The Godfather Part II (1974) by Francis Ford Coppola
The most monstrous scene in the second part of Coppola's trilogy is the moment when Michael decided exterminate his brother Fredo
The Godfather Part II (1974) by Francis Ford Coppola
The most monstrous scene in the second part of Coppola's trilogy is the moment when Michael decided exterminate his brother Fredo
Fredo sleeping with the fishes, 2 at the time!
In fact he was thrown in the water with plenty of fishes around
The fishes straightened out Fredo.
Hahahahha this had me rollin 😂😂😂😂
They couldn't get a drink
Wow... What a comment
Al Pacino and John Cazale were actually close friends. After Cazale died, Pacino wrote, “All I wanted to do was to work with John for the rest of my life “
I heard Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep also loved him.
They are in the same group of friends tbh. Bunch of legendary artists.
@@donvitocorleone2098 Streep was cazale's girlfriend
enigma 1982 they were in relationship
The two did act together in 1975 in "Dog Day Afternoon".
I think he only publicly hugged him so people wouldn’t blame him for his murder. Cold af.
He was bidding farewell to Fredo. Everybody would know it was Mike who ordered Fredo's death.
Wan correct if Fredo was killed by anyone else without mikes consent it would have been hell to pay from mike.
I don't think that's correct. I think it's supposed to be complex. I think he hugged him because of Connie's pleading. They've also both lost their mother, and Michael still has some love for Fredo. If he didn't then killing him would not have caused him to lose any sleep, but clearly it did bother him, even if he was convinced it had to be done. I think that hug was the moment when they _both_ accepted and acknowledged that Fredo's days were rapidly coming to an end. There's something else going on too. If you recall how broke up Fredo was when he was talking in Cuba, how he said "Why didn't we spend time together before?' and how Connie tells Michael how lost Fredo is, and is desperate to be allowed to see him. What was tormenting Fredo, as much as the guilt, was the fact that he'd become an outcast. Connie didn't say "Mike please don't kill him". She knew that was inevitable, but as a result of her intervention, Fredo got to eat under the same roof as Micheal and Connie, and to be an uncle to Michael's son, and go fishing. If Connie hadn't intervened, Fredo would have been a fugitive on the run, waiting for Al Neri to kick in the door of some cheap motel room, put a bullet in Fredo's head and any cocktail waitresses who might be with him at the time.
@@jimbobeire i agree with you, but do you think that Connie Knew that Michael Wanted to kill Fredo? I dont think she knew at this moment of the story...
At the wedding, Michael gave Fredo the Sicilian Kiss of Death!!
If you watch the entire trilogy, you'll see that Michael's greatest flaw is that he cannot forgive *anybody*...
It's hard to say when it's business. Michael is like the supreme judge. He might forgive on a personal level but in his position he has to dish out the punishment.
Mr Alpaca Right. Like that pimp guy said in Dead Presidents... “you LUCKY this is personal and not business!”
I can never put myself to finish the part III... Sophia Coppola’s acting was horrendous. I’m glad she found where her true talent lies...
it's not a flaw, it's risk management
Tom Hagan "Treachery can't be forgiven"-The Godfather book
the difference between michael and his father is that vito did only what was good for his family and for his friends, michael only did what was good for his business, he was much colder
Very true analogy.
Thats correct..
He had to be to survive, everyone around him was being murdered until he decided to take control and be cold hearted
qwertzuiopli I agree. He was much more selfish than his father
Bullshit! Vito did not have a brother who tried to back stab him or get him killed in his own bedroom with his kids. Times had changed, enemies were everywhere and in his own house. Even after Michael forgave Fredo, he crept back into the family and started leaking info to the Rival families. Read the book. Michael was proportionate to the treachery around him. Not cold at all. If something like this would happen to Vito, he would have gone ape-shit crazy on his brother. Fucking retards who say Michael was selfish.
Holy shit even the cold hearted hitman couldn't look Michael in the eye. That, is pure fear.
giklabesuled1996 it doesn't seem like fear to me; it almost seems like he feels sorry for Michael in this scene.
+ApparentlyEric I think he probably feels more sorry for the guy he's gonna kill
Also could be the case because he knows Fredo, even if it is only a bit.
Do you get sick of being wrong all the time? Douche.
Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in
The saddest thing is that Freddo was the one who showed Michael support when he decide to join the army and be absent from the family.
fredo is just stupid. that's all
He betrayed his own blood
Whilst I agree with you, I always wonder if that was truly support or more relief that Michael would not be a rival/competitor within the family. Sonny was killed so early in the trilogy that we never saw the rivalry that would have taken place between the natural friction of Sonny’s reckless personality and Michael’s calculated behaviour.
@@kwl189 Fredo is an interesting character. We don't get a chance to really see his relationship with Sonny. I wonder how well Sonny and Fredo would have gotten along after Vito's passing as with Sonny alive, Michael quite possibly goes back to civilian life wanting no further part in all this with Appolonia's death just reinforcing his distaste for that world. But with Sonny's death, Michael has little choice but to carry on for his father as Fredo is incapable of doing so and Vito and Michael know that. Maybe Fredo is relieved that Michael removed himself from the picture by going into the Marines, but I think Fredo was actually genuinely proud of Michael for being his own man. Perhaps Fredo would have liked to have gone that way too, but he lacked the tools or will to be successful without his family watching out for him.
@@kentvesser9484 Too true. We see little to no interaction between Sonny and Fredo so who knows how it’d work between them if Michael stepped away from it all. The other option was just to allow the family to disband. Fredo goes legit and does some civilian life and so does Michael who was pretty accomplished in the army and held in high regard. Then again Fredo was always hopeless in doing anything, possibly even banging waitresses. It’s all the back drop to the first movie. At times, I would really have appreciated less chaos and more sense of normally and build up, as they did so well in the first one. The sequels (and this is generally true of modern movies) just seem impatient and in a hurry to move the plot on rather then delve into the details of things and give depth to the story. That’s something I do appreciate with older movies.
Even his hitman Al Neri was like, “damn that’s cold” when Michael gave him that look WHILE hugging Fredo. Michael was one cold mofo.
Yeah, it would have been easier to not hug Fredo, let him go off spend his last days in a brothel, before Neri came along and shoot him in an alley, but Michael agreed to let him back into the house, even to spend time with Michael's own son, go fishing on the lake, do normal family stuff, that he missed out on as a child. Remember what he said in Cuba, "why didn't we spend time like this before?" . Michael was able to give him that, when Connie asked, but Connie knew that the decision to kill Fredo was already made, and she knew there was no point in asking Michael to change _that_ decision. She knew when she called the boy away from the fishing boat that only one man was coming back alive from that lake. Fredo knew it too.
@@jimbobeire Yes.....Fredo praying was him making his peace with God before getting the bullet.
@@jimbobeire thinking far much into it, Fredo did not know and I doubt Connie did.
Al thought Michael was taking Fredo back. Al's look was oh damn, you still want to clip him.
@@jimbobeire Connie didn't know yo? She says in part III that it was by drowning to Micheal!! What?????
"You straighten my brother out?" "Only I get to straighten my brother out"
Haha Moe green would of been like SHIT, that how I'm supposed to straighten people out ?
Nero super point
@@000Mrlucas looll
Oh,Michael straighten Fredo out all right.
"He's so sweet and helpless without you." You can even see the conflict in Michael's eyes. He just can't let that betrayal go.
@Jaegar Ultima that's dark man.
With that betrayal fredo was no longer sweet, he disrespected the trust michael gave to him as his brother..and especially because fredo violated the warning michael had given to him when he took sides with moe green against the family.
@@elonruok601 did Fredo know they would try to kill Michael?
He wasn't so sweet and helpless when he was being paid for snitching for Hyman Roth.
@@treystephens4490 Yes. Fredo wanted doors to open for him.
Michael was just like Don Ciccio. No mercy. He became the very monster that Vito ran away from.
Not quite. Michael killed people, but didn't go after their kids as far as I know.
Youa a ashl to think as such without Micheal Vito would’ve died like a dog in hospital
michael was no monster and absolutely not like don ciccio he cared for his brother and loved him and also for his sister who still hated him because he killed her husband who was the reason why sonny got killed and who was a bad husband and beat her up michael did the right thing and his own brother how michael cared for him was mad at moe green when he found out that he slapped his brother and confronted him in they’re meeting even tho it had nothing to do with the business and michael took that personally because he loved fredo and let nobody treat him like that so he killed him not just because he sad no mor green was a dead man already when michael found out that he slapped fredo and fredo betrayed him out of jealousy because michael was smarter and got more respect fredo was just jealous how can you be jealous of your own brother and try to get him killed sure fredo regret it at the end but it was to late michael was not cold his dumb family made him cold no wonder you became cold whe you’re own blood betrays you out of jealousy even you love them michael was no monster he was a real man
Don Ciccio killed his enemies' kids, Michael, his own brother. But Kay Parker killed her own son. A masculine child. This monstrous feat is only equalled by Luca Brasi in the Godfather universe.
@@TheAxon8888 That's personal politics
What’s disturbing about this is even the cold blooded hitman is disgusted that Michael wants his own brother dead .
He killed him bc of his family, bc of Kay
The hitman was like ayoooo man that's u blood broth3r is an stupid motherfckn but It is your brother
I always interpreted it as, Al Neri's looking upon Michael's act of forgiveness (even if not genuine) was a sign of weakness. Something that would ultimately erode all faith in the head of the family. This is why he lays out the conditions for Fredo - he is willing to let him live - but the politics of his reality won't allow it.
I've always been perplexed by Michael , when hugging Fredo & staring at Neri , was grasping at something in Fredo's jacket . Could that have been a gun ?
@@paulgerkin2851 that was fredos hands grasping michaels jacket. You can also tell by the watches, michael has a silver metal strap and fredos has a black leather strap on his watch
Have you ever noticed how this Coppola shot this scene as if it was Fredo’s funeral? Michael walks past the body of his mother, into the other room. He looks down on Fredo, as if it was Freddy who was in the casket. There are even flowers next to him. Michael’s face becomes illuminated, and Fredo’s is darkened just before Michael looks at Al. Masterful.
Never noticed that,but yes I can see the connection
Because it's about to be just that.
Yup. His long embrace of Fredo is his goodbye to him. And the look to Neri says everything, without saying anything at all.
Waw i never noticed that!!!
And the music... perfect
Even Neri can't look Michael straight in the eyes as Michael orders Fredo's death with just a look. Michael has become death!
+dorsal 2008 Thanks for pointing that out. There are so many subtle nuances in this movie. Neri, the cold-blooded killer, reveals a little humanity.
+SilentEvil2 Micheal of War The Ghost of Fredo
Death? No. Devoid of compassion? Yes.
+dorsal 2008 I had a very different take on the scene. Seeing Neri is what Michael realize what he had to do. In order to keep men like Neri in line and keep them loyal, Michael cannot be seen as weak or soft or forgiving of even the slightest betrayal.
citizenghosttown Excellent point. But I think we are both right. Michael wants to ensure Neri's loyalty, but at the same time, Neri cannot believe he is being asked to shoot Fredo.
