thats such a sad reality of life and i think almost every human being has made a similar promise at some point in their life. How many alcoholics promised their loved ones they would stop? how many abusive spouses promised to change? how many times has a partner said their financial problems will go away in a year because they have a new job lined up? people promise to drop bad habits and give a timeline long enough and vague enough so that they never actually have to change. similar to the politicians as another commenter said
@Daniel Miller 16 months later the government is saying july 4th we will reopen, which is approximately 2 weeks. and yet i have a feeling nothing is going to change
Totally true! The end of The Godfather 3 is set in the future when the movie was made and Michael is now a mentally destitute man in his 70’s living in the same home his protectors kept him in when he was hiding the first time and drops dead in the courtyard. Like it’s said, it never ends! Hyman Roth had nothing to do with Michael’s business after he finished him off.
😂…kinda changing the subject, but I gotta admit that I was a little bit shocked that Hyman Roth lived THAT far ‘under the radar’. I mean, tuna salad, really dude…?
Yet another reason why The Godfather 1 & 2 were so great… They exhibited Shakespearean tragedy in a masterful way. Virtually all dramas, even soap operas have elements of Shakespeare but it’s the way Coppola & Co. crafted these movies with every detail that made them a master class in human drama and high art. The writing, the mood, the music, the scenery, the casting and finally, the acting. Your analysis is great too. Moving & inspirational.
Nice point. BTW Shakespeare collated and adapt all the various dramas that evolved through the ages in a condensed, documented form....not really a pioneer of those arts as he is hyped to be. eg. Hamlet is borrowed from an old Scandinavian tale while Romeo and Juliet comes from an Italian writer from same period.
When Michael asked Roth who tried to kill Pentangeli, Roth was clearly caught off guard, improvising the answer "the Rosato Brothers." If you see the movie, you can detect a slight hesitance in his answer. That was when I knew Roth was the mastermind. His self-serving speech immediately underscored this.
He worked with Michael knowing he ordered the hit because all the other families heads got hit and the only family left was his. He made the attempt on his life because he thought he could get a better deal but he made a mistake by revealing this. He should have deflected back to the money or offered to have one of the brothers killed by his blessing.
Roth was grooming Moe Green to be his replacement and Michael had him killed. When Roth says, "no one knows who gave the order" he's lying. You can see how angry he is. He knows exactly who gave the order and he is taking this VERY personally.
The key is the LOCATION of the hit on Michael: it’s the bedroom “where my wife sleeps and our children come to play with their toys”. Frankie could be ruled out since he’s an old style gangster who lives by the old Mafia code: never endanger the family of your enemy. Remember he complains to Michael that the Rosato brothers “do violence in their grandmothers’ neighborhood-a violation of the old Sicilian code of conduct. Only an outsider acting from purely business motives would strike against a wife or children. Unthinkable for Frank Pentangeli. Roth is the only logical alternative. He baits Roth with his claim that it was Pentangeli who ordered the hit and Roth’s glib response “he’s small potatoes” seals Michael’s hunch.
Brilliant connection, Douglas! I was waiting for there to be any revelations like THIS in the 15 minute synopsis we watched haha but there are gems like yours in the comments, thanks!
excellent point. that, along with the fact that everything Frankie said was while he was drunk, u can certainly rule out Frankie for sure. people tend to be more straightforward when they're intoxicated so with Frankie pointing out the violations of attacking civilians WHILE he's drunk, u can almost guarantee it wasn't Frankie.
@@kinidiosodlosios6892 True. I figured someone would make this point. GFII begins with the young Vito barely escaping the vendetta launched by Don Cicci. Perhaps blood feud trumps everything else: the crucial flaw in Sicilian society. But Frankie has no motive for blood vengeance against Michael. And family is central to both men. Michael later exploits Pentangeli’s familial loyalty to prevent him from testifying at the Senate hearing. The point is that Frankie is the old style gangster, he represents “the old way” which made family ties vital; something lost in the new age of business relations.
@@kinidiosodlosios6892 true to a certain extent but isnt that the tension between the five families (and their affilates) here in America and the imported sicilians (zips) , the zips didnt care for killing civlians ir setting off car bombs, if someone has to go, all witnesses went, while for the most part(again human action and human nature happens),the American mafia (atleast on record) had strict regulations regarding killing family members, drug dealings, killing innocent bystanders, and so fourth, couldn't kill someone in front of families, it ine of the reasons why the head of the bonano family in the 1970s (who was importing the sicilian zips to traffick heroin) got whacked.
It amazes me to see, so many years went by since the god father came out and still remain a hell of a movie. I cannot say how many times I have watched this movie and every time that I do, there's always something I didn't see or had missed.... One of the greatest movies I have ever seen...
@@thankyoujodi Solozzo and McCluskey. Wow! This was 12 years before Roth. And they were just the tip of the iceberg and had nothing to do with Roth. Even the main baddie Barzini didn’t! But Moe Greene did!
Tom Hagan to Michael - "They say Roth has about 6 months left to live." Michael to Tom Hagan - "He's been dying of the same heart attack for 20 years. He thinks he's gonna live forever and he wants me out of the way."
I think Roth was faking bad health to Michael. He attended a meeting downtown with no problem and had a piece of cake celebrating his birthday, but on the same day, he said he’d love to take a piss without it hurting and later in a hospital bed on life support. It was an act.
@@firelordazula386 He wanted smaller slices because he didn't want to offend any of guests if they didn't receive any cake. It's an old Sicilian message: you were out of favor if you didn't receive cake (it was a sign that you were now an enemy.)
I always wonder if the guys in the mafia ever felt bad about killing their rivals I assume some of them had some kinda conscious and remorse about it ?
When Michael tells Tom Hagan he’s always thought of him as a brother, it’s one of the most touching scenes of the movie, you can see Tom fighting to hold back tears because he’s almost overwhelmed with emotion at this declaration, a very touching scene. 😊❤️
R Duvall is the best of his class. He gives his all to the worst parts, and he has had to take many. But they are redeemed in his care, if for nothing else but as studies in excellence. And like Elvis, he realizes he is an entertainer and not a politician.
That's one of the reasons I think Godfather II is better than I. There could be so many aspects to have our empathy, for example Fredo and Tom, especially their role in the family.
The Michael Corleone - Hyman Roth plot dynamic is the most fascinating and intellectually profound element in this story. These are two brilliant minds going head-to-head. Michael instantly suspected it was someone on the inside because he takes the time to KNOW everyone in his organization, from the street muscle to his inner circle. The fact that a drunk Fredo had loose lips was a matter of luck and circumstance that Michael found out that it was Fredo. Michael did not even suspect Fredo, leaning on the belief that he is "weak and stupid" and dismissing any ability to betray the family (he clearly forgot about Fredo kissing Moe Green's ass in front of him in part 1). While it was smart of Roth to exploit Fredo, Roth did not consider the damage Fredo could do to his plans should he have a slip of the tongue ("Johny Ola told me about this place"). I believe Michael prevailed over Roth in the end because he is smarter, but the win was by a thin margin as Roth was equally as capable of taking Michael out. Roth just missed the timing.
I think when Michael said that Fredo is weak and stupid he was stating that Fredo could have been duped into letting Roth's men into the compound. He was saying that Fredo could be the traitor.
Mike looks into peoples souls. He rarely breaks eye contact even if the person turns away his eyes follow. That’s one of his super powers. He’s able to read people easily by staring into their souls.
He's also very intelligent (like his father). Also, on his father's side is the propensity for extreme violence, aka Sonny. Sonny never could have been Godfather because he never could be rational. The violent side of revenge would always take over first. Even his father knew that if Sonny were ever to be Godfather, or Don, he wouldn't live very long. And Fredo was, as Michael put it, "weak and stupid." But Michael had the unique and deadly combination of intelligence with controlled rage. That's the way I always saw it, anyway. I read the book "The Godfather" by Mario Puzo twice and have seen the movies (part 1 and 2) more times than I've seen Star Wars. Imo, The Godfather is epic and they'll never be anything like it, no matter how hard they try.
@@ellieelizabeth5627, I too had a privilidge in my life to witness such masterpieces as Godfather and Star Wars Trilogies, I realize as I grow older , not everyone has this opportunity, and I am greatfull to be a part of the audience . Goodbye my friend .
To your point, in Godfather 3 when Andy Garcia brings to Mike's attention that this is at the opening Church event/party)Montanya is bad mouthing Mike. Montanya denies it and Mikes look straight at him and tells him that anybody who bad mouth's me is ---and he calls out some name, forcing Montanya to agree with him.(It has been awhile so the actual script escapes me)
Fredo let it slip at the live sex show. He and Johnny Ola pretended they didn't know each other at the first night club. Fredo let it slip when the slimy Senator asked Fredo how he found that sex show place and Fredo said "Johnny Ola. He knows all these places". Michael was watching and listening very intently and caught it. I think it was that moment it confirmed his suspicions about Roth and learned it was Fredo who was the traitor inside the family.
@@litedawg Yes once Fredo had a few to many drinks, he let it slip. Michael was devastated, as he tries to hold back his anguish of having his suspicions confirmed.
Did anyone pick up Roth's line when being served the cake "smaller piece."? Was that a backhanded reference to investing in the Cuban casinos, especially since he asked Michael about having second thoughts investing the $2 million because of the rebels?
I always thought I was the only one drooling over the cake. "Make sure everyone gets a piece." ... I felt like buying one for myself as a consolation. sigh
Robert Duvall is one of America's greatest and under appreciated actors of all time. But his under stated performance in the The Godfather was his best.
@@drawntofashionillustration9596 hes understated for most people under 40. i just watched Godfather trilogy for the first time and only recognized him as the old guy from Gone in 60 Seconds
Ya i going to comment that Michael knew it was him because he wanted to avenge moe Greene, but maybe he killed moe not just to get the casinos but too also get back at Hyman for using him?
That was more about Tessio. Both Clemenza and Tessio were unsure about Michaels leadership and wanted to split. Once Tessio came to him at Vito's funeral, his father's advice became true.
Yes!!!!!!!!! Hi Jeff! That was one of my favorite quotes from the first Godfather movie. When Don Vito Corleone tells his son Michael after the big Barzini meeting with all the mob dons there, Vito put it together that Don Barzini WAS THE BRAINS, and supposed trusted friend "Tessio", who came to Michael at the funeral to set Michael up for Michael's enemies to kill him,WAS THE TRAITOR, ALONG WITH Connie's husband-Carlo Rizzi, but Michael smartly took them out during his sister-Connie's & Carlo's son-(Victor Rizzi) baptism.
Agreed! I'll also acknowledge your point in connecting that phrase to this movie! (instead of gushing about it from Part One.) I was watching this and waiting for some revelation but it's just a synopsis. The Culture Mafia thinks he's the "smart one in the room" by creating his own peanut gallery to patronize..."what confuses many people, and some couldn’t really understand"...LOL We all watched the film and this painful, awkward, poorly-dubbed and cringeful 15 minutes does absolutely nothing but summarize a few scenes that literally lead to the conclusion: Michael pieced together that it was Roth. Cheers, just wanted to vent and saw at least one original thought in the comments to connect with! =P
Parts 1 and 2 are brilliant in that they let the audience participate in the storytelling by giving us subtle clues. And they always push our focus into the future of the narrative.
