This following bit of dialogue...



...is for me one of the more fascinating elements of Godfather II. Each man is putting on a superficial show of mutual respect, cooperation and trust - while just beneath the surface lies the dynamic of predator and prey, stealthily circling one another, each man subtly trying to discern the other's true intent, each man trying to position himself for some kind of strategic advantage.

Yet there are questions (at least for me): Is it possible that by the time of this meeting in Miami that Hyman Roth already knew Michael had caught onto his nefarious scheme, and was simply stringing Michael along until he got another chance to finish off Michael for good? Or did Roth only suspect that Michael had caught on to him, and had hoped for an opportunity to confirm his suspicions using clues from Michael's behavior/demeanor at the meeting?

Likewise, at what point was Michael convinced that Roth was behind the assassination attempt? Was it even before he left Lake Tahoe? Or was one of Michael's purposes for the Miami meeting to pick some sort of clues from Roth's demeanor/behavior?

Clearly by the time of the Havana scenes, the gloves were coming off rapidly. Note the tense, hard faces during the meeting with Batista and the corporate big shots. And of course, the barely-disguised confrontation between Roth and Michael that occurred in Roth's hotel suite.

~ Q