Now for the longest time, I've had these questions about Part III.

1. Did they ever explain what Altobello had against Michael and the Corleone Family to turn against them? They explained Roth in Part II and Sollozzo and Barzini in Part I obviously.

2. We know that Duvall and FFC could not come to an agreement on how much he should be paid for Part III. However, as an explanation for no Hagen, is it possible that Michael had Tom Hagen killed maybe some time after Part II as Michael was merciless to those who he even suspected of betraying him? Of course, then we see Michael taking care of Andrew and would Andrew have suspected? I don't know.

3. As I've heard about rumors of Part IV and what Puzo wanted to do it with it, I wonder if Michael had any power or say in the Family after he gave control to Vincent? We know that Michael for his whole life, tried to make the Corleone Family legitimate and with Vincent taking over, he would most likely bring the Family back to crime to keep them strong. Maybe after the death of his daughter, Michael simply doesn't care anymore as he moves to Sicily. Also, I wonder what Connie's role would be?

I also find it strange that Al Neri, the Family's most feared enforcer, had gone soft as he couldn't come up with the idea to take care of Zasa. In fact, he wasn't even sure if he should avenge the attempted hit on Michael and an amateur namely Vincent had to figure out how to do it. And I'm only saying and amateur compared to Al Neri who has been with the Family for all this time.

Thanks in advance!

Well, they never did explain about Roth and Barzini. They left it to us to surmise that they both wanted what the Coeleones had. The same is true of Altobello.

Michael killing Tom would be a stretch.

You're probably right that after Mary's death, Michael went into emotional and physical hibernation.

Neri was Michael's subordinate who was not supposed to act without orders. Michael expressed the same when he told him that it was not what he wanted. Vincent did so without Michael's instructions by simply substituting Connie for Michael in the hierarchy. That was inane.

No. And, for that matter, who was Lucchese and why was he against Michael; or what were his terms for Michael running Immobiliare? What was Immobiliare, and why was it so important to Michael--especially after being made a Papal Knight? Why was Archbishop Gilday against Michael, and in cahoots with Lucchese? These, and plenty of other questions that are unresolved, contribute to the plot feebleness that makes III an unworthy successor to GF and II.


I wouldn't put it past Michael to whack Hagen, if he thought he had reason. Consider the penultimate boathouse scene in II, when Michael tells him that he can take his wife, his family and his mistress and live in Vegas, if he doesn't want to go along with Michael. Suppose Hagen had said, "Right! I'm outta here!" How long do you think Hagen would have lived?


As Olivant said, he was a beaten man at that point. I believe that, if Michael had had his way, he would have taken over Immobiliare, run it ruthlessly, and maintained Vincent as his pitbull-in-waiting: a thug who ran what was left of the old NYC "olive oil business" while staying at almost arm's length from Michael: far enough not to besmirch his "legitimate" reputation, but close enough to be a threat to anyone who threatened Michael.


Neri had to appear "soft" so that FFC and Puzo could introduce us to Vincent as the heir-apparent, thug-in-waiting, incestuous lover of Michael's daughter, man-on-the-make, etc.

I don't agree with all you posted TB. Lucchese et al pursued power endlessly. They didn't need any other reason to contest Mike on Immobliere. Michael wanted it for the same reason and, perhaps, as a path to legitimacy. That's debatable

Regarding Neri, he wasn't soft. Remember that he said I'd love to smack [Zasa], but he's always got people around him. Vinnie was reckless and apparently didn't care about taking precautions. The attack on certainly endangered alot of civilians which was something that neither Neri or Michael would have countenanced. Also, by doing it himself he provided the authorities with a direct link to Michael and rationalizing that Connie said to do it was careless, at best. I believe that Neri was being prudent.

1. Altobello had the same motivation to go against Michael and the Corleones that Roth and Barzini did. He figured it was good business.

2. I doubt that Michael had Tom killed. It's certainly within Mike's character, but his support of Andrew makes this implausible.

3. I agree that Mary's death was also, for all intents and purposes, the death of Michael. I also think that Michael truly wanted out before that, so he would have done his best to go against his controlling nature and allow Vincent to run the family without interference.

Also, Neri was hardly soft to not kill Zasa. He was doing his boss's bidding. Killing Zasa was not necessarily a smart move, at least not until the Corleone's "true enemy" was revealed.

Part III certainly had its flaws, but I never felt that these "loose ends" were among them.

We are told that the Immobiliare deal would make Michael one of the richest men in the world, and that it would make Michael's money "clean." To someone as obsessed with money, power, and legitimacy as Michael would desperately want this deal.

Of course, if Michael's taking over, he must be pushing someone out. Enter Lucchese, who has bought the loyalty of Gilday, Keinzig, et al.

Sure, there are places where FFC left us to fill in the gaps, but this is true of the first 2 films as well. If it wasn't, this site wouldn't exist.

Good questions and answers

1. Altobello had cast his lot with Joey Zasa AND Luchese, so he wanted Michael out of New York, and he wanted to be reqarded by Luchese who did not want Michael in Immobiliare.

2. Immobaliare was the largest realestate holding company in the world, but it was corrupt. It was in cahoots with the Vatican Bank and over extended. The Bishop and Luchese and the othewrs did not want Michael involved, because Michael would have exposed them and ruined them. Remember what Michael says: "the higher up I go the crookeder it gets."

3. After Mary's death Michael was a beaten man who spent his remaining days in Sicily. Connie may or may not have stayed with him to take care of him.

4. Micheal did not whack Tom Hagen, although he was capable of it. There are too many indications otherwise in GF III. He goes out of his way to tell George Hamilton that Tom was a dreat lawyer (typical Michael...insults To all his life and when he dies he uses Tom to put down his new lawyer). He is obviously supportive of Tom's widow, and he pulls strings to get Andrew a plump assignment at the Vatican.

5. Neri reluctantly went along with Vincent and Connies plan to
kill Zasa, but knowing Michael as he did, heprobably thought it would be better for Michael to give the order.