One of the things that really mystified me as a kid was how don Vito knew that it was Barzini. Coppola handled that superbly. A lesser director would have used a shot of Barzini cackling villainously or broadcast his treachery some other way, but there's no narrative hand-holding in the GF saga. Because of that, the don's powers of intuition are as mysterious to us as they would be in real life, a trait Michael clearly inherited as proved by his realization that Roth was his ultimate foe.
@@nekorisnik Exactly. Don Vito said Tataglia never could've out fought Sonny in a war, he didn't have muscle on the street or power. I believe he knew Barzini was smarter and more powerful and he seemed to be leading the meeting to make peace. Vito was no dummy, he read the room quick.
@@nekorisnik To add on, based on thinking about the movie. Don Vito did get caught slipping because he put it all together at the meeting (in my opinion) that Tataglia not only couldn't have out fought Sonny but he didn't have the brains to lure him out in the open with the abuse of Connie from Carlo, but Barzini did. As confirmed when Carlo admitted to Michael it was Barzini that approached him.
I so wish Francis Ford Coppola didn't remove the scene where Don Vito met Hyman Roth for the very first time. That would have been a good connection between the main storyline and the flashback. The Frank Pentangeli character was written in as a replacement for Peter Clemenza. Clemenza being in the main storyline would have been another good connection, as well. Writing Clemenza out of the main storyline, however, did not hurt the second "Godfather" like the way writing Tom Hagen out of the third film negatively affected it.
No and no. The flashback scene of young Vito meeting young Hyman was done terribly, for the fact that both Vito and Hyman are around the same age, and are equal to each other. Hyman is modeled after Meyer Lansky, and not supposed to be a young kid from the street. It was a good thing Richard S. Castellano did not reprise his role of Clemenza because he would have betrayed Michael as well as Tessio, both of Vito’s capos betraying would have been sad. And Michael V. Gazzo did an amazing job as Frank Pentageli.
@@josecarranza7555 yeah the guy who played Clemenza as I’m sure u know denied to be in The Godfather II because he felt it wasn’t true to the character for him to betray Micheal.
@@josecarranza7555 the scene was awkward but without it Hyman Roth kind of comes out of nowhere. I know it was rushed once they had to replace Clemenza, but they should have figured out a way to have retroactively introduced Pentangeli as well. A quick line in one of the 1920s scenes would have worked.
I didn't mind the Clemenza change, though I missed his character, but I never could bring myself to believe that Clemenza would have betrayed the family the way Pentangeli was prepared to do.
@@blakeharris58 agreed. I always paid extra attention to The Godfather 2 flashback scenes to see where Pentageli was involved in but could never identify him. Always though he might have been there when they were outside hanging up the Genco sign but I guess not.
Moe Greene's death played a viral role. When I first saw the movie, I was really startled, when Roth abruptly brought Moe's death. I didn't expect that he'll be mentioned in this movie & that Roth would be incensed about it, after all these years. He loved Moe as a son.
Moe Green and Hyman Roth are the alter ego of real life Bugsy Segal and Meyer Lansky. Those 2 were with Lucky Luciano as the 3 of them were allies/friends from the start of 'this thing'.
Jews hate and despise non-Jews, more so if the non-Jew kills a Jew, more so if the killed Jew was like a son. The need for revenge was boiling in Roth´s soul for a decade.
Moe green was just an outside business partner just like roth. They were both jews and not protected by the sicilian code. I suspect roth even felt that michael would have pushed him out after he didnt need him just like michael did to moe green.
The Godfather II is the greatest film ever made. The Godfather has a masterclass storyline about business. This 3 hours 20 min epic crime film is worth watching. Thanks and hats off. It's a masterclass explanation of the question. How did Michael know it was Hyman Roth? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I liked how they showed Roth living in a modest home in Florida, enjoying a sandwich while watching the game. A true gangster never brings attention to himself by living a lavish lifestyle. Plus, what else does a man need? Comfortable home, loving wife making you a sandwich while you relax. Remove the part when he gives the OK on a hit, and the scene seems almost wholesome
@@stephenolan5539,its already out. The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. Came out in December of 2020. Its much better. It more closely resembles Coppola's and Puzo's vision
hyman thought.. "why do the work of killing him myself. we'll make it look like it was one of them" . hyman wanted the corleone family to tear itself from the inside.
Indeed. And Roth was pointed to Michael in that statement and very pissed about Moe’s killing, so Michael then knew that Roth was on to him and wouldn’t trust him. Michael knew this too, so he immediately put Roth in his crosshairs- never to be trusted.
Also useless fredo gave it away by denying any knowledge of roth or johnny ola despite their family being so close with them. Michael probably knew it was a lie but confirmed it when fredo slipped he knew johnny.
When Roth replies 'he's small potatoes' he's basically conforming that Pantangeli had no motive to set up the assassination, as he could not possibly think that by killing Michael there would be no repercussions. I could imagine Pantangeli killing Michael only in a momentary loss of judgement, however unlikely, but certainly not such an organised hit without realising his folly.
I thought that the tipoff was when Michael went to Cuba and had the insight that the rebels would win. This would mean their investment and plans in Cuba would be worthless. When he told Roth this, how did Roth react? He was angry. He didn't want to hear it. Roth was supposedly this financial genius and Michael is telling him something that would impact their massive investment and he's ignoring it. At the very least that should tell Michael that Roth is up to something and that Roth is willing to screw Michael over if needed.
One of the key moments was when Michael overheard a half-drunk Fredo chatting to the group at the sex show (superman on stage, with the large d***), that Jonnie Ola showed him this club, because he knows Cuba like the back of his hand. Michael thought this was the first time that he and Fredo had come to Cuba, so now he knew that Fredo had come to Cuba before secretly, escorted by Roth's top man Jonnie Ola. Roth was definitely his hidden enemy, and Fredo was the traitor.
Nope. In the scene @ Pentangeli’s house after the attempted hit, Michael tells him it was Roth who was behind it. But he also knew there was a traitor inside the family who had helped Roth & Johnny Ola penetrate his security. That scene was well before the trip to Cuba.
@@dandavis8300 Vegas being golden was part of it. And they all had (incorrect) high hopes for Cuba. But essentially Roth wanted to be the top dog in organized crime. Which he couldn’t as long as Michael was around. He also wanted to exact revenge for Moe Greene’s murder.
I caught that myself. Roth goes to a meeting with a gold phone being passed around, has a celebration of his birthday on a rooftop, ends up in his hotel room suffering from heart problems and wanting to take a piss without it hurting, and on life support in a hospital room that night all in one day without having had a heart attack. Yes, definitely a hoax he had set up!
The Godfather part two is my favourite movie in the trilogy. Al Pacino played Michael beautifully. He was absolutely terrifying and it was a delight to see him "pitted" against the "old dogs", Roth and Pentangeli. Those two were so self-assured that, so set in their way of doing things, that they just couldn't conceive a young don like Michael, whose background differed from theirs (they rose to power from nothing, whereas Michael inherited it) could be so wise and ruthless. But Michael's beauty as a character is that.... he was NEVER naive. He was a war veteran, he had gone to college, he was familiar with the American way, so to speak. Whereas Vito had been a family man, and maintained that sort of mentality when he did business - his associates were the family, at least for as long as they didn't betray him fundamentally - Michael was a general. The true family, to him, wasn't dictated by blood, or old friendships and partnerships. The family was represented solely by those who stood by him. Yes, he was infinitely colder than Vito, but he was the Don that was needed. The "old dogs" (and that includes Vito, I feel) could no longer maintain their positions as the "top dogs". They hadn't adapted to the times, and the changes those times had brought. But Michael WAS the very embodiment of that "new order". The only betrayal that broke his heart was that of Fredo, but that betrayal did NOT take him by surprise. The confirmation of it was painful, but it was just that - a confirmation. Because Michael knew that, when business is involved, when money and power are involved, it's every man for himself. He knew that the concept of la famiglia had evolved into something far less personal. The family was no longer a small grouping of people who had helped one another rise to power in a foreign country - but rather an institution ruled by those who survived, and who COULD survive. I think to some degree both Pentangeli and Roth were mistaken precisely because they assumed Michael would have the same values as Vito. That he would NEVER expect such a large scale betrayal, and especially not from his father's old "brothers in arms". Those were men amidst whom he probably grew up, people who brought him presents when he was a child. But whereas I believe their betrayal might have been a true blow to Vito, to Michael it was all business. The betrayal made sense, precisely because he knew that the end goal was no longer to create or maintain a "family", but rather to gain the ultimate power. The title of Godfather no longer held and emotional meaning, it was just a title that represented one's influence and wealth.
Al Pacino was about as terrifying as the pomeranian next door that runs on batteries..DeNiro was the star of this movie, liberal scumbag that he is.. not pacino..and if you watch pacino with the sound off, he is a very unimpressive actor..he doesn't command attention or respect and much of it because he doesn't have the physical presence or personality of either.. that's why I never put much stock in this whole pacino mythology
Michael, like Vito, was ruthless and brilliant. Example: in Godfather I, he knew Carlo was involved in the hit on Sonny, but because Carlo was now his brother-in-law and Michael had stood as godfather to their baby, he wasn’t going to kill Carlo without knowing for sure that Carlo was involved. Carlo was already a dead man walking, but Michael, in cruel fashion, made him admit his betrayal before the deed was done. He didn’t absolutely have to do that, but Michael is so smart that he would leave no stone unturned. I believe Michael had more suspicion of Roth than Pantangelli, but it wasn’t until his meeting with Pantangelli in the old Corleone home where Michael confirms this, both for himself and the audience. The scene makes us as the audience fearful as Michael is confronting Frank, almost as if Michael is interrogating us. It’s a good plot device to make us believe Pantangelli was the culprit, and that’s how Michael is approaching the situation as well. He asks Frank to settle his dealings with the Rosato brothers. When Frank again opposes this, just as he had before, Michael realizes for sure Frank being honest and is not implicated. Had Frank been guilty of orchestrating the hit, when confronted in this manner, he would’ve gone along with anything Michael said in order to reduce suspicion on himself. As soon as Michael gets the reaction from Frank he needed, he immediately relaxes his posture, realizing Frank is not against him, and reveals the name of their enemy and his plans for his elimination. Michael could have revealed all of this as soon as Frank enters the room, but he doesn’t. Because at the start of the scene, he doesn’t know completely if Frank can be trusted. That scene is the exact moment Michael confirms his suspicions.
It's funny how they portrayed this in the movie because in the book, it implies that Vito knew Carlo betrayed them after he made the peace with the other families. In the book when discussing Carlo's future, Vito calls Carlo a "Good talker " with a hint of contempt as described by the author.
He confirmed his suspicions when Roth told him the story about Moe Green. And then Fredo gave himself away when he said that Johnny Ola showed him the place he took the group for entertainment. That's why you have to be close to your enemies because sooner or later they make a mistake and reveal themselves.
I thank you so much for doing these two parts, because I never could figure out how Michael knew it was Roth. Like Vito knowing Barzini was the one who ordered the hit on Sonny.
Well all the parts about Don Vito getting his start and rising to power are in the book "The Godfather," but Puzo and Coppola created a masterstroke of screenwriting by including the Roth story, which is not included in the book. That was purely their invention. Everything about those two movies is masterful because all great movie and novels work on multiple levels.
I like how they passed the gold phone around. Michael looked at it. Roth observed him look at it. When passed to Roth he didn't even look at the phone. He just passed it right on to the next guy. Michael noticed it.
