Does anyone else notice characters speaking slightly too soon in Part II? This mannerism really takes me out of the film's reality because it exposes the characters as prepared actors. I wonder if this is a directorial choice.


-Johnny Ola: "One by one, our old friends are all dead." This remark, changing the topic of conversation, seems to come in a beat too soon, as he hadn't really been listening to Michael or thinking about what they were saying.
-Neri: talking about the High Court of Israel's ruling on Hyman Roth. His speaking manner during the entire scene here seems rushed and contrived, as if reading from a script. As an acting student, I may be projecting myself onto him, but Richard Bright seems to be attempting to disguise his (the actor's) genuine nervousness (perhaps at working with such high-caliber peers) as Neri's scorn, but it doesn't work for me.

Compare these actors' choices with the naturalism of Caan or Gazzo. Like Ola and Neri, Hagen also seem to have a somewhat stiffer "prepared" speaking style.