“I ordered the death of my brother, he injured me... I killed my mother’s son, I killed my father’s son.” Michael from the future...
EXACTLY!
His confession he cried u did awful things
I heard “he hindered me” but I could be wrong. Works either way 🤷🏻♀️
Fredo almost killed him
@@raedaw766 He said "he injured me."
Vito would suffer so much if he could see what his favorite son became.
Yes, but he'd have to accept, that if he'd gone legit before they became adults, they could have lived long happy lives as olive oil wholesalers, instead of having to watch their backs every day, in case the men closest to them decided to betray them to their rivals.
@@jimbobeire In the book,as much as i can remember; even when they were oil salers they were kinda mafia. the only legit part of vitos business life was when he was working as a baker and got fired. He was broke , thats why he started all that.
I was expecting Vito in part iii to be the godfather of corleone but sadly it wasn't
@@turbo3251 That was his point. He had the chance to abandon the mob business and build a new life, but it didnt work out I guess. Power is addictive.
@@minzblatt he was fired as a baker bc "don fanuci"(i dont remember the name so well) order it to have his freind/cousin get a job. Vito couldnt handle it and killed fanuci and start as a mobster, even as a oil sailsman he needed to play "a game" (mafia) to keep his company alive bc a lot of other mafia groups wanted to take it over. So when talking about the story of "Godfather" he could only live as a honest man if he was broke. Vito didnt want that. Michael myb had a chance but when his brother was killed he needed to step in as it was shown in the move. Thats why this book/movie is truly, lets say, masterpiece.
I love the stare that Michael gives Al Neri basically conveying "This doesn't change anything". Damn, he was so ruthless.
... And even Neri, an experienced, professional hitman, can't look him straight in the eye. He's basically urging him "God(father), please! Not this!" If your own hitman has reservations, your soul must've gone pitchdark!
That is the best interpretation yet. That look tells Neri that one day soon Michael will give the order for him to kill Fredo. Also note that only after he coaxed Fredo to give up everything he knew did he then cut him off.
How did the fishing go Al, Fredo catch us dinner? Eh boss….did I ever discuss my autism with you?
It’s no wonder AFI listed Michael Corleone 11th on its 100 top movie villains list.
Okay, I get it, but I don't. Was his stare a 100% implying a go-ahead with the hit? How could or would Al Neri know in such an emotional setting? The stare @ 2:31 could be also seen as a backdown, don't go through with it. of course, Al saw it as a go-ahead, which explains why he looked down in remorse. Obviously I'm not a hitman, but i just can't decipher that stare in this funeral setting.
That look...the look that sealed Fredo's fate. Michael seriously became a monster in this film, and they did it with such subtlety
+vidhead85 one does not simply turn against the family
+vidhead85 Became a monster? His brother put his and his family's lives in danger.
Zero Strife It wasn't just that, it was everything afterward. He didn't just take care of business, he scorched the Earth beneath him
+vidhead85 You know this second film got criticized a bit for the violence, but look at what happened to Michael , first he wanted no part of his fathers life, then out of love he saves his family only to become a victim of his own inner rage, Mike becomes a monster in that second movie, and he tries to redeem himself in the third and the cost was truly painful, so for those people who think that Mike does not get his just retribution for the many lives that he affected remember him on the steps of that opera house in the closing scene of the third movie, then think it is Mike who is one of the true victims of that violence, and the whole thing is done brilliantly by Francis and Mario.
+Zero Strife His brother was stupid and naive and was tricked into doing it, without knowing the consequences for his actions, and Michael knew this. There was no reason he shouldn't have been forgiven. Plus, HE WAS HIS FUCKING BROTHER! He was his family! If you don't consider a guy ordering his own brother's death, right next to his mother's corpse, ffs, monstrous behavior, than there's something seriously wrong with you.
In Godfather 3, Michael confess with tears he killed his own brother. Yes. He felt it no matter how cold he was. That decision ate him for the rest of his life.
Imagine the pain Vito would have suffered if he had knew his own children, which he loved more than anything else, would eventually end up killing each other..
He is rolling in his grave
Now imagine if Vito had done a better job raising his children and raising them in a better environment. None of this would have happened.
@@TK0S3 Yes Vito bears the ultimate responsability. As an ex-boss said he knows no family that has not been broken by the mafia life.
2:30 Michael looks at Neri: _"Remember that talk we had about how I didn't want anything to happen to Fredo as long as our mother was still alive? NOW you can kill him."_
I'd put it shorter. 'Do it.'
Much shorter, just a nod
In the actual movie, that last scene where Michael said that he didn't want anything to happen to Fredo while their mother was still alive came before the funeral scene, obviously.
I'll put it even shorter. A glimpse
Michael only needed to show Neri an orange.
Al Neri makes this scene in a low key way....cold, heartless hitman can’t look his equally cold heartless boss in the eye here
Yeah, it's like he feels a little reluctant about it but he is loyal to Michael and will obey him.
yes, even Al Neri could not even look him in the eye. Micheal become heartless
duh....look at the others...all would have done the same way, without question.
“Can’t you forgive Fredo? He’s so sweet and helpless without you.” Truer words have not been spoken. You broke my heart Mikey for killing your brother.
Nobody wanted to kill Fredo, it had to be done.
Fredo broked our hearts!
*fredo almost gets michael killed* 🤡of the year
@@DonBienveRosario15 boy...i could hear your words....cold...detrimentally icy...woooooooggggg...i meant it.
@@godloveszaza he tried to kill Michael...even when Michael was young...he wanted his brother in the Army for that same reason...the end of the Dynasty.