When Michael made the Olla/Freddy connection he was sure and put his plan to kill Roth and Olla in motion, but in the meantime Roth sensed what was happening and made his move. A very great movie with top class acting.
“You are father did business with Hyman Roth, you are father respected Hyman Roth, but you are father never trusted Hyman Roth…” Is what you really just said.
Michael learned just in time that investing in Cuba was a no-no. In Cuba he also learned that it was Fredo who had sold him out. He shouldn't have told Fredo that he knew so he could question him later. I'll never know why Frank Pentangeli, more warrior than businessman, went unescorted into a meeting with the Rossatos he loathed and distrusted so much. Bad move.
@@wjatube I think they just wanted him to let him know that Mike sanctioned the hit (or at least let it happen). Sadly Frank was a casualty and should never have been sacrificed.
@@wjatube because hyman roth wanted frank to believe that michael set him up. So that later he could use frank as a witness against michael in court. But in the hearing frank realises it wasn't michael who had done him.
You never mentioned killing of Mo Green by Michael, Mo was like a son to Roth so he want to revenge for him, there was also a conversation of Mo Green when Michael came to meet Roth. You completely ignored that part which I think is the most important in Michael knowing Roth is the Culprit.
Yea exactly. Michael knew pretty much the entire movie that Hyman Roth was gonna move against him. Right from the start- the meetings with the Senator and Junior Soprano- then the attempt on his life. He knew
Exactly, when Michael asked Roth why he gave the order to kill Frankie, Roth told the story of Mo Green basically asking Michael who the F gave you permission to take out Mo Green. It was a brilliant answer by old man Roth.
Although Roth completely gave himself away with his answer and his obvious rage at Michael on full display there, and guaranteed that there was no way that Michael would ever let him live after that.
This is sloppy analysis. No mention of Roth’s motive of revenge for the murder of Mo Greene in Godfather 1. Roth = Meyer Lansky and Greene= Bugsy Siegel.
Literally how michael knew it was him. Revenge was the only motive as he feels moe (as one of the founders of las vegas) was disrespected by the corleones moving in to seizethe business and ultimately killing moe
Michael’s father knew he had a gift for reading people which is why even though he didn’t want the mafia life for him he knew he was the best fit for the job. Cool headed, silent storm
That gave away that he tried to kill Frank. Absolutely. It was that. Calling frank small potatoes before that. The way he kept acting like he was going to live forever with the what do the doctors know stuff. And other details. I haven't even watched this video yet bjt it was definitely a combo of things
The biggest clue for Michael being convinced that it was Roth was the last sentence, "he's small potatos". If you look at the scene carefully, you can see that Michael asks this question to reaffirm the mind of Roth, and Michael's face is full of suspicion. If Roth was indeed concerned about the deal with Michael and the safety of Michael, he would never have implicated that it was Pentengeli due to knowing Pentengeli so well over the many years. Roth knew that Pentengeli was a tough but loyal guy who would never assassinate his own Don nor have the intelligence to set up a betrayer so close to Michael. If Roth was acting in good faith, he would let Michael know of the unlikeliness of the Pentegeli involvement and the dangers of taking out a Capo who had his own men behind him, which would put the Corleone family in danger as well as taint the deal with Roth. But Roth was relieved to see that Michael was suspecting Pentengeli, and went ahead with Michael's seemingly foolish theory about Pentengeli. Roth never had good intentions with Michael. Michael, on the other hand, is now convinced that it was Roth and proceeds to find out the inside traitor.
I agree, Roth got caught because he went along with Michael's trap to blame Pentangeli. The first allibi that Michael "offers" him, Roth takes. Guilty! Brilliant.
@@dimitristripakis7364 Indded that's what makes Michael who he is. Together with his cunning intellect + his ruthlessness makes him an emperor of the underworld. I always thought him as the Augustus of the Mafia.
Bothe Tessio and Clamenza say that "they,ll come under Barzinis thumb" One of them did. (tessio) The other died of a (not) heart attack , and was replaced by Pantangelli. Now if Roth wanted Pantangelli dead , why did the hitman say "Corleone says hello" To testify ?? He was killing him !!! No point in putting suspicion into a man who youre garroting !!! If Michael had him killed it was because it was still business with Roth. If Roth had him killed it was for the same reason.
I saw Part 1 in theaters last year and was blown away. I bought the 4K restorations on iTunes, and watched part 2 last night and I was very confused until watching this video. For some reason the version on iTunes has either full closed caption subtitles or no subtitles at all. What I wanted was subtitles for Italian only scenes or subtitles as the movie intended when released. I totally missed that Hyman Roth was with Vito in the flashbacks because I had them off for the first 30 minutes 🥲 so the movie didn’t come together for me and now I realized I missed important info.
It was mental game of Chess between Michael and Hyman Roth. Hyman was using business and Michael was using his super sharp patience. Michael was studying Hyman Roth ever since their meeting in Miami. Michael had me watching the way he eats, the little noise he made when tap the chair after saying "whatever I can do to help Michael" just anything that gave away the slightest impression that Hyman had something to do with the bedroom shooting. And that intense stare down when they passing the phone around in at the meeting was like get ready because it's me vs you one of us is not gonna make it out of Cuba alive.
What confirmed it was when Fredo got introduced to Johnny Ola and feigned that he didn't know him. Then when they were at the spot watching Superman, Fredo tells stories about hanging with Johnny Ola. Ola was Roth's guy...
One thing you have to remember is that Vito Corleone purposely located all his familia in a compound in Long Island, and had a “telephone man” who monitored all the phone call coming in and out of the compound. Micheal did the same. When Hyman Roth talked about bugsy, the guy in Las Vegas, he showed his true nature, then Fredo, already drunk, talk about Johnny showing him the Superman show, when a few hours said he did not know him. But, then Johnny called Fredo, and that call was the prove Micheal needed to point the traitor in his family. It is amusing how he send a message to Franky when he brought his brother to the court, by doing so, he let Franky know he had nothing to do with the attempt to kill him. Then, he send Tom, to tell Franky to kill himself by remembering the Roman empire. There is a historic event that took place about traitors, their families, and how they will kill themselves.
When Michael left to see Hyman Roth in person after they tried to kill him at his Nevada home. When he got to Roth at his home. Roth said "I Heard You Had Trouble!" It was then when I knew Roth ordered the hit on Michael.
Do you have any idea how long it takes to go from Reno to Miami by train? It's FOUR DAYS. Anyone could find out anything in that amount of time. Even in 1958.
Could it have been Johnny Ola that told Roth of the screwup??, he knew Fredo and Fredo knew Johnny Ola, he did say Roth would never come here but Johnny Ola knows these places in the back of his hand ✋
According to real life, there was a family boss who had a heart attack (and died), but poison was suspected. But it was not a low-level crew (e.g., Rosato Brothers) that was responsible. It was Willie Cicci who said "That was no heart attack."
@@themistoklestheodosopoulos6253 And I don't know if they ever found out for sure (i.e., heart attack or poison). There was a brief NYC mob war in 1961-62. That's where they borrowed the "That was no heart attack" idea from.
@@basilmarasco1975 it’s funny all these years I kept thinking he died after the shootout and being struck by the car but he later recovered and testified, funny how you remember things incorrectly
I always liked how Coppola had Tom Hagen sitting next to a table lamp. You can see it in multiple scenes. The way the light illuminates and outlines his still figure in a serious way, exhibiting his grounded wisdom and steadfast loyalty.
This parallels the scene where Don Corleone knew it was Barzini that was behind the attempt to kill him after noticing that Barzini, and not Sollozzo, was in charge of the discussions during their sit down. G-d these movies are brilliant.
There's a theory that Fredo wasn't the only traitor in the Corleone family since I don't see him being able to kill Roth's hitmen. Some have said Roth might have paid off Rocco to kill them and that Michael sending Rocco to kill Roth at the airport at the end knowing Rocco would die too was either a punishment or Rocco atoning for his betrayal by sacrificing himself.
Why is it no one says anything about Fredo’s botched almost confession when they were having drinks? He said “Michael I was mad at you...” leading up to asking for forgiveness for what he had done, but stopped just short of a full confession?
Michael doesn’t have it in him to suspect Fredo until Fredo lets it slip completely at the sex show. Him covering his face is about realizing just how stupid he’s been to not see it as much as he can’t believe Fredo was stupid enough to sell the family out.
Michael told Roth that he would take out Frank. When the Risotto's try and take Frank out they tell him 'Michael Corleone says hello'. If this information got back to Michael (which i'm sure it did), Michael knew that this move was instigated by Roth as he was the only one he told about taking out Frank. It would also confirm that Roth was behind the attempt on his own life as why would Roth want Frank killed? Because the dead don't talk and Michael's suspicions about his killer would've died with Frank.
correct. This is the clincher. Michael did not authorise the hit and when Frankie was almost assassinated he knew that Roth was just as ruthless and that his old man businessman persona was just a cover.
Except Michael didn't authorize hit on Frankie, as we know, wouldn't Roth know that M would find out about the hit and question who/why had done it....anyway I always felt bad for FP
They only said that to Frankie while trying to kill him to make him think it was Michael who had betrayed him. They would have finished him off had it not been for the cop.
There was no reason for that hitman to say that to Frank...that line was to confuse the audience (us). No reason for it at all...he was supposed to be killed. I've always regarded it as sloppy on Coppola's part and I cringe every time I hear it.
I have to admit that it was only after watching this movie many times that I started to understand the plot of this movie. It’s so dense and subtle in the way it presents the characters and situations.
One of the questions that is never answered is who killed the two assassins who tried to murder Michael in his bedroom? If Fredo had no idea if was going to be a hit, it wasn't him. Was Johnny Olaf there? Could it have been him? Anyone?
Michael knew it was roth when fredo invited him to the "dirty show", there he said it was johhny ola who took him to that place for the first time. How does that make michael realize? well in the first scenes of the movie Johnny Ola comes to nevada to speak with Michael, there he sees Fredo and they BOTH act as if they didnt know each other.
Fredo actually tells Michael before that scene that he didn't know Johnny Ola. So when he says Johnny Ola showed him that place, Mike instantly knew Fredo had lied to his face. And was the traitor.
No mention of Meyer Lansky, the real life person that inspired this character. I read somewhere that Lee Strasberg (the actor who played Hyman Roth) received a call from the real Meyer Lansky thanking him for how he portrayed him. Meyer made millions of dollars and lived a simple life until he died in Miami Florida in the 80s. Robert Lacey wrote an interesting bio on Meyer called " Little Man: Meyer Lansky and the Gangster Life"
Yup, Hyman Roth is essentially Meyer Lansky in this movie but, in real life, Lansky approved the assassination of Bugsy Siegel, who is essentially Moe Greene in Part 1.
Both Fredo and Roth were good friends with Mo Green, Fredo went as far to take his side, Mike had going against him with Roth, also Roth is a user, he used Fredo to get to Michael for the assassination attempt , just like he was using Michael to get the $$$$ for his cuban deal, had he succeeded (Roth) he would of eventually taken out Fredo
Excellent analysis. The first couple times you watch GF II, this plot seems too complex and confusing. But once you know how it plays out, you can see that Puzo and Coppola really play it straight the whole time. We’re just watching Michael play the situation like a master. The ultimate irony is that Pentangeli does betray the family, but in a different way. And Michael’s up to that task too.
How does Frank betray the Corleone family? Please I've been trying to look for a short, straightforward answer everywhere but I couldn't find it! 😭 I do know that was the reason he cut his own wrists though!
