Here goes more of my 2 pennies...If Michael would have struck Roth prematurely, he would have looked "bad" in the eyes of the other "investors" and more importantly, the commission. Mike had to be 100% sure that Roth was the pinnacle "bad guy" in the events that were unfolding before he set ANY plan in motion. One test Michael gave Roth was at the birthday cake scene in Havana. Michael described to Roth that he witnessed the young resistance would rather blow themselves up rather than be captured for their cause. The look on Roth's face is priceless - It seems to me that it was the first time Roth suspected that Michael was not an easy "target" as he once thought...IMO. I defer to Turnbull, he usually hits the nail on the head...TB, thoughts?

Don Cardi – I appreciate you don’t like the c word, but I said it within context.

Yes, Michael was a bastard. Yes, he abused Frankie's loyalty. Yes, he used him during his game with Roth.

But that doesn't make Frankie right. Even though Frankie balked at the last minute (only because of his brother, btw), his original deal with the Feds is what caused the hearings to be held in the first place. Nobody else could link Michael directly to the perjury charges they were trying to hang on him, in addition to his other crimes. Without Frankie's original deposition, there would have been nothing. For that, he had to be killed.

One of the points that The Godfather Trilogy makes over and over is that The Family is run by different rules than the rest of the world. Treachery can never be forgiven. That's it. Carlo couldn't be forgiven; Tessio couldn't be forgiven; the Corleones couldn't rest until Sollozzo and McCluskey were eliminated, and on and on.

It's the way of their world. Frankie knew it. He knew what he had done. That's why he had the conversation he did with Tom - to make sure that if he sacrificed his own life, his family would be taken care of.

Why hate Tessio? Carlo I can understand. He was just a wife-beating jerk. Even Michael doesn't hate Tessio, however. He says that he knows Tessio did it because it seemed to be the smart thing to do, and that Tessio was always smart. He's not angry or even surprised by the betrayal.

Some men don't like the word either...I think its a little condescending to suggest that poor women will be so offended by it when they watch these testosterone fuelled films...

Oh, and signing affadavits and whatnot is useless without TESTIFYING in court.

In response to Turnbull

I hardly think a bunch of hoods could be used as an ‘alibi’, in fact, I dare say a group of them were aware that Roth was planning to off Mike. Where did Mike say he wanted to meet Batista?

Pentangeli thought that Mike betrayed him.
So while he thought that he gave some info to the feds that had gotten a hold of him.

I would do exactly what Pentangeli did.
I won't rat out the Don if i didn't think that he had betrayed me.
Roth played it beautifully like Tom said, but Pentangeli still had justification.

Think of it as this you are in a gang they send some one after you to kill you, what would you do next?
I would go and rat the bastard out.

Even though all this is a code for the Mafia there is a sense of justification for what Frank did, he thought Mike had turned on him.

...Are you a mod? If not, don't tell me off please....

...I would do exactly what Pentangeli did...

...I just think Michael gets away with way too much, and others get away with less. We are made to hate Tessio and Carlo for their treachery, but Mike did much the same to Frank in my view.

And apparently, even if you ARE a mod (or two), he'll still have a problem respecting your wishes.

That's fine...and you would end up dead, just like Pentangeli did.

While it's true Frankie never actually testified, never actually 'broke' Omerta after seeing his brother...the damage was done, the betrayal had been made. By making the decision to keep his trap shut he knew he was putting himself against a wall. He was now in trouble with the Feds; no more protection, certainly prison...where he would eventually be brought down by Michael's men. He really had nowhere to turn.

I think that the way the story is presented, we ARE supposed to feel sorry for Frankie, I certainly do. He's a pathetic character...loyal to his Don for years and then squashed like a bug because he couldn't keep up with the changing times, couldn't accept his NEW Don's way of doing things.

We do feel sorry for Frankie, and we do NOT like what Michael became. We may even like how close Michael was to being brought down by Frankie, before winning yet again. But that doesn't change the fact that in the business he was in, and for the actions he took...Frankie had to die.

I don't see how ANYONE could be a fan of these films for so many years and not comprehend that.

Apple