Even his bodyguard, right hand and personal assasin Al Neri was basically scared and uncomfortable. Says a lot about what kind of human Michael became
I had always heard people say Parts 1 and 2 were masterpieces but i thought it was just hyperbole until i actually saw them. I was completely blown away by just how spectacular they both were. Absolutely perfect. The problem now is i constantly compare every movie i watch to them but none of them have ever come close to these works of art.
Of the two, my opinion is Godfather II was the better of them.
@@thomaspick4123 One of the few sequels that can claim to be a notch above the first film. I do love the first for laying the groundwork, but Part 2 is a jaw-dropping descent into Hell as we get to watch Michael's humanity turn to ash while he burns everything around him in order to clear the decks and protect his family who he ironically condemned to the pits with him.
Sopranos
I actually also thought GF 3 was pretty good and not as bad as some people tried to make it out to be
But yes No. 1 is the true masterpiece - go see how it was made on Paramount+ "The Offer" miniseries of what it took to get it made and how it was almost not made for almost a dozen reasons.
Is it just me, or does Neri look like he REALLY doesn't want to do this? Damn you, Michael.
Neri is confused. He is wondering what that look meant. Did Don Michael stub his toe earlier, and was he still in pain? Was Michael still upset at me that I won that old football bet?
Yes. He was a Hitman and had done this before. Yet this assignment was unprecedented
It's not that Neri doesn't want to kill Fredo. It's that he now understands that he won't have to hunt him down. Fredo is going to stay, and like the condemned man asking for something special for his last meal, what he wanted was to spend some time again with the family, not as an outcast. Remember what he said to Michael in Cuba, when the guilt hit him for betraying Micheal out of resentment "why didn't we spend time like this _before_ ? " Well, his last days alive, he got to pretend he was still a happy Corleone brother, eating under the same roof as Connie and Micheal, going fishing with his nephew. On the last day, when Connie called the boy away, Fredo knew that was his one way trip, and that only Al Neri would be coming back. But he knew that's what was coming. The alternative would have been to try to run, never make any kind of peace with the family, and have Al Neri whack him in some cheap motel or brothel. I'd say it was fairly rare for the victim to spend so much time with their hitman, knowing they were on borrowed time, and making no effort to run away.
@@jimbobeire i don't think Fredo's smart enough to understand his death was imminent
@@derangedQuiver Even a dog with a head injury would have figured it out by that stage. Al Neri isn't around just as a fishing companion.
When you are reminded Al did not win an Oscar for playing Michael your middle finger slowly and spontaneously goes up to Oscar!!!!!
Neri would never refuse an order from Michael, but I'm still convinced that he was at least a little sad that Fredo had to die. Especially because he lets Fredo finish his prayer before he shoots him.
Mikey went too far I never would've killed Fredo just slapped him around a bit.
vito fooled you! it was another vito corleone´s great move! he´ll never kill his stupid son, but he knew michael will, because vito really knew michael will never acept those kind of insults to the family. thats why vito gave to michael the power and the control, to guarantee the corleone family´s status.
No, he had to die and not only because he Betrayed The Family but let's face facts, Fredo never bought anything to the table. He never really had a legitimate job with the Olive Oil Business, he damaged the credibility of The Family when he allowed Moe Greene to slap him around, he had Threesomes with Women, and he didn't protect his Father from Sollozzo. Even in GF One, Don Corleone in his own way knew Fredo didn't have that muscle to run The Family.
So therefore he had to die? I don't follow your logic.
Fredo was evidently malleable. That's ultimately why he had to die under the circumstances. Even if Fredo pledged full allegiance to Mike- Fredo evidently didn't feel that way about Vito, even if he sincerely regretted it (and his anger was understandable from his perspective). If Mike let's Fredo slide, he looks weak to the other families and leaves himself vulnerable to Fredo getting manipulated again. It plays very well into the conflict of Mike's born into this/Mike's born FOR this lifestyle dynamic. Fredo can't exist in the world that Mike's inherited.
brwhizz Fredo went against the family. Michael couldve died because of him.
Only a short glance and Neri knew immediately what he have to done near in future.
Neri was awesome, he was always loyal, and he never asked a question.... Though killing Fredo did hit him somewhat hard, because even he had showed remorse of killing Fredo, and he felt Michael's cold personality. Its a shame how he never got the spotlight, though he was awesome.
Chill out you crazy fool, it doesn't matter if english is his second language, acting like the way you are is way worst.
Jaegar Ultima Yeah I completely agree.
None verbal language
Jaegar ultima yes he does
Michael and Fredo BOTH broke my heart. Fredo for betraying his own flesh and blood, and Michael for killing his own flesh and blood.
0:22 . 1st time when i watched it, i thought Michael is talking to his brother's dead body lmao
The way how John Cazale looks at Al Pacino before they hug... That's brilliant acting
She should have got her husband 'Rocky' the knock him out.
lol
Hey yo Adrian
and what can rocky do vs 10 guys with machine guns? xD
rocky woud have kicked all their butts
Turn into Rambo and kill them with his knife.
You can tell as he stares at Fredo, he's trying so hard to make himself forgive, to love his brother again. But he just can't forget what Fredo has done. Even though he embraces him, the cold look in his eyes never warms. He goes through the motions for Kay's sake but his mind is already made up, Fredo has to die.
True film craftmanship. Leading the audience to believe Michael's humanity is finally coming through after his sister begging. The whole time we think all is forgiven. And in just a look from Michael, we know he's truly gone.
and all done at his own mother's funeral...he was predicting Fredo's death...and the hug of death...