@@porkadobo5035 He rats on the family to the Feds. Michael handles it by bringing in Frankie’s brother for his testimony, causing Frankie to retract his statements.
@@leamanc If you don't mind me asking, what was up with when Michael tells Roth that it was Frank who planned the hit? And Mike tells Frank that it was Roth who did it? What was that about?
@@porkadobo5035 Although Michael knew pretty much right away that Roth was behind the assassination attempt, he didn’t know yet who the “inside man” was in his own family who helped orchestrate it. He’s looking at how both Frankie and Roth react, to see if their reactions tip him in the right direction. He never would have thought Fredo would be the one, but he later figures it out in Cuba.
@@leamanc Dang, thanks a lot man! Definitely rewatching the movie. I'm pretty new to the GF trilogy, I thought the first one was slightly betyer than the second!
@@thomasseery7570 What I'm saying is you're answering a question nobody is asking. Michael knew it was Roth before the scene you're talking about, and the video is asking how.
Great analysis. Personally, I think Hagen was always on Mike’s list of suspects. When Mike asks Tom to step out of the meeting, Coppola keeps the camera on Tom Hagen despite the meeting having already started off-screen, showing that Hagen feels hurt for being left out. Hagen’s motive could have been this feeling of Mikey not treating him like “a real brother,” as he states later. The fact that Mike tells Tom the same line he tells the rest of the suspects confirms, for me, that Mikey _did_ suspect Tom too.
@alanparedes2034 THIS LINE RIGHT HERE, IS MICHAEL FIGURING IT ALL OUT!!!! People really need to go back and watch the movie again. It was AFTER THIS MEETING WHEN MIKE WENT DIRECTLY TO NY TO SEE PENTANGELI AND HE TELLS HIM THAT HE KNOWS ROTH TRIED TO KILL HIM!
Something I noticed about Hyman Roth was that he was very rarely surrounded by loads of people. I can only recall him being around loads of people at his birthday party
@@jerry85g7 it really is. But I was joking as in it takes about 7 hours to watch them all, lol. I've seen them all several times......especially the 2nd, it's the best in my opinion.
@@fazbell Ahh, interesting. There's a very well respected gentleman in the hunting industry named G. Fred Asbell. I thought you may have taken your name from him. Sorry about that.
That was a bloody. bloody affair with Hyman. Mike had ALot of blood on his hand's. And, Under the Fingernails Frank got killed Rocco poor Freddie got it on the boat by Al. Willie Cici outlived them. Joe Spinell died in 1989. So Willie's character couldn't be tarnished.
One of the best parts of The Godfather movie was when the young Vito Corleone saved his neighborhood from being terrorized by the hated “ Black Hand “ in the first Godfather movie. Robert DiNiro was an excellent choice to play the part of young Vito.
Even after watching the godfather a dozen times, small details pop up and you keep learning about the plot. I never understood WHY Roth wanted Michael in the deal and at the same time wants to kill him. The answer is again, a big detail and very logical. He needed his connections and 2 million dollars. Once the money was on the table, Michael was of no use anymore and Roth could rule.
I like the Godfather 1901 -1958 made for t.v version. Had so many beautiful scenes put back into the saga, especially when the three see the gunsmith & the beautiful flute music playing in the background.
This “Novel for Television” is now the only way I watch The Godfather movies, it’s wonderful. I love that scene with the gunsmith as well, Agostino Coppola and his little son Carmine, Francis own father and grandfather
Greatest movie trilogy ever. Al Pacino was made for this part,no one could have played it. I thought the trader was a inside person who knew Micheal's vulnerability was his weakest link was family.His weakest brother, Alfredo used by Roth.
Michael knew it was Roth because the Rozzatto brothers knew that the Clemenza crew was protected by Corleone. They never would have move against them without a go ahead
I read the book, and have seen both Godfather and Godfather II dozens of times. Would love to hear your take on Johnny Ola. As in, who is Johnny Ola? What was he to Hyman Roth? Etc. etc.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
Watch Part 2 Here 🔥
ruclips.net/video/nuXYtNLciAw/видео.html
@Miles tsrdr I am relatively small free FRCS full r
Mi respetos para usted 👏
He didnt know for sure, it was a calculated gamble.
@Miles dude SHUT THE F*CK UP
@@NeilArmweak550
No. Freedom of expression
47 years later and the Corleone family is still 5 years away from being legitimate
It's like a politician's premise. They always need only 4 years to make the country better.
thats such a sad reality of life and i think almost every human being has made a similar promise at some point in their life. How many alcoholics promised their loved ones they would stop? how many abusive spouses promised to change? how many times has a partner said their financial problems will go away in a year because they have a new job lined up? people promise to drop bad habits and give a timeline long enough and vague enough so that they never actually have to change. similar to the politicians as another commenter said
@@Zodroo_Tint or 2 weeks to end the lockdown
@Daniel Miller 16 months later the government is saying july 4th we will reopen, which is approximately 2 weeks. and yet i have a feeling nothing is going to change
Totally true! The end of The Godfather 3 is set in the future when the movie was made and Michael is now a mentally destitute man in his 70’s living in the same home his protectors kept him in when he was hiding the first time and drops dead in the courtyard.
Like it’s said, it never ends! Hyman Roth had nothing to do with Michael’s business after he finished him off.
The greatest crime ever committed was not in the movie but by the Academy for robbing Al Pacino of a best actor Oscar.
💯Agreed!
Art Carney got it for playing with that cat🤦♂️
That is true his whole transformation from Godfather part 1 to 2 should have been enough. He was unrecognizable. Al Pacino is a living Legend.🙌
I fully agree, he was head and shoulders above everyone else which was no easy task considering the cast.
Academy didn't like subtle Pacino, they liked shouty scenery devouring Pacino.
“He’s been dying of the same heart attack for the last 20 years” loved that line from Michael…lol
Yea Michael wanted to speed that heart attack up😂
Herd that many y times growing up and great Uncles.
😂…kinda changing the subject, but I gotta admit that I was a little bit shocked that Hyman Roth lived THAT far ‘under the radar’. I mean, tuna salad, really dude…?
Meaning of this dialogue
@@subversivelysurreal3645 what does tuna salad have to do with not living under the radar?
Yet another reason why The Godfather 1 & 2 were so great… They exhibited Shakespearean tragedy in a masterful way. Virtually all dramas, even soap operas have elements of Shakespeare but it’s the way Coppola & Co. crafted these movies with every detail that made them a master class in human drama and high art. The writing, the mood, the music, the scenery, the casting and finally, the acting.
Your analysis is great too. Moving & inspirational.
Nice point. BTW Shakespeare collated and adapt all the various dramas that evolved through the ages in a condensed, documented form....not really a pioneer of those arts as he is hyped to be.
eg. Hamlet is borrowed from an old Scandinavian tale while Romeo and Juliet comes from an Italian writer from same period.
When Michael asked Roth who tried to kill Pentangeli, Roth was clearly caught off guard, improvising the answer "the Rosato Brothers." If you see the movie, you can detect a slight hesitance in his answer. That was when I knew Roth was the mastermind. His self-serving speech immediately underscored this.
He worked with Michael knowing he ordered the hit because all the other families heads got hit and the only family left was his. He made the attempt on his life because he thought he could get a better deal but he made a mistake by revealing this. He should have deflected back to the money or offered to have one of the brothers killed by his blessing.
Work faster.
I knew when they reminded me that his name was Roth.
I always felt that to be the moment, too.
Roth was grooming Moe Green to be his replacement and Michael had him killed. When Roth says, "no one knows who gave the order" he's lying. You can see how angry he is. He knows exactly who gave the order and he is taking this VERY personally.
I totally agree with that analysis.
"Make sure everyone sees the cake before you cut it." I always say this line at any family party where there's cake...
Dude, I like were you went with that☆
“And may your first child, be a masculine child” I always comment this on Facebook when friends announce they’re pregnant
@@serchizm 😂😂
@@serchizm Yep, I do the same thing except in person.
Roth's attention to detail.. Strasberg never rushes his lines. I like that moment.
The key is the LOCATION of the hit on Michael: it’s the bedroom “where my wife sleeps and our children come to play with their toys”. Frankie could be ruled out since he’s an old style gangster who lives by the old Mafia code: never endanger the family of your enemy. Remember he complains to Michael that the Rosato brothers “do violence in their grandmothers’ neighborhood-a violation of the old Sicilian code of conduct. Only an outsider acting from purely business motives would strike against a wife or children. Unthinkable for Frank Pentangeli. Roth is the only logical alternative. He baits Roth with his claim that it was Pentangeli who ordered the hit and Roth’s glib response “he’s small potatoes” seals Michael’s hunch.
Brilliant connection, Douglas! I was waiting for there to be any revelations like THIS in the 15 minute synopsis we watched haha but there are gems like yours in the comments, thanks!
excellent point. that, along with the fact that everything Frankie said was while he was drunk, u can certainly rule out Frankie for sure. people tend to be more straightforward when they're intoxicated so with Frankie pointing out the violations of attacking civilians WHILE he's drunk, u can almost guarantee it wasn't Frankie.
Old Mafia code you mean like killing children of your enemy to prevent their eventual vendetta? Try again
@@kinidiosodlosios6892 True. I figured someone would make this point. GFII begins with the young Vito barely escaping the vendetta launched by Don Cicci. Perhaps blood feud trumps everything else: the crucial flaw in Sicilian society. But Frankie has no motive for blood vengeance against Michael. And family is central to both men. Michael later exploits Pentangeli’s familial loyalty to prevent him from testifying at the Senate hearing. The point is that Frankie is the old style gangster, he represents “the old way” which made family ties vital; something lost in the new age of business relations.
@@kinidiosodlosios6892 true to a certain extent but isnt that the tension between the five families (and their affilates) here in America and the imported sicilians (zips) , the zips didnt care for killing civlians ir setting off car bombs, if someone has to go, all witnesses went, while for the most part(again human action and human nature happens),the American mafia (atleast on record) had strict regulations regarding killing family members, drug dealings, killing innocent bystanders, and so fourth, couldn't kill someone in front of families, it ine of the reasons why the head of the bonano family in the 1970s (who was importing the sicilian zips to traffick heroin) got whacked.
It amazes me to see, so many years went by since the god father came out and still remain a hell of a movie. I cannot say how many times I have watched this movie and every time that I do, there's always something I didn't see or had missed....
One of the greatest movies I have ever seen...
Same here.
Me too.
I watch it all the time and still miss these types of messages
Likewise been watching it since i got the 1st and 2nd on video off my uncle in like 2010
I've seen all of them many many times and I always spot something different. It's the best movies EVER.
I’ve wanted a piece of Roth’s birthday cake for 47 years.
I just want a smaller piece
@@stephenfleg8028 Wait & make sure everyone sees it first.
I just wanted a little piece to "wet my beak".
@@mikerestivo5510 😂🤣😂🤣.. Godfather 2..
Yea it looked really good lol
Michael only shows his emotions and raises his voice to the people he trusts. Everyone else he treats as cold business partners and calculated deals.
Pacino has such limited acting range is the reason he is slightly above a whisper and screaming..overrated bum actor
@@mitchelll3879 the strictly business scene and subsequent scene with sollozo and mccluskey beg to differ.
@@thankyoujodi Solozzo and McCluskey. Wow! This was 12 years before Roth. And they were just the tip of the iceberg and had nothing to do with Roth. Even the main baddie Barzini didn’t! But Moe Greene did!
