Contemplation

I know it's supposed to be enigmatic, but what do you think Michael is thinking when he's seen in contemplation at the end of Part II? Sorrow? Regret? Satisfaction? Relief? Or a combination of all of these? There's certainly a lot to reflect on at the end of II.

With the exception of regret, all of those things. Also, some misgivings. His evolution into the person he would become in III may have started then.

The interesting thing about this scene is that it was supposed to have taken place many years later when an older Michael talks with his 18 year old son Anthony.

That's why we see a clearly aged Michael. Funny thing is that many fans assume he just aged overnight...

I always thought it was a look f total resignation, and knowledge that no matter how much Michael "won," that in the end he "lost." It was one of the few moments in the trilogy where Michael is not in a state of denial about his "legitimacy."

Exactly, As I posted above, his change to the Michael of GFIII probably started then, and yes, the scene was apparently years later. Afterall, Vito was all about the family. Michael not only murdered a member of his family, but he manipulated (Connie: "Michael wants to take him to Reno now." and Anthony: "Some day you will [help me]." them to serve his own ends.

Yes. I think it was final resignation to what he'd become. The key, IMO, is when he returned to Tahoe--he knew Fredo had betrayed him, and Kay ignored him when he came in the door--and asked Mama if it was possible to lose his family.

By the way TB, has anyone figured out who in the heck those black dressed people were in the background during Michael's contemplative moment?

Manolo and his assistants. The noise of their commercial-grade lawn mowers made them deaf to the sound of Neri's gunshot.

I didn't know it until your post, but it was Manolo all along.