The look on Al's face.. Like he's thinking "Damn... "
Neri turned into an even more vicious monster than Michael. think Neri at his most vicious was when he slaughtered the prostitute and drugged Senator Geary.That look on his face when he smirked and wiped his hands off while Hagen was talking to Geary...
He is the only one who killed in all three movies.
Al Neri's thinking, "Crap. I have a hot date tonight. Michael, can't it wait?"
@@ingleringlet-snipps3rd449No, he cant look at Michael because of the fear and disgust, that he ordered the death of his brother.
This may sound weird, but this scene nearly made me cry. It's so catchy, I just feel sorry for poor Fredo. Without Michael he is indeed helpless. Just the part that he looks at 'Al' and Al Neri looks down, it's like he felt sad for Michael. Fredo was the only one that congratulated Mike with his enlistment and he approved of Michael's actions. He may be stupid, but he just wasn't cut for the mob business. This reminds me what a brilliant masterpiece "The Godfather" is. I love part 2 even more than 1 due it's sadness. How they express it on the screen, the music and the wonderful acting is just a miracle. They'll always be my favorite movies. :)
See Fredo isn't stupid. Michael just *thinks* that he is. Mistake. Fredo is manipulated by people he associates with.
srb9 Well, don't tell me Fredo is smart. He never fitted in with the mob business. I'd rather have Clemenza or Tessio in the caporegime than Fredo.
Fredo was good at running the hotels and casinos which was what he was supposed to do. Michael should have noticed that. He didn't.
srb9 He was more Moe's slave. He choose side against the family, that was his fault. He had zero respect for Michael after the death of their father.
JustinRM It's Moe's town. Michael didn't have any respect for Fredo. Michael should have treated Fredo better.
This is such a powerful scene! The music, the setting, the acting. All perfect!
Born as second son in business family where my bigger brother is a disappointment in my fathers eyes. everyone expect me to carry the torch while most of them resent me because I am not the legitimate son to the throne. At my age, I almost cry every time I watch god father. What a timeless masterpiece.
Al Pacino's best scene in a career full of epic films.
You might be right But the 'You are late'-scene In THE IRISHMAN is the second best scene of his career
@@robertwiesler381 wow this scene was perfect really. What an actor!
I always thought that the dual betrayal of Fredo and Kay broke Michael's heart and ruined whatever positive aspects of Vito were left in him. Vito never forgot that he "worked his entire life for his family". They were the end that justified the means. Michael is now so coldly expert at surviving as boss that he sees being boss as an end unto itself. This is a situation where he needed to recognize that the cold, logical solution (snuff anybody who shows any disloyalty) would rob him of the only blood brother he has left and permanently alienate him from his remaining family. From that point on, he will only be The Godfather, loyal to his organization and none other. Vito would have shown mercy if the alternative was destroying his own blood; Michael no longer has any blood. At the end, everybody's afraid of him and disgusted by him, even the people he is supposedly working to protect.
I've seen people say you can't just be a loose cannon, disgusting to everyone mafia/mafioso. Your inner group, your family, has to trust you and see you as a good person, not even only good to them, but a more or less good person in general, not vindictive or capricious, petty. Despite it still being organized crime.
Michael lost a brother and wife then got betrayed by a brother and wife. What a mess.
When he says "Connie" and caresses her jaw, pure brotherly love.
@Roy G Biv Incest?! That scene between Connie and him ends and we see Michael giving Fredo "the hug of death"! 🤔🤔🤔
what.s the incest in this....his sister begged for Fredo's life...whatever it is she grew up with Fredo...which we havent seen it..but it somehow shows it...and she already saw, two deaths in the family...first Sonny, then her own father and at the end Carlo disappeared...wouldnt you beg for your own blood brother...Michael understood...but he couldnt let go...Fredo betrayed once...and many many other times.
This very short shot of Fredo's hands that can't hold Michael tight enough, Connys helpless begging and Michaels judgement in the end - all that imply an invisible cruelty, that hurts deep inside.
He crossed that bridge when he shot Sollozzo and McCluskey in the restaurant. They never got to finish the veal.
Michael's coldness put Neri's ruthlessness to shame.
Al was praying Mike wouldnt look up at him smh..
One of the most chilling scenes ever. Amazing acting .
One of the most powerful scenes. That embrace between Michael and his brother. Then Mike looks off to his man and acknowledges that Fredo time is up. Wow!
R.I.P. John Cazole will be missed
Respect.
I agree
Ellison Lindsay he would have been a all time great if he hadn't of died.
Allen Greene yeah he died of cancer as well sadly :-(
Its a damn shame):
i love this scene, i always cry this music, this acting and The Godfather Part 2 is the best movie ever made!
You hit right on the head with this scene, I've always felt this way also
+EDeck Nice to hear and I love this scene!
Why cry? Al Michael was doing was keeping his enemy close. Michael had no feeling for Fredo. It showed in his face (Pacino did a great job). All he was doing was making sure Al didn't have to go looking for Fredo. As cold blooded as it can be. Nothing emotional about it. smh.
Hell yes
2:31 THE LOOK Al Pacino is a freaking great actor
Connie turned out to be the real gangster in this family.
In this scene Talia Shire is magnificent- She is strong willed, sometimes cold, somebody who is "lost", but here she shows HOW she really is, and in a wonderful way- She really care for Freddo & her ask for forgivness to Micheal is sincere & heart-breaking.
Agree. I even see her as the only member of the family inheriting Don Vitos mission of taking care of the family. Putting it back together and forgiving all the pain. She is helping Key seeing her kids, and bagging mercy for Fredo,
Mike looked at Neri like "you DO IT! STILL, I'M NOT PLAYING!"
You know you fucked up when even your hit man looks at u sideways
Pacino shows more acting in his eyes than half of the current Hollywood young “stars” 😄
They think being conventional photogenic is enough …talentless and boring bunch of wanna bees ..can’t fault the actors from the more classical age ..had depth , range
they chose him for his big dark haunting eyes...that is what everyone talks about...his haunting big and dark eyes...they change, they shine...etc etc.
Michael was an incredible strategist with a brilliant and calculating mind, but above all it was his vengeful ruthlessness that made him an effective Godfather.
some of these tactics, came with the efficiency in which he dealt when he was in the army, marines or whatever...one thing though that he learnt thoroughly...and this is the one....to kill or to be killed...
Jeez, their mother is still warm...
And so is Fredo. He made the lake just a tiny bit warmer.
I don't they did that kind of makeup back in the day
Looking at this scene stands in stark contrast to what Vito Corleone would put himself into. The similarities between Michael and Vito is that both were intelligent, calculating and always one step ahead of anyone. The difference is their way of life. While Vito pursued people with respect and admiration, Michael was different: He was cold hearted, conniving and sinister, despite his silent approach to his enemies. It was great to see a Don such as Michael compared to his brother Sonny, who was loud and more outspoken about things.
robby rob Vito was the best parts of Sonny and Michael. The passion and genuine love for his family coupled with restraint, judiciousness and cleverness. Sonny died early because he didn't have Michael's cleverness. Michael died early on the inside because he forgot why he was shedding all the blood in the first place: to better his family. By the end, he has no family or friends left, only Godchildren and employees.
Yes, Vito was jolly and caring for his family. Nonetheless, I am talking about Michael being vicious, cold hearted and a murderer by heart. This can be attributed to the death of his first love, Appolonia, who died because of a failed assassination attempt by the Barzini family.
***** Good Insight ! Heck I feel WE GF fans are part of a family ourselves. I don't think I have seen any uncivil dialogue only discussions and ideas and insights being swapped . Somebody long ago pointed out the Oranges to me . This is not to cast a shadow on us but allegedly Saddam Husseins favorite film was the Godfather.
robby rob Great analysis! If I could just add to your interpretation, the final disagreement with Tom Hagen over whether or not not Hyman Roth ought to be killed explains what you just said perfectly. I think Fredo deserved to be killed Michael offers him numerous opportunities towards redemption, twice in Cuba and their final discussion at his home where Fredo's true motivations are revealed as utterly selfish with delusions of grandeur.
Martin Mueller Nobody mentions that it was Fredo who tipped off Roth that Michael was making a move against him. When Roth was in a Cuban hospital the sinister button man got whacked with pillow in his hand . No Fredo endangered not only Michael's family but his men too with that hit on his Vegas compound ..Fredo had to go. If Mike had not done it his own very loyal men would have probably defected. He had to show strength At his Mother's funeral Mike definitely had a cold ' steely reserve that his father never had. Before people dump on Michael they ought to consider what he had gone through
Killing off Fredo was the one thing that Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola disagreed with, Puzo did not want Fredo to be killed but Coppola insisted on it as it would show how far gone Michael was. Eventually came to a compromise that they would have to kill off their mother first because Puzo believed he were to kill Fredo while their mother was alive, the audience would never forgive Michael.
Connie is asking Michael to risk his wife and children along with himself to keep Fredo around to screw things up for the family. She's gotta ask for mercy - I get that. But Fredo's actions nearly caused Michael's and Kay's deaths _in their bedroom_, within the Corleone compound. Fredo would need to be up Michael's ass every day for the rest of their lives in order to prevent Fredo from doing something stupid again, or greedy again, or ego-driven again. Fredo couldn't be trusted even to live a quiet life away from the mob. It was inevitable that Fredo had to die - the question became then, under what terms and for how long could Fredo expect to live?
I still wish Michael could have just banished Fredo from the family business without killing him. Perhaps give him a living running a small shop back in Sicily as a going away present, and leave it at that. However, I could also the see the risk in leaving someone as stupid as Fredo vulnerable to coercion and intimidation from rival families and perhaps even the Feds. It's hard not see where Michael is coming from, especially given Fredo's inside knowledge of the family business and track record of betrayal.
ladistar exactly thats why he was killed not from a moral standpoint but from the business it was too riskey to have him around he would have been approached again and only this time might have succeeded in killing michael only other alternative would be to keep him locked inside a room where no 1 could get to him but even that as a Corleone someone would have given him access to something it was a big decision
I think in Godfather 3 he expressed some regrets.
It was a punishment of the highest order. He told Fredo never to take sides with anyone against the Family, he didn't listen and now he's paying in spades. Also when Michael found out that Moe Greene and Hyman Roth were "Partners" back in the day also was a bitter pill for him since Fredo took Moe's Side over Michael.
@@laminage That's the dilemma Michael faced. All he had been trying to do was to protect his family, but he was betrayed by his own brother, not once but twice. His decision to kill his father and mother's son haunted him for the rest of his life.
Wow that makes sense... I never saw it that way...
Vito:"After all we aren't murderers despite what that undertaker says." Michael:"Speak for yourself old man."
We are just helping out our good friend Mr. Bonasera!
More like the following..... Vito: After all we aren’t murderers despite what that undertaker says. Michael: Hold my beer for me, will ya Pop?
@@byrongammonbyrongammon9937 Michael doesnt drink tho, remember? lol "Hold my club soda"
@@iztheillest Michael is diabetic, so he would drink water
there he said it...