@@mitchelll3879 you talk shit
Which is why he got so angry at fredo when he found out he conspired against him
Tom Hagan to Michael - "They say Roth has about 6 months left to live." Michael to Tom Hagan - "He's been dying of the same heart attack for 20 years. He thinks he's gonna live forever and he wants me out of the way."
I think Roth was faking bad health to Michael. He attended a meeting downtown with no problem and had a piece of cake celebrating his birthday, but on the same day, he said he’d love to take a piss without it hurting and later in a hospital bed on life support. It was an act.
@@jondstewart maybe Hyman has diabetes, because he ask the waiter to cut the cake lesser
@@firelordazula386 He wanted smaller slices because he didn't want to offend any of guests if they didn't receive any cake. It's an old Sicilian message: you were out of favor if you didn't receive cake (it was a sign that you were now an enemy.)
I always wonder if the guys in the mafia ever felt bad about killing their rivals
I assume some of them had some kinda conscious and remorse about it ?
@@blazeup5519 "it's only business, nothing personal"
Here's is an example of great storytelling in a movie when you know what's happening and still watch it 30yrs+ later.
He knew almost instantly, because like every good actor, he read the whole script.
Hahahahahahaha
Lmao u need to stop
Hahahahaha, good one bud!
This needs more attention paid to it
100%!
When Michael tells Tom Hagan he’s always thought of him as a brother, it’s one of the most touching scenes of the movie, you can see Tom fighting to hold back tears because he’s almost overwhelmed with emotion at this declaration, a very touching scene. 😊❤️
Absolutely!
R Duvall is the best of his class. He gives his all to the worst parts, and he has had to take many. But they are redeemed in his care, if for nothing else but as studies in excellence. And like Elvis, he realizes he is an entertainer and not a politician.
Shame on Alpa Chino for not taking a pay cut to ensure that Robert Duvall could reprise his role as Tom Hagen in III.
Some day this wars gonna end
That's one of the reasons I think Godfather II is better than I. There could be so many aspects to have our empathy, for example Fredo and Tom, especially their role in the family.
The Michael Corleone - Hyman Roth plot dynamic is the most fascinating and intellectually profound element in this story. These are two brilliant minds going head-to-head. Michael instantly suspected it was someone on the inside because he takes the time to KNOW everyone in his organization, from the street muscle to his inner circle. The fact that a drunk Fredo had loose lips was a matter of luck and circumstance that Michael found out that it was Fredo. Michael did not even suspect Fredo, leaning on the belief that he is "weak and stupid" and dismissing any ability to betray the family (he clearly forgot about Fredo kissing Moe Green's ass in front of him in part 1). While it was smart of Roth to exploit Fredo, Roth did not consider the damage Fredo could do to his plans should he have a slip of the tongue ("Johny Ola told me about this place"). I believe Michael prevailed over Roth in the end because he is smarter, but the win was by a thin margin as Roth was equally as capable of taking Michael out. Roth just missed the timing.
And Roth was like a shark-scouting his victims at all times.
I think when Michael said that Fredo is weak and stupid he was stating that Fredo could have been duped into letting Roth's men into the compound. He was saying that Fredo could be the traitor.
True. Except Michael never forgets anything.
Mike looks into peoples souls. He rarely breaks eye contact even if the person turns away his eyes follow. That’s one of his super powers. He’s able to read people easily by staring into their souls.
He's also very intelligent (like his father). Also, on his father's side is the propensity for extreme violence, aka Sonny. Sonny never could have been Godfather because he never could be rational. The violent side of revenge would always take over first. Even his father knew that if Sonny were ever to be Godfather, or Don, he wouldn't live very long.
And Fredo was, as Michael put it, "weak and stupid." But Michael had the unique and deadly combination of intelligence with controlled rage.
That's the way I always saw it, anyway. I read the book "The Godfather" by Mario Puzo twice and have seen the movies (part 1 and 2) more times than I've seen Star Wars.
Imo, The Godfather is epic and they'll never be anything like it, no matter how hard they try.
@@ellieelizabeth5627, I too had a privilidge in my life to witness such masterpieces as Godfather and Star Wars Trilogies,
I realize as I grow older , not everyone has this opportunity, and I am greatfull to be a part of the audience .
Goodbye my friend .
My mother used to be infatuated with Michael's eyes. I remember as a little kid, she was talking about how powerful his eyes are in that movie.
To your point, in Godfather 3 when Andy Garcia brings to Mike's attention that this is at the opening Church event/party)Montanya is bad mouthing Mike. Montanya denies it and Mikes look straight at him and tells him that anybody who bad mouth's me is ---and he calls out some name, forcing Montanya to agree with him.(It has been awhile so the actual script escapes me)
@@Kingwithoutathrone And the way he sat down in a chair as if he were on a throne. He owned the room when he had that 'power' sitting position.
A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man.
Thanks APÁ
💎
Yes my don
my fav line too! so true!
Hymen Roth doesn't spend time with his family
Fredo let it slip at the live sex show. He and Johnny Ola pretended they didn't know each other at the first night club. Fredo let it slip when the slimy Senator asked Fredo how he found that sex show place and Fredo said "Johnny Ola. He knows all these places". Michael was watching and listening very intently and caught it. I think it was that moment it confirmed his suspicions about Roth and learned it was Fredo who was the traitor inside the family.
This is the correct answer. He wasnt really sure until Fredo inserted his foot firmly in his mouth.
@@litedawg Yes once Fredo had a few to many drinks, he let it slip. Michael was devastated, as he tries to hold back his anguish of having his suspicions confirmed.
Drunk men tell the silver truth
@@johns5263 In Vino Verde - In Wine There Is Truth
Great job
Who else watched the balcony scene with Michael, Roth and Roth's associates and thought about how good that cake looked?
I always think about that cake and whether the lowly henchman standing around back managed to get a slice
Did anyone pick up Roth's line when being served the cake "smaller piece."? Was that a backhanded reference to investing in the Cuban casinos, especially since he asked Michael about having second thoughts investing the $2 million because of the rebels?
@@maxhouse2409 Excellent catch, the focus of that line always puzzled me.
I thought I was the only one who ogled at the cake! 🤣
I always thought I was the only one drooling over the cake. "Make sure everyone gets a piece." ... I felt like buying one for myself as a consolation. sigh
Robert Duvall is one of America's greatest and under appreciated actors of all time. But his under stated performance in the The Godfather was his best.
Definitely Understated...but for me it one of his best performances was in "Open Range" with KeviePooh
He is not underrated
@@drawntofashionillustration9596 hes understated for most people under 40. i just watched Godfather trilogy for the first time and only recognized him as the old guy from Gone in 60 Seconds
I say Lonesome Dove was his best.
@@diptonsauce1985Underrated for people who were born after he stopped acting? You sound so dum lol
When Roth goes on his Mo Green rant , Micheal knew .
I like how Roth tried to play it off and said it was only “business” and not personal. He was a great manipulator.
His surname made Michael suspicious
Ya i going to comment that Michael knew it was him because he wanted to avenge moe Greene, but maybe he killed moe not just to get the casinos but too also get back at Hyman for using him?
Mo green was the son of Roth
@@user-ep7el6vt7o I don't know about that. They were business partners.
Oh no you are forgetting what
Don Vito Corleone told Michael in Godfather 1. “ Whoever arranges the meeting is the traitor” ….
Yeah, but its not the same situation ;)
That was more about Tessio. Both Clemenza and Tessio were unsure about Michaels leadership and wanted to split. Once Tessio came to him at Vito's funeral, his father's advice became true.
Yes!!!!!!!!! Hi Jeff! That was one of my favorite quotes from the first Godfather movie. When Don Vito Corleone tells his son Michael after the big Barzini meeting with all the mob dons there, Vito put it together that Don Barzini WAS THE BRAINS, and supposed trusted friend "Tessio", who came to Michael at the funeral to set Michael up for Michael's enemies to kill him,WAS THE TRAITOR, ALONG WITH Connie's husband-Carlo Rizzi, but Michael smartly took them out during his sister-Connie's & Carlo's son-(Victor Rizzi) baptism.
That was tessio
Agreed! I'll also acknowledge your point in connecting that phrase to this movie! (instead of gushing about it from Part One.) I was watching this and waiting for some revelation but it's just a synopsis. The Culture Mafia thinks he's the "smart one in the room" by creating his own peanut gallery to patronize..."what confuses many people, and some couldn’t really understand"...LOL
We all watched the film and this painful, awkward, poorly-dubbed and cringeful 15 minutes does absolutely nothing but summarize a few scenes that literally lead to the conclusion: Michael pieced together that it was Roth. Cheers, just wanted to vent and saw at least one original thought in the comments to connect with! =P
Parts 1 and 2 are brilliant in that they let the audience participate in the storytelling by giving us subtle clues. And they always push our focus into the future of the narrative.
Part 3 should’ve been about Michael Corleone versus Tom Hagen
So does Midsomer Murders....
48 years later and the trilogy is as interesting as it was at it's premier.
One of the things that really mystified me as a kid was how don Vito knew that it was Barzini. Coppola handled that superbly. A lesser director would have used a shot of Barzini cackling villainously or broadcast his treachery some other way, but there's no narrative hand-holding in the GF saga. Because of that, the don's powers of intuition are as mysterious to us as they would be in real life, a trait Michael clearly inherited as proved by his realization that Roth was his ultimate foe.
Well, Tattaglia was just a pimp...
@@nekorisnik Exactly. Don Vito said Tataglia never could've out fought Sonny in a war, he didn't have muscle on the street or power. I believe he knew Barzini was smarter and more powerful and he seemed to be leading the meeting to make peace. Vito was no dummy, he read the room quick.
@@nekorisnik To add on, based on thinking about the movie. Don Vito did get caught slipping because he put it all together at the meeting (in my opinion) that Tataglia not only couldn't have out fought Sonny but he didn't have the brains to lure him out in the open with the abuse of Connie from Carlo, but Barzini did. As confirmed when Carlo admitted to Michael it was Barzini that approached him.
Too much exposition, the hallmark of inferior writing.
@@siberiamoscow Oof. But at least the 'holes' keep us coming back.
I so wish Francis Ford Coppola didn't remove the scene where Don Vito met Hyman Roth for the very first time. That would have been a good connection between the main storyline and the flashback. The Frank Pentangeli character was written in as a replacement for Peter Clemenza. Clemenza being in the main storyline would have been another good connection, as well. Writing Clemenza out of the main storyline, however, did not hurt the second "Godfather" like the way writing Tom Hagen out of the third film negatively affected it.
No and no.
The flashback scene of young Vito meeting young Hyman was done terribly, for the fact that both Vito and Hyman are around the same age, and are equal to each other. Hyman is modeled after Meyer Lansky, and not supposed to be a young kid from the street.
It was a good thing Richard S. Castellano did not reprise his role of Clemenza because he would have betrayed Michael as well as Tessio, both of Vito’s capos betraying would have been sad.
And Michael V. Gazzo did an amazing job as Frank Pentageli.
@@josecarranza7555 yeah the guy who played Clemenza as I’m sure u know denied to be in The Godfather II because he felt it wasn’t true to the character for him to betray Micheal.
@@josecarranza7555 the scene was awkward but without it Hyman Roth kind of comes out of nowhere. I know it was rushed once they had to replace Clemenza, but they should have figured out a way to have retroactively introduced Pentangeli as well. A quick line in one of the 1920s scenes would have worked.
