I was wondering if we could list all of the mysteries and unanswered questions there are in the book. There are many of them. Also, what are the possible answers to these questions.

Two that I can think of right away is:
1) Who opened the drapes? (I'm not quite so sure it was Fredo.)
2) Who ordered for Pentangelli to be killed? (I am convinced that it was Roth, but I know some on the board think otherwise.)

There's a lot of differences but I feel that there also a lot of unanswered questions in the book. Have you read the book? Because some scenes that were in the movie maynot have been in the book. And for your questions the answers I can't remember but I'll try to get back with you on that if not me then someone else.

Don Sicilia -

Unfortunately, the two examples you gave (the drapes being opened, and the hit on Frank Pentangeli) were created solely for Part II, and were not covered in the book.

My only "argument" against Part II is that it leaves too many questions unanswered, and its too confusing because of that.

Generally they've said that the drapes were left open by Fredo. Because it was said that it was "an inside job". No way to confirm that. Secondly, the hit on Pentangelli - it's been agreed that Roth did that and had his boys say Michael ordered it to have Frank lose faith in him. Again, no way to confirm it. Your best bet is to improvise and keep reading Puzzo's books, might give you a better insight into the films and how they tick.

My fault everyone. I must have had a brain lapse or something.



What I meant was what unanswered questions there are in the movie/trilogy.

Oh, by the way, I have read the book- it was excellent.

I don't agree with it being Freddo, because in the movie when he was explaining himself to Michael he weeps and says "I swear I didn't know it was a hit, I swear Mikey" I think it was the people who were shooting Michael, annd Freddo shot them, and I am convinced that Michael didn't set up Franky five angels because, why would Mike want Frank outta the picture, he was a help, it was Roth he wanted dead because he smelt a rat. It was Roth, he wanted Frank dead because Frank would advise Michael to go against him and he just told Frank before he died that Mike was responsible to leave him with that thought when he died.

I think you all have the Pentangelli hit wrