When Michael was shot outside of the opera house in GF III, and the bullet ricoched off his shoulder an into Mary's gut, was that symbolic? I mean, to show that all Michael's life agony bounced off him and also to his family?

Any thoughts?

I think that the death of Mary was Michael's punishment for the life he had lived and the choices he had made. He was always crying about how he had no choice, he had a different destiny in mind, he was only trying to protect his family and so on. However, after his confession, when he kneels at Tommasino's coffin, he says prays for the chance to prove himself and swears that if he's given another chance, he will sin no more. Immediately afterward, Vincent says, "Give me the order." He then makes Vincent the don, and sets into motion the various deaths that take place that night.

Instead of saying to Vincent,"No. No more killing," he lets his chance for redemption to slip away. He then had to pay for his decision with the ultimate punishment.

You are soo right Sicilian Babe!!!! He lied to the man upstairs, and that is the wrong thing to do. Michael always thought he was smarter than everybody, but he got careless...."Women and children can be careless, men cannot." And he found that out the hard way. I think that it also shows that he could never get away from the horrible things he did in his life.....sure he went legit, and turned the keys over to Vincent.....but just like Carlo Rizzi in GF2.......he had to answer for Sonny, Mikey had to answer for Fredo......and there was only one person who could punish Mike......the man upstairs, took his most prize possesion from him.....lil Mary.

I think Mary was the price Michael had to pay, but I disagree with the idea that he wass being hipoocritical when he passed the torch to Vincent. When Vincent said "give me the order" what he meant was "give me control of the family." Michael does so and he tells Connie that he is not going to be involved in what hppens next "because I can't do it anymore." Surely he knew what Vincent was up to, but it is a lot like Vito corleone's promise "on the lives of his grandchildren (one of whom was Mary) that he would not be the one to break the peace.

I don't agree, DT. If you have pre-knowledge of a murder, and do nothing to prevent it, then you are just as guilty as the murderer. Michael, knowing that Neri and Calo would be dispatched to murder his enemies, is just as guilty as the person giving the orders. Passing over the reins made him just as guilty. That was his opportunity to end the killing, and he let it slip through his fingers. In GF2, when he is asked, "Do you have to take everyone out?", he says, "Not everyone, just my enemies." But at that point, he thinks of almost everyone as his enemy.