I didn't mind the Clemenza change, though I missed his character, but I never could bring myself to believe that Clemenza would have betrayed the family the way Pentangeli was prepared to do.
@@blakeharris58 agreed. I always paid extra attention to The Godfather 2 flashback scenes to see where Pentageli was involved in but could never identify him. Always though he might have been there when they were outside hanging up the Genco sign but I guess not.
Moe Greene's death played a viral role. When I first saw the movie, I was really startled, when Roth abruptly brought Moe's death. I didn't expect that he'll be mentioned in this movie & that Roth would be incensed about it, after all these years. He loved Moe as a son.
Exactly. Roth wanted revenge for Moe Greene's assassination.
@@tomlevier3615 True, bro. He didn't really let it go, even though he pretended he had.
Moe Green and Hyman Roth are the alter ego of real life Bugsy Segal and Meyer Lansky. Those 2 were with Lucky Luciano as the 3 of them were allies/friends from the start of 'this thing'.
Jews hate and despise non-Jews, more so if the non-Jew kills a Jew, more so if the killed Jew was like a son. The need for revenge was boiling in Roth´s soul for a decade.
Moe green was just an outside business partner just like roth. They were both jews and not protected by the sicilian code. I suspect roth even felt that michael would have pushed him out after he didnt need him just like michael did to moe green.
The Godfather II is the greatest film ever made. The Godfather has a masterclass storyline about business. This 3 hours 20 min epic crime film is worth watching.
Thanks and hats off.
It's a masterclass explanation of the question. How did Michael know it was Hyman Roth? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” The modern Art of War.
I liked how they showed Roth living in a modest home in Florida, enjoying a sandwich while watching the game. A true gangster never brings attention to himself by living a lavish lifestyle. Plus, what else does a man need? Comfortable home, loving wife making you a sandwich while you relax. Remove the part when he gives the OK on a hit, and the scene seems almost wholesome
Seems based off Carlo Gambino
@@tence_6965 Hyman Roth was pretty clearly based on Meyer Lansky.
@@KanishkaRay makes sense
Nah, just another Ashkenazi doing what they do.
@@tence_6965 Carlo lived in luxury
Never get tired of watching the GodFather movies. Best movies ever made
I agree. I like the videos peeps make about their own takes and interpretations of The Godfather movies.
The third is being recut.
They claim they can make it good.
Agreed! Pure classics
@@stephenolan5539,its already out. The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. Came out in December of 2020. Its much better. It more closely resembles Coppola's and Puzo's vision
@@WhatsWrongWithTheStreet
Thanks I must have read an old article and didn't notice the date.
THIS.... IS THE BUSINESS.... WEVE CHOSEN
Hahahahahhaha I read this in Hymans voice. Hilarious.
@@ducatikawasaki1290 me too xD
@@ducatikawasaki1290 so did I
hyman thought.. "why do the work of killing him myself. we'll make it look like it was one of them" . hyman wanted the corleone family to tear itself from the inside.
Haha, I've used this phrase a hundred times when complaining about my own industry!
Can we talk about Michael's suit's throughout the whole movie 👌🏽
I'm glad someone mentioned it 👌
Okay, start us off please.
@@wazmania36 Yes, me also whenever I watch the movie I always notice this.
Absolutely beautiful suit
Silk. Very nice
Simple. He mentioned Moe Greene's assassination. At that moment Michael knew, Hyman had a dog in the fight.
Indeed. And Roth was pointed to Michael in that statement and very pissed about Moe’s killing, so Michael then knew that Roth was on to him and wouldn’t trust him. Michael knew this too, so he immediately put Roth in his crosshairs- never to be trusted.
@@steveparker5406 Yes. That moment he knew Pentangeli was right.
Also useless fredo gave it away by denying any knowledge of roth or johnny ola despite their family being so close with them. Michael probably knew it was a lie but confirmed it when fredo slipped he knew johnny.
When Roth replies 'he's small potatoes' he's basically conforming that Pantangeli had no motive to set up the assassination, as he could not possibly think that by killing Michael there would be no repercussions. I could imagine Pantangeli killing Michael only in a momentary loss of judgement, however unlikely, but certainly not such an organised hit without realising his folly.
@@julianprasaja2227 then why does he still go ahead and kill Frank?
I thought that the tipoff was when Michael went to Cuba and had the insight that the rebels would win. This would mean their investment and plans in Cuba would be worthless. When he told Roth this, how did Roth react? He was angry. He didn't want to hear it. Roth was supposedly this financial genius and Michael is telling him something that would impact their massive investment and he's ignoring it. At the very least that should tell Michael that Roth is up to something and that Roth is willing to screw Michael over if needed.
One of the key moments was when Michael overheard a half-drunk Fredo chatting to the group at the sex show (superman on stage, with the large d***), that Jonnie Ola showed him this club, because he knows Cuba like the back of his hand. Michael thought this was the first time that he and Fredo had come to Cuba, so now he knew that Fredo had come to Cuba before secretly, escorted by Roth's top man Jonnie Ola. Roth was definitely his hidden enemy, and Fredo was the traitor.
Nope. In the scene @ Pentangeli’s house after the attempted hit, Michael tells him it was Roth who was behind it.
But he also knew there was a traitor inside the family who had helped Roth & Johnny Ola penetrate his security.
That scene was well before the trip to Cuba.
Cuba casinos were worthless, but Vegas was golden so he wanted the Corleone family out of there.
@@robshastri1346 exactly. He knew before Cuba it was roth
@@dandavis8300 Vegas being golden was part of it. And they all had (incorrect) high hopes for Cuba.
But essentially Roth wanted to be the top dog in organized crime. Which he couldn’t as long as Michael was around.
He also wanted to exact revenge for Moe Greene’s murder.
Roth has been dying of the same heart attack for 20 years! 😂
I caught that myself. Roth goes to a meeting with a gold phone being passed around, has a celebration of his birthday on a rooftop, ends up in his hotel room suffering from heart problems and wanting to take a piss without it hurting, and on life support in a hospital room that night all in one day without having had a heart attack. Yes, definitely a hoax he had set up!
Good point ..
He thinks he's gonna live forever!
Looking weak but actually totally unbreakable🤣🤣
"Nah, that was no hawt attack"
The Godfather part two is my favourite movie in the trilogy. Al Pacino played Michael beautifully. He was absolutely terrifying and it was a delight to see him "pitted" against the "old dogs", Roth and Pentangeli. Those two were so self-assured that, so set in their way of doing things, that they just couldn't conceive a young don like Michael, whose background differed from theirs (they rose to power from nothing, whereas Michael inherited it) could be so wise and ruthless.
But Michael's beauty as a character is that.... he was NEVER naive. He was a war veteran, he had gone to college, he was familiar with the American way, so to speak.
Whereas Vito had been a family man, and maintained that sort of mentality when he did business - his associates were the family, at least for as long as they didn't betray him fundamentally - Michael was a general. The true family, to him, wasn't dictated by blood, or old friendships and partnerships. The family was represented solely by those who stood by him.
Yes, he was infinitely colder than Vito, but he was the Don that was needed. The "old dogs" (and that includes Vito, I feel) could no longer maintain their positions as the "top dogs". They hadn't adapted to the times, and the changes those times had brought.
But Michael WAS the very embodiment of that "new order". The only betrayal that broke his heart was that of Fredo, but that betrayal did NOT take him by surprise. The confirmation of it was painful, but it was just that - a confirmation. Because Michael knew that, when business is involved, when money and power are involved, it's every man for himself.
He knew that the concept of la famiglia had evolved into something far less personal. The family was no longer a small grouping of people who had helped one another rise to power in a foreign country - but rather an institution ruled by those who survived, and who COULD survive.
I think to some degree both Pentangeli and Roth were mistaken precisely because they assumed Michael would have the same values as Vito. That he would NEVER expect such a large scale betrayal, and especially not from his father's old "brothers in arms". Those were men amidst whom he probably grew up, people who brought him presents when he was a child.
But whereas I believe their betrayal might have been a true blow to Vito, to Michael it was all business. The betrayal made sense, precisely because he knew that the end goal was no longer to create or maintain a "family", but rather to gain the ultimate power. The title of Godfather no longer held and emotional meaning, it was just a title that represented one's influence and wealth.
Al Pacino was about as terrifying as the pomeranian next door that runs on batteries..DeNiro was the star of this movie, liberal scumbag that he is.. not pacino..and if you watch pacino with the sound off, he is a very unimpressive actor..he doesn't command attention or respect and much of it because he doesn't have the physical presence or personality of either.. that's why I never put much stock in this whole pacino mythology
This was a fantastically written movie.
Michael, like Vito, was ruthless and brilliant. Example: in Godfather I, he knew Carlo was involved in the hit on Sonny, but because Carlo was now his brother-in-law and Michael had stood as godfather to their baby, he wasn’t going to kill Carlo without knowing for sure that Carlo was involved. Carlo was already a dead man walking, but Michael, in cruel fashion, made him admit his betrayal before the deed was done. He didn’t absolutely have to do that, but Michael is so smart that he would leave no stone unturned.
I believe Michael had more suspicion of Roth than Pantangelli, but it wasn’t until his meeting with Pantangelli in the old Corleone home where Michael confirms this, both for himself and the audience. The scene makes us as the audience fearful as Michael is confronting Frank, almost as if Michael is interrogating us. It’s a good plot device to make us believe Pantangelli was the culprit, and that’s how Michael is approaching the situation as well. He asks Frank to settle his dealings with the Rosato brothers. When Frank again opposes this, just as he had before, Michael realizes for sure Frank being honest and is not implicated. Had Frank been guilty of orchestrating the hit, when confronted in this manner, he would’ve gone along with anything Michael said in order to reduce suspicion on himself. As soon as Michael gets the reaction from Frank he needed, he immediately relaxes his posture, realizing Frank is not against him, and reveals the name of their enemy and his plans for his elimination.
Michael could have revealed all of this as soon as Frank enters the room, but he doesn’t. Because at the start of the scene, he doesn’t know completely if Frank can be trusted. That scene is the exact moment Michael confirms his suspicions.
I agree
Brilliant 👌
It's funny how they portrayed this in the movie because in the book, it implies that Vito knew Carlo betrayed them after he made the peace with the other families.
In the book when discussing Carlo's future, Vito calls Carlo a "Good talker " with a hint of contempt as described by the author.
I like reading this. Upvoted.
Excellent analysis. You know your plots well, brother
He confirmed his suspicions when Roth told him the story about Moe Green. And then Fredo gave himself away when he said that Johnny Ola showed him the place he took the group for entertainment. That's why you have to be close to your enemies because sooner or later they make a mistake and reveal themselves.
I thank you so much for doing these two parts, because I never could figure out how Michael knew it was Roth. Like Vito knowing Barzini was the one who ordered the hit on Sonny.
Godfather II was the closest thing to a visual novel. The level of storytelling was phenomonal.
Well all the parts about Don Vito getting his start and rising to power are in the book "The Godfather," but Puzo and Coppola created a masterstroke of screenwriting by including the Roth story, which is not included in the book. That was purely their invention. Everything about those two movies is masterful because all great movie and novels work on multiple levels.
I like how they passed the gold phone around. Michael looked at it. Roth observed him look at it. When passed to Roth he didn't even look at the phone. He just passed it right on to the next guy. Michael noticed it.
