultaneously making his enemies underestimate him, giving him so many advantages as well as the fact that he had so many owed favors to him from so many different people in so many different walks of life meant that the Angelini family would have some advantage in every situation. This approach meant that those he patronized would willingly repay him out of a sense of gratitude and friendship rather than Luigi being seen as a cold creditor looking to reclaim a debt and it helped the Angelinis keep a low profile in the eyes of the law and the public. Luigi attempted to spread the values of compassion and generosity throughout the criminal underworld, with limited success.

On sexual matters, Luigi was very straightlaced, his opinions tied to his reverence for family. He viewed sex as something sacred between a married couple, an act meant to strengthen and grow a family. He greatly disapproved of out-of-wedlock relations and one-night stands, viewing them as both a lack of personal control and a violation of what he viewed as sacrosanct. The business of prostitution also especially offended his sensibilities, both in the idea of selling something that is supposed to be sacred to family, and an exploitation of weak and vulnerable women. As well as this, Luigi displayed a great disgust towards sexual violence and the killing of innocent people especially children. On the subject of drugs, Luigi showed a distaste towards them but he still trafficked and dealt with them, though he forbade his family and even those who worked for him from using drugs.

Luigi was a man who would never let himself be controlled by others, primarily because his entire motivation for becoming a Mafia boss was to ensure that he controlled the world around him in order to make a safe, prosperous environment for the people he cared about to live in, even if he had to kill people to do it. He professed no regrets over his life of crime, save from the fact that he got his children involved. He never wanted his children to get involved in the brutal and ruthless nature of his illegal business but nevertheless allowed them to, which he believed he should have never done, out of the worries of them getting corrupted or, worse, even killed. Luigi though did his best to advise and continue to look after his children, providing them with the best protection he can offer and advising them to follow his ideals and business techniques to get the best outcomes and advantages possible as well as sharing his moral code to stop them from doing something very immoral and unforgivable.

After believing he had accomplished his goals in maintaining his power and wealth to ensure his family's safety, Luigi attempted to retire from his life of crime and live out the rest of his life by running his restaurants in as much peace, honesty and legitimately as he could. He always wanted deep down to escape the criminal lifestyle, but it always ends in it catching up to him and forcing Luigi back into criminality. Luigi's biggest flaw was his code; he always tried to see the best in people and do the right thing, including for his family, which had frequently ended in great tragedies for him and the Angelinis.