Tom's reaction to Fredo's murder

I kind of wonder how Tom would've reacted to Fredo's murder. We see him with Pentangelli, saying how the Corleone Family was like the Roman Empire--once.

We see Tom has great reservations about even killing Roth and the Rosato Brothers--Basically feeling it's overkill. There doesn't seem to be any indication that Tom was in the loop about the plan to kill Fredo. It seemed to be only between Michael and Al. But he knew about Fredo's betrayal to Roth and I'm sure he wouldn't have bought the story about Fredo drowning.

So it just makes me wonder how Tom, who was already marginalized and then publicly humiliated by Michael and distrusted by him, who already felt the Corleone Family was degenerating into animals, would've felt or reacted to Michael having Fredo--a brother to both of them--killed.

Well,if he didn't know about it in advance, he certainly was able to figure it out after it happened. I think that in II Tom was running on the fuel of loyalty to Vito. For sure, Tom was not offended by murder since he had the choice way back when of working for Vito or not and he acknowledged to Vito that he knew who Vito was. Tom's hands were quite dirty, even filthy. If nothing else does, his part in the murder of the prostitute proves it. Tom may have sought to constrain Michael, but we can't know if he did so for moral or business reasons. After Fredo's murder he was probably forlorn, but his loyalty to Vito still dominated his decisions.

I just think given Tom's sensitivity, Fredo's murder might've been unforgivable to him. I mean Tom's a guy who wanted to give Tessio a pass, who felt there was no need to kill Roth or the Rosatos. He went along grudgingly out of love for Vito, yes, but I'm sure even he had his limits.

He as much as anyone knew Fredo was weak. If Michael could later feel bad about it, I don't see why Tom wouldn't have left the Corleone organization completely after Fredo's murder. He was already considering it beforehand.

But why did he stay (without his role in III we can never know)? I just think his loyalty to Vito was so strong in him that it governed all his decisions.

Tom is a strange paradox. He seems like a nice lawyer but he is involved ina very dark and shady lifestyle. Now i think tom felt that he had to give his soul for the family since he was taken in by vito and given a better life. However i still hold tom accounatble for his actions. In regards to Fredo i dont think tom was happy at all if he knew at all. Maybe mike didnt tell him although im sure tom would have figured it out but by that point mike and tom were on shaky ground

I started a thread parallel to this question a while back--could Tom have warned Fredo? It wasn't much of a question, since Tom, knowing Michael's nature, would have figured out Fredo was a dead man without Michael telling him. And if Tom wanted to live to see his next birthday, he wouldn't have said anything to Fredo. But, it had to have hurt Tom, since he and Fredo really seemed to be brothers. The film ended without us having an opportunity to see Tom's reaction.

Good point. Also at that time FFC never intended to make another GF films so maybe that shot of mike at the end alone meant that maybe tom did leave at some point. obviously in Part 3 that wasnt the case but maybe that was the first interpretation back in 74

Is it possible that Tom stayed because he knew of no other way? Of course he knew the way of the "pezzanovante" and deep down he realized there was not much difference between the Corleone world and the business/politics world? He stayed because he was more familiar/comfortable and protected in his current situation?

That's possible. But I do think he stayed out of loyalty to Vito. Also, we don't know if Tom did depart once Fredo was murdered. He might have drawn the line at fratricide. In fact, remember that Michael was willing to let him go at one point. When he told Frankie that the Corleones used to be like the Roman Empire, he betrayed alot of his own feelings about the way things were now. Thus, I think I could see him leaving. And his telling Michael that he had always been loyal to him rather than stating that they were stepbrothers also says alot about his feelings. I realy don't know.

I always thought that the subtext of the conversation between Tom and Michael "Are you gonna come along with me on these things I have to do or not" was the murder of Fredo.

Michael didn't have to and certainly wasn't going to spell it out. Tom knew that Fredo was gone one way or the other. At that point Michael has murdered his only remaining blood brother and alienated his step brother. I think that Tom would have been considered himself to strictly be an employee, going forward.

Can we read anything into the presence of Tom's family at the party that opens up Part III? I believe this provides the viewer with a solid indication that Tom remained on cordial terms with the "Family." The relationship was certainly strained, but not to it's endpoint.

Tom isn't stupid. His job prospects outside of the family circle probably weren't too promising so as much as he had come to hate everything that Michael represented, I doubt he was going to walk away from the security it provided.

Don't forget that Michael's motivations were, in part, a function of his guilt and diabetes.

I disagree with the theory that Tom wanted to let Tessio off the hook- No way, he may have been a pragmatic gangster, but he was still a gangster. He was just acting gentlemanly to a desperate old man, Tessio plotted to kill the Don- HE HAD TO GO.

He behaved the same way with Pentangelli (except that time he wanted Franky to live), but anyway back to the subject.