When Michael made the Olla/Freddy connection he was sure and put his plan to kill Roth and Olla in motion, but in the meantime Roth sensed what was happening and made his move. A very great movie with top class acting.
I'm 32 years old and I watch pt 1&2 every year around Christmas. Greatest two movies I have ever seen
Christmas is the best time to watch it for some reason *Me Too* while I eat Turkey
For sure these are christmas movies, can't explain why but they feel so cosy to me
When Roth spoke about the death of Mo Green, he implied it
"This....is the business we've chosen....."
@@detroitlionspistonstigersr6735 My partner and I are in property rental, and this statement has been passed back and forth many times, LOL.
@@maxhouse2409 classic🤣🤣🤣
Yea exactly… it was either we put this in the past and move on or this is payback for Mo Green
@@BostonsF1nest You killed a fellow Jew. I'll get you for that.
“You’re father did business with Hyman Roth, you’re father respected Hyman Roth, but you’re father never trusted Hyman Roth...”
Ju
No mauncha with Hyman Roth lol
“You are father did business with Hyman Roth, you are father respected Hyman Roth, but you are father never trusted Hyman Roth…”
Is what you really just said.
@@swashkiv7509 appreciate the correction.
"Or his Sicilian messenger boy Johnny Ola"
Michael learned just in time that investing in Cuba was a no-no. In Cuba he also learned that it was Fredo who had sold him out. He shouldn't have told Fredo that he knew so he could question him later. I'll never know why Frank Pentangeli, more warrior than businessman, went unescorted into a meeting with the Rossatos he loathed and distrusted so much. Bad move.
Or why the Rossatos told Frank that Michael wanted him dead which on first-watch was very confusing.
@@wjatube I think they just wanted him to let him know that Mike sanctioned the hit (or at least let it happen). Sadly Frank was a casualty and should never have been sacrificed.
@@wjatube because hyman roth wanted frank to believe that michael set him up. So that later he could use frank as a witness against michael in court. But in the hearing frank realises it wasn't michael who had done him.
@@elpadrino402 but Frank was supposed to die in that hit until the cop walked in. Roth didn’t know he would survive.
But he didn't, I thought they killed his guy right everything went down at the bar
This would be SO much better without the AI narration.
Yeah sometimes I can’t take it and will not finish the video
Lee Strasberg did an amazing job playing Hyman Roth, i wish he had won the oscar for best supporting actor in 1975.
He was the bee's knees, but then again so was Robert deniro
You never mentioned killing of Mo Green by Michael, Mo was like a son to Roth so he want to revenge for him, there was also a conversation of Mo Green when Michael came to meet Roth. You completely ignored that part which I think is the most important in Michael knowing Roth is the Culprit.
Yea exactly. Michael knew pretty much the entire movie that Hyman Roth was gonna move against him. Right from the start- the meetings with the Senator and Junior Soprano- then the attempt on his life. He knew
Exactly, when Michael asked Roth why he gave the order to kill Frankie, Roth told the story of Mo Green basically asking Michael who the F gave you permission to take out Mo Green. It was a brilliant answer by old man Roth.
Although Roth completely gave himself away with his answer and his obvious rage at Michael on full display there, and guaranteed that there was no way that Michael would ever let him live after that.
*brother
This is sloppy analysis. No mention of Roth’s motive of revenge for the murder of Mo Greene in Godfather 1. Roth = Meyer Lansky and Greene= Bugsy Siegel.
But as far as history tells it Hyman Roth never sought revenge for his death
Fitting. Hi from Papua New Guinea!
I don’t think Michael had knowledge of that motive or knew how close Roth was with Mo Greene, until Roth reveals that to Michael later on.
@@zaidholl6255 I agree. And Meyer Lansky (Roth) OK'ed the hit on his best friend Bugsy. (Mo) No revenge was sought.
Literally how michael knew it was him. Revenge was the only motive as he feels moe (as one of the founders of las vegas) was disrespected by the corleones moving in to seizethe business and ultimately killing moe
Michael’s father knew he had a gift for reading people which is why even though he didn’t want the mafia life for him he knew he was the best fit for the job. Cool headed, silent storm
Few decades past already and this film still rocks. Thanks Mario Puzo. ❤️
Yes, but don't forget Francis.
i'd say thanks to Francis Ford Coppola, the book was an uncut gem but Coppola turned it into a masterpiece
Coppola and Puzo laid out a copy of the novel on notebook pages and wrote the notes that became the script in the margins. Epic collaboration!
I'd say his rant about Moe Greene sort of gave it away.
That gave away that he tried to kill Frank. Absolutely. It was that. Calling frank small potatoes before that. The way he kept acting like he was going to live forever with the what do the doctors know stuff. And other details. I haven't even watched this video yet bjt it was definitely a combo of things
The biggest clue for Michael being convinced that it was Roth was the last sentence, "he's small potatos".
If you look at the scene carefully, you can see that Michael asks this question to reaffirm the mind of Roth, and Michael's face is full of suspicion.
If Roth was indeed concerned about the deal with Michael and the safety of Michael, he would never have implicated that it was Pentengeli due to knowing Pentengeli so well over the many years. Roth knew that Pentengeli was a tough but loyal guy who would never assassinate his own Don nor have the intelligence to set up a betrayer so close to Michael.
If Roth was acting in good faith, he would let Michael know of the unlikeliness of the Pentegeli involvement and the dangers of taking out a Capo who had his own men behind him, which would put the Corleone family in danger as well as taint the deal with Roth. But Roth was relieved to see that Michael was suspecting Pentengeli, and went ahead with Michael's seemingly foolish theory about Pentengeli. Roth never had good intentions with Michael.
Michael, on the other hand, is now convinced that it was Roth and proceeds to find out the inside traitor.
You explained it much better than the video.
Fully agree, always did think it was at that point but wasn't sure how he thought he was so sure it was Roth. Good commentary.
I agree, Roth got caught because he went along with Michael's trap to blame Pentangeli. The first allibi that Michael "offers" him, Roth takes. Guilty! Brilliant.
@@dimitristripakis7364 Indded that's what makes Michael who he is. Together with his cunning intellect + his ruthlessness makes him an emperor of the underworld. I always thought him as the Augustus of the Mafia.
Bothe Tessio and Clamenza say that "they,ll come under Barzinis thumb"
One of them did. (tessio)
The other died of a (not) heart attack , and was replaced by Pantangelli.
Now if Roth wanted Pantangelli dead , why did the hitman say "Corleone says hello"
To testify ??
He was killing him !!!
No point in putting suspicion into a man who youre garroting !!!
If Michael had him killed it was because it was still business with Roth.
If Roth had him killed it was for the same reason.
I saw Part 1 in theaters last year and was blown away. I bought the 4K restorations on iTunes, and watched part 2 last night and I was very confused until watching this video. For some reason the version on iTunes has either full closed caption subtitles or no subtitles at all. What I wanted was subtitles for Italian only scenes or subtitles as the movie intended when released. I totally missed that Hyman Roth was with Vito in the flashbacks because I had them off for the first 30 minutes 🥲 so the movie didn’t come together for me and now I realized I missed important info.
It was mental game of Chess between Michael and Hyman Roth. Hyman was using business and Michael was using his super sharp patience. Michael was studying Hyman Roth ever since their meeting in Miami. Michael had me watching the way he eats, the little noise he made when tap the chair after saying "whatever I can do to help Michael" just anything that gave away the slightest impression that Hyman had something to do with the bedroom shooting. And that intense stare down when they passing the phone around in at the meeting was like get ready because it's me vs you one of us is not gonna make it out of Cuba alive.
What confirmed it was when Fredo got introduced to Johnny Ola and feigned that he didn't know him. Then when they were at the spot watching Superman, Fredo tells stories about hanging with Johnny Ola. Ola was Roth's guy...
Michael & Hyman was like watching a chess match. Loved it
They're both very Smart men
It was so intense
The guy sitting behind Roth at the meeting in Cuba at 2:49 looks like the Senate investigator at Michael's senate hearing.
One thing you have to remember is that Vito Corleone purposely located all his familia in a compound in Long Island, and had a “telephone man” who monitored all the phone call coming in and out of the compound. Micheal did the same. When Hyman Roth talked about bugsy, the guy in Las Vegas, he showed his true nature, then Fredo, already drunk, talk about Johnny showing him the Superman show, when a few hours said he did not know him. But, then Johnny called Fredo, and that call was the prove Micheal needed to point the traitor in his family. It is amusing how he send a message to Franky when he brought his brother to the court, by doing so, he let Franky know he had nothing to do with the attempt to kill him. Then, he send Tom, to tell Franky to kill himself by remembering the Roman empire. There is a historic event that took place about traitors, their families, and how they will kill themselves.
When Michael left to see Hyman Roth in person after they tried to kill him at his Nevada home. When he got to Roth at his home. Roth said "I Heard You Had Trouble!" It was then when I knew Roth ordered the hit on Michael.
You're right. How did he hear he had trouble if no one told him
How do you know nobody told him? Maybe Michael told him why he was meeting with him.
Do you have any idea how long it takes to go from Reno to Miami by train? It's FOUR DAYS. Anyone could find out anything in that amount of time. Even in 1958.
Could it have been Johnny Ola that told Roth of the screwup??, he knew Fredo and Fredo knew Johnny Ola, he did say Roth would never come here but Johnny Ola knows these places in the back of his hand ✋
@@jongroubert4203 GR8 Observation! Respect to you for responding to my comment.
I never caught that Pantangelli says "that was no heart attack". So the implication is that Roth arranged for those brothers to kill Clemenza?
According to real life, there was a family boss who had a heart attack (and died), but poison was suspected. But it was not a low-level crew (e.g., Rosato Brothers) that was responsible.
It was Willie Cicci who said "That was no heart attack."
@@basilmarasco1975 Interesting man and yea good catch that was Cicci.
@@themistoklestheodosopoulos6253 And I don't know if they ever found out for sure (i.e., heart attack or poison). There was a brief NYC mob war in 1961-62. That's where they borrowed the "That was no heart attack" idea from.
@@basilmarasco1975 it’s funny all these years I kept thinking he died after the shootout and being struck by the car but he later recovered and testified, funny how you remember things incorrectly
@@thunderstruck5484 "Right, yeah, buffer. The family had a lot of buffers!"
How could you forget *that?!!!*
I always liked how Coppola had Tom Hagen sitting next to a table lamp. You can see it in multiple scenes. The way the light illuminates and outlines his still figure in a serious way, exhibiting his grounded wisdom and steadfast loyalty.
This parallels the scene where Don Corleone knew it was Barzini that was behind the attempt to kill him after noticing that Barzini, and not Sollozzo, was in charge of the discussions during their sit down. G-d these movies are brilliant.
There's a theory that Fredo wasn't the only traitor in the Corleone family since I don't see him being able to kill Roth's hitmen. Some have said Roth might have paid off Rocco to kill them and that Michael sending Rocco to kill Roth at the airport at the end knowing Rocco would die too was either a punishment or Rocco atoning for his betrayal by sacrificing himself.
This was about the time that Johnny Ola had to move to New Jersey and change his name to Corrado Soprano.
😂😂😂
WTH? I thought that was a minor, unknown actor playing him!
And still....NEVER had the makings of a varsity athlete
Ol' Johnny knows these fake names like the back of his hand!
Right after his unsuccessful attempt to join the Chinese Mafia. He made them an offer they couldn't understand.