The musical score was at least half of what made every moment in this movie so epic
At that moment, Al Neri knew what he was eventually going to have to do and it showed on his face.
The fact that the actor himself John Cazale only died 4 years later at 42 years old makes this even more powerful than it already is.
I love this scene between Michael and Connie!! It shows her love for her brother and loyalty torwards her family. She finally submits herself to the Godfather. Beautiful scene. The scene between the two brothers, possibly the best ever!!
SBY8104 love her submissiveness
What's odd, though, is that Michael routinely betrayed Connie. He had her husband killed just hours after he stood as godfather to her son. And then she begs him to forgive Fredo. And as he appears to, he also orders the hit on Fredo.
@@jasonkoch3182 I think you misunderstand what was going on there. She wasn't expecting Michael to spare Fredo's life. She knew Al Neri was going to put a bullet in him. She didn't want Fredo to spend his last days running and hiding in cheap motels, hunted by Al Neri, and found dead next to two cocktail waitresses. Fredo accepted his fate, but he couldn't bear being out in the cold. He was allowed to eat under the same roof again, and play with his nephew again, like a condemned man ordering his favourite dish for his last meal.
The Plot for third movie was supposed to be Connie taking her revenge on Michael and Tom by setting them up against each other.
@@jimbobeire Agreed. And when the time came, Fredo knew it and accepted it with a degree of dignity that he never really showed before.
The look between Al Neiri and Michael is just amazing acting. Al Pacino's eyes!
So many things said in this scene without words.. Flawless performances of John Cazale and Al Pacino... 👏👏👏👏👏👏💐💐💐
I think in that moment, Connie really realized that how much Michael sacrificed for The Family. He had aspirations of being a Math Teacher or Professor or even a Politician. HIs Father gets shot, he has to Step Up and avenge His Father's Death. Now God knows where that Family would have been if Michael hadn't stepped in.
I can tell Michael's eye contact straight towards Neri even he couldn't look back Michael gave an order to assasinate Fredo That final scene ends so deeply
You can feel the internal conflict of Michael between him as a brother and as a godfather (Mafia Boss) through the music played in the scene .. by mixing both different themes of music (The immigrant theme) with all it represents of family love and (The godfather theme) with all it represents of evil business in one single clip that acts like a conversation to reflect both sides of Michael's character and the heavy burden he's carrying on his shoulders .. Let's take a moment to appreciate the composer and music supervisors for this tremendous work ..
Michael really paid for what he did in Godfather 3. Best trilogy ever
That’s LOTR
@@cactusmalone I’d say The Dark Knight Rises kinda pushes the trilogy down a bit but it’s still an amazing trilogy, imo it’s the 2nd best trilogy, for me no.1 is LOTR, every film is just Incredible, but I wouldn’t say the Spider-Man Trilogy is as good The Godfather trilogy, still amazing though.
Part III is often considered the “Fredo” of the trilogy, but there are some really good scenes in it. I have yet to see the re-edited Coda version yet, so it might be even better than I remember.
@@robertbusek30 ha! That’s genius how you named it the ‘’Fredo’’ of the trilogy
@@ayaankhan7576 It’s smaht and it wants respect!! 😆
Fredo and Mike's relationship is one of the best "short stories" in the cinema
You are my elder brother and I love you, and I don't want anything to happen to you as long as our mother is alive!
I think he let Fredo go cause i saw him in The Deerhunter
Urbmeister Aha Nice one!
+Urbmeister Aha hahaha
Michael ACTUALLY DID forgive Fredo. They buried the hatchet and to celebrate it by robbing a bank together in New York...
Yes. Vito was there too.
That's a good one ... you've got some out of the box thinking...get into some creative bussiness. ( Msg From Sri Lanka )
When Fredo and Michael hugged, I thought of Michael quoting his dad: “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” A hug means Fredo is toast…
The hug is a genuine love for his brother, a last goodbye.
John Cazale (RIP) who played Fredo to perfection!!!! What an underrated performance! He was a gifted actor who in a 6 year span acted in Godfather The Conversation Godfather 2 Dog Day Afternoon and The Deer Hunter. All of which were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar!!!! What a brilliant talent!
As long as mother is alive. Straight cold blooded.
This is the best series of all the time. I hqve watched them repeatedly and my appetite for watching them again has never decreased.
The way the music swells up and takes over at 2:14 gets. me. every. time.
This scene gets to me every time, it's so powerful.
I wonder if Michael felt any sort of emotion at the point when him and Fredo embraced. Such a powerful and sad scene.
ApparentlyEric he did He hugged Fredo goodbye before he gave the order to Neri
What a Brilliant scene and the re-editing was Awesome. That hug and the look; not a word needed to know how it was going down soon.
The music is out of this world 🤯😍
Great actor John Cazole.
Rusty Kuntz We can both agree he died before his time. What talent he pocessed Cazale :)
great food, calzone.
The best
Michael in Part II is a total zombie. All that rage instilled in him from Part I swells till it bursts and splatters on everyone around him.
“Zombie Michael” is really only in the latter half of the film, after he was betrayed first by Fredo and then by Kay. Could Michael be suffering from PTSD from his war experiences and what happened in Sicily?
@@robertbusek30 It always bothers me when certain viewers look at masterpieces and GOAT characters and paint them in such limited ways. I find it very basic. Why do we always try to see characters as either good or bad. Michael isn't a villain nor a hero. He is a tragic character that a lot of people sadly misinterpret. He never chose this life, this life chose him. His father chose that life for him no matter how many times he would say otherwise. The day Vito chose this criminal world is the day Michael was doomed to begin with. He never wanted this life and his fathers criminal path forced Michael to go through such a tragic character development. Michael saw his father get shot, his brother get killed, the love of his life get killed, his 2nd wife basically killing his unborn son and his brother, his blood, betraying him. I wish the conversation was more about how these events have shaped Michael in such a tragic way that not many of us would have escaped. Within this sadness comes beauty, art for us viewers. I personally feel that Michael Corleone had the best character development of any movie character. It's like lightning in a bottle. Every single detail was perfection...for the first 2 films. If Michael had spared Fredos life, Michael wouldn't have lived long. Not just him. His entire family would have been gone not long after that. If you take your emotions out of it, and think, Michael never really had much of a choice. It was either Fredo or his entire family. Michael did warn Fredo...never go against the family. And he did, which almost got Michael, Kay and the kids killed. Some things you just cannot forgive.
@@TK0S3 - There are all really good points. I think it all comes back to what Hyman Roth said when he was talking about Moe’s death: “This is the business we have chosen.” Michael chose this way of life after much resistance and this way of life has certain rules that you cannot break if you want you and your loved ones to survive. I think the third film gets a bad rap that it doesn’t really deserve. Without it, we would never know how Michael tries to deal with what he has become. Part III is not as good as Parts I and II, but it’s still a pretty good movie.
Poor Rocco the hitman. When Michael hugged Fredo he was hoping he was off the "brother-killing" hook. And then Michael looked up at him with the "he's dead😠" stare. And Rocco said, "Awh hell!" 😲😶
His father Vito gave him a vital playbook about family turning to foes when he had Michael become his successor. Michael watched a man he considered his uncle, Tesso betray the family just because he deemed it the smartest move business wise. Due to him viewing Michael as a young kid that was inexperienced in that line of work. Never did Michael or Vito realize that that knowledge would play major roles in how he interacted with the underworld.
Talia Shire deserved the Oscar for this movie- See her face, gestures, hear her voice- PERFECT !!!!!
+Ivonne mendeville lol shut up
Ivonne mendeville You only said this because she is a woman, at least admit it
This truly was the most cold blooded scene that sealed Michael's fate. It ensured that the laws of the universe would truly punish him. Most of us did not like the ending of part III, but it was justice.
Al was fantastic as Michael. Such cold eyes.
Damn this is scene its so cinic give me chills.And big part of that its the perfomance. THE GOAT FILM
You can watch the most detailed analysis of the Godfather trilogy on my channel!
2:32 that eye contact signal with his henchmen was beyond next level!! Idk why he didn’t won an Oscar for this priceless performance! 😔
I am too young to remember it as I was seven that year, but from what I have read, Art Carney who won best actor for "Harry and Tonto" that year. I don't know if that was perhaps due to the quirkiness of that movie and a more feel good story or what the deal was. It's a bit like "Shakespeare in Love" beating out "Saving Private Ryan." Sometimes there is no explanation with the Oscars other than maybe the voters that year aren't in the mood for some films or some portrayals.
@@kentvesser9484 or its fixed or they just wanted old art carney to have an oscar.
'He said there would be something in it for me..FOR ME!!". The line that got himself killed. I think Michael wouldn't have killed him if it was truly just Fredo's stupidity. But it wasn't.
There were many factors...you forget about the shooting inside their house...who could have been the mole...what about the attack on Michael's father....what about Apollonia's death...what about Sonny's death...and he plotted to kill his own brother Michael...how would you feel if that happened to you.
I always took Neri looking down as not to give Michael's true intention away to anyone else in the room. He completely understood the assignment.
Each scene of this movie is masterpiece by itself.
Amen to death...great stuff, totally agree with you.
Now this was real acting. Brilliant!
I really feel like part two shouldn't have been this double parallel. Young Vito is so vital to telling this story it could have been a movie all on it's own.
If it’s any consolation, Al Pacino is a super nice guy in real life. 😊
This scene where Michael hugs Fredo actually represents "the final moments" of Michael's feelings towards his brother Fredo. Fredo thought Michael was forgiving him. Michael knew his feelings towards his brother Fredo has now reached the conclusion since their mother is dead. This moment also allowed Michael to "keep in touch" with Fredo so that Michael can execute Fredo for his betrayal. For me, this scene reminds me of Joab's execution of his cousin Amasa in the Bible for his betrayal and other treasonous activities.
I think Fredo knows that he’s screwed now that Mama Corleone is dead. We never see him and Michael interact after this point, even though Fredo’s obviously living at the compound. The talks Fredo has with Anthony (especially at the very end) tell me that he knows that he’s living on borrowed time.
Amasa didn't follow David's instruction.
@@leadizolatorz668 Correct. Just like Fredo didn't follow Michael's instruction - "Don't ever take sides with anyone against the family again."
Wow! A Joab reference in the comments! Woo! Joab killed Abner and Amasa because they threatened his political position in Israel. What treason did Amasa commit?
@@jackcoleman5955 Why write false assumptions instead of facts? Joab (with the support from his brother Abishai) killed Abner, because they wanted to avenge Abner for murdering their brother Asahel (2 Samuel 3 verse 27, 2 Samuel 3 verse 30). Joab and Abishai had the legal right to do it (Numbers 35 verse 19). Amasa committed treason by siding with Absalom (2 Samuel 17 verse 25) in order to murder David, Joab, and their supporters and Amasa later created circumstances which threatened the survival of David's Kingdom (including Joab's life) (2 Samuel 20 verses 4 to 10). I covered them in great detail at my posts at quora under the name "Joseph Pendleton" and also in my youtube video on Joab as well. Its better to discuss the topic there.