Originally posted by AppleOnYa:
MAYBE they were garroted, could be. Though if there was ever any reference to that in the film it's just another thing that's gotten past me over all these years.
When the assassins bodies are located in the ditch, at least one of them clearly (at least to me) has a red line across his throat, indicating that he either had his throat cut, or was garroted. Plus,
there were no gunshots that anyone heard Though if they were, then my question would be why would there be two guys waiting to garrot two other guys who were hired to assasinate Don Corleone. And where would THOSE two guys flee to, now that the compound would most certainly be secured, locked down and almost impossible to escape from?
That's exactly Michael's point when he says to Tom:
"Unless I'm very wrong, they're dead already. Killed by someone close to us. Inside.
"THOSE" guys didn't have to flee.
Since there were two of them, I don't see how Fredo could have possibly been responsible.
That, I agree with.
To those who think it was Fredo:
Let's say Fredo didn't know it was gonna be a hit, but he killed the guys to cover his ass. So he runs out into the darkness in his bathrobe and pajamas and finds the two of them
before the dozen or so guys and dogs running around the property looking for the same two guys, gets the drop on them, and kills them both. What a stroke of good fortune.
And as far as covering his ass goes, these were hired hitmen. It's doubtful that they would have been aware of the scope of the plot and that Fredo was the inside man. Roth, or whoever hired them acting for Roth, would have no logical reason to tell them of Fredo's involvement. So I don't think that Fredo had anything to fear from them if they were captured alive.
I think the ultimate proof, BTW, that Fredo
didn't know it was gonna be a hit, was his line to Johnny Ola in the late night telephone call:
"You guys lied to me"
Why would he say that to Johnny Ola if Johnny
hadn't lied to him? What else was there that Johnny could have lied
about