Absolutely impressed by your breakdown and dissection of this film!! I just subscribed god bless and good luck
Why is it no one says anything about Fredo’s botched almost confession when they were having drinks? He said “Michael I was mad at you...” leading up to asking for forgiveness for what he had done, but stopped just short of a full confession?
Good point.
Fredo sleeps with the fishes.
Michael doesn’t have it in him to suspect Fredo until Fredo lets it slip completely at the sex show. Him covering his face is about realizing just how stupid he’s been to not see it as much as he can’t believe Fredo was stupid enough to sell the family out.
Michael told Roth that he would take out Frank. When the Risotto's try and take Frank out they tell him 'Michael Corleone says hello'. If this information got back to Michael (which i'm sure it did), Michael knew that this move was instigated by Roth as he was the only one he told about taking out Frank. It would also confirm that Roth was behind the attempt on his own life as why would Roth want Frank killed? Because the dead don't talk and Michael's suspicions about his killer would've died with Frank.
correct. This is the clincher. Michael did not authorise the hit and when Frankie was almost assassinated he knew that Roth was just as ruthless and that his old man businessman persona was just a cover.
It was Michael's way of testing whether or not Roth was loyal. He's a Smart guy
Except Michael didn't authorize hit on Frankie, as we know, wouldn't Roth know that M would find out about the hit and question who/why had done it....anyway I always felt bad for FP
They only said that to Frankie while trying to kill him to make him think it was Michael who had betrayed him. They would have finished him off had it not been for the cop.
There was no reason for that hitman to say that to Frank...that line was to confuse the audience (us). No reason for it at all...he was supposed to be killed. I've always regarded it as sloppy on Coppola's part and I cringe every time I hear it.
I have to admit that it was only after watching this movie many times that I started to understand the plot of this movie. It’s so dense and subtle in the way it presents the characters and situations.
One of the questions that is never answered is who killed the two assassins who tried to murder Michael in his bedroom? If Fredo had no idea if was going to be a hit, it wasn't him. Was Johnny Olaf there? Could it have been him? Anyone?
It was me👽
It’s highly suggested it’s Rocco.
Micheal’s greatest strength were his instincts but in the end (the sum of all three films) his greatest weakness was his family.
Idc i’m just gonna say it. Incest should be punishable by death and I believe that is the true message of Part III
Michael knew it was roth when fredo invited him to the "dirty show", there he said it was johhny ola who took him to that place for the first time.
How does that make michael realize? well in the first scenes of the movie Johnny Ola comes to nevada to speak with Michael, there he sees Fredo and they BOTH act as if they didnt know each other.
Michael knew before then that it was Roth who was the mastermind. At the dirty show is when he knew that Fredo was apart of it.
@@KtotheG 100% accurate.
Yep. Michael knew it was Roth because Fredo was an idiot.
@@charold3 "It ain't the way I wanted it! I can handle things! I'm smart! Not like everybody says... like dumb... I'm smart and I want respect!"
Fredo actually tells Michael before that scene that he didn't know Johnny Ola. So when he says Johnny Ola showed him that place, Mike instantly knew Fredo had lied to his face. And was the traitor.
Love that line "Ah, no, that was no heart attack" Clemenza got axed for asking too much pay so Willi Cicci was right
No mention of Meyer Lansky, the real life person that inspired this character. I read somewhere that Lee Strasberg (the actor who played Hyman Roth) received a call from the real Meyer Lansky thanking him for how he portrayed him. Meyer made millions of dollars and lived a simple life until he died in Miami Florida in the 80s. Robert Lacey wrote an interesting bio on Meyer called "
Little Man: Meyer Lansky and the Gangster Life"
TRUTH SPOKEN!!!!!
Is it available to buy through Amazon
Yup, Hyman Roth is essentially Meyer Lansky in this movie but, in real life, Lansky approved the assassination of Bugsy Siegel, who is essentially Moe Greene in Part 1.
Both Fredo and Roth were good friends with Mo Green, Fredo went as far to take his side, Mike had going against him with Roth, also Roth is a user, he used Fredo to get to Michael for the assassination attempt , just like he was using Michael to get the $$$$ for his cuban deal, had he succeeded (Roth) he would of eventually taken out Fredo
EXACTLY
Fredo always just wanted to be back in Vegas with Mo, some drinks and 2 cocktail waitresses at a time. Party time forever!
"you would slap my brother around" Mike asked of Mo Green. Freddo said something like ' oh Michael its ok'.
Excellent analysis. The first couple times you watch GF II, this plot seems too complex and confusing. But once you know how it plays out, you can see that Puzo and Coppola really play it straight the whole time. We’re just watching Michael play the situation like a master. The ultimate irony is that Pentangeli does betray the family, but in a different way. And Michael’s up to that task too.
How does Frank betray the Corleone family? Please I've been trying to look for a short, straightforward answer everywhere but I couldn't find it! 😭 I do know that was the reason he cut his own wrists though!
@@porkadobo5035 He rats on the family to the Feds. Michael handles it by bringing in Frankie’s brother for his testimony, causing Frankie to retract his statements.
@@leamanc If you don't mind me asking, what was up with when Michael tells Roth that it was Frank who planned the hit? And Mike tells Frank that it was Roth who did it? What was that about?
@@porkadobo5035 Although Michael knew pretty much right away that Roth was behind the assassination attempt, he didn’t know yet who the “inside man” was in his own family who helped orchestrate it. He’s looking at how both Frankie and Roth react, to see if their reactions tip him in the right direction. He never would have thought Fredo would be the one, but he later figures it out in Cuba.
@@leamanc Dang, thanks a lot man! Definitely rewatching the movie. I'm pretty new to the GF trilogy, I thought the first one was slightly betyer than the second!
It was Roth. Simply because Michael had Mo Green whacked. Roth nearly admitted it when he got angry over Mo’s death.
Yes... but the video is about how Michael knew it was Roth before he gave his reason, not whether it was Roth.
It wasn’t just about Moe Greene. Roth also wanted to be the head honcho of organized crime.
And for that to happen Michael had to eliminated.
@@Hyperpandas I’ve just explained it. Roth nearly gave it away when he got angry. “ I knew it was business “ but he was lying.
@@thomasseery7570 What I'm saying is you're answering a question nobody is asking. Michael knew it was Roth before the scene you're talking about, and the video is asking how.
@@Hyperpandas I’m saying it how it was
I swear this movie never gets old I watched it many times still want to go again
We grow with it. I think this narrator might've caught it a couple times.
Great analysis. Personally, I think Hagen was always on Mike’s list of suspects. When Mike asks Tom to step out of the meeting, Coppola keeps the camera on Tom Hagen despite the meeting having already started off-screen, showing that Hagen feels hurt for being left out. Hagen’s motive could have been this feeling of Mikey not treating him like “a real brother,” as he states later. The fact that Mike tells Tom the same line he tells the rest of the suspects confirms, for me, that Mikey _did_ suspect Tom too.
I disagree. Michael new Tom. He was not a murderer and was loyal to the family.
You just can't trust someone named Hyman.
You never know when he’ll break…to the authorities.
or roth...
I knew a girl with a Hyman once.....only once.
Wonderfully explained! I did always wonder how Michael knew it was Roth. I was sad about Pentangelli’s ending though. 🙁
Pentangelli? He's small potatoes!
@@alanparedes2034 😭😭
@alanparedes2034 THIS LINE RIGHT HERE, IS MICHAEL FIGURING IT ALL OUT!!!!
People really need to go back and watch the movie again. It was AFTER THIS MEETING WHEN MIKE WENT DIRECTLY TO NY TO SEE PENTANGELI AND HE TELLS HIM THAT HE KNOWS ROTH TRIED TO KILL HIM!
Something I noticed about Hyman Roth was that he was very rarely surrounded by loads of people. I can only recall him being around loads of people at his birthday party
Fun fact: I started watching The Godfather trilogy last week, and have only NOW finished it.
It's not a trilogy ;) The third one was the GF's equivalent of Crystal Skull.
It's awesome isn't it
@@jerry85g7 it really is. But I was joking as in it takes about 7 hours to watch them all, lol. I've seen them all several times......especially the 2nd, it's the best in my opinion.
@@heeeeeresrossy YOU have READ THE BOOK
ONLY the first 2 are worth watching
Lee Strasburg was one of the finest actors in Hollywood. His technique was amazing.
And he was only in a handful of films - usually recommended by one of his students.
Fred Azbell. Are you a bowhunter?
he was also Al Pacino's acting teacher. Pacino recommended Lee for the role.
@@russelllangworthy8855 Nope.....never hunted anything in my life.
@@fazbell Ahh, interesting. There's a very well respected gentleman in the hunting industry named G. Fred Asbell. I thought you may have taken your name from him. Sorry about that.
Michael popped that Hyman.
I’ll let myself out.
That was a bloody. bloody affair with Hyman. Mike had ALot of blood on his hand's. And, Under the Fingernails Frank got killed Rocco poor Freddie got it on the boat by Al. Willie Cici outlived them. Joe Spinell died in 1989. So Willie's character couldn't be tarnished.
LOL don't go, we need you!
No way, NO WAY, did you come from my loins.
@@buddywilliams5650 I'll go get the papers, get the papers
You let yourself out but they pulled you back in.
One of the best parts of The Godfather movie was when the young Vito Corleone saved his neighborhood from being terrorized by the hated “ Black Hand “ in the first Godfather movie. Robert DiNiro was an excellent choice to play the part of young Vito.
Excellent. A very well-laid out video synopsis.
Even after watching the godfather a dozen times, small details pop up and you keep learning about the plot. I never understood WHY Roth wanted Michael in the deal and at the same time wants to kill him. The answer is again, a big detail and very logical. He needed his connections and 2 million dollars. Once the money was on the table, Michael was of no use anymore and Roth could rule.
I like the Godfather 1901 -1958 made for t.v version. Had so many beautiful scenes put back into the saga, especially when the three see the gunsmith & the beautiful flute music playing in the background.
This “Novel for Television” is now the only way I watch The Godfather movies, it’s wonderful. I love that scene with the gunsmith as well, Agostino Coppola and his little son Carmine, Francis own father and grandfather
@@skipringelli2423 Same here mate, the other version seems so empty in comparison to the t.v version.
Greatest movie trilogy ever. Al Pacino was made for this part,no one could have played it. I thought the trader was a inside person who knew Micheal's vulnerability was his weakest link was family.His weakest brother, Alfredo used by Roth.
Michael knew it was Roth because the Rozzatto brothers knew that the Clemenza crew was protected by Corleone. They never would have move against them without a go ahead
Rossetto.
How did RUclips possibly know I was just watching this movie on DVD away from my phone? Smart phone I guess.
Same here
he knew it was roth the time he went to visited him at miami.
Yes, he could see for himself that Frank was right about Roth.
I read the book, and have seen both Godfather and Godfather II dozens of times. Would love to hear your take on Johnny Ola. As in, who is Johnny Ola? What was he to Hyman Roth? Etc. etc.
Lee Strasberg was known as one of the great acting teachers.
He was Al Pacino's acting teacher.
He was Al Pacino’s grandfather in, And Justice For All.
@@jogman262 yes, and one of my Pacino's favorites.☺
Stella Adler was better
@@neilr603 She's dead
One of the greatest movie series of all time.
Michael knew because he read the script :-)
Almost didn't click, thought I knew...
But wow. I am *all in* on this channel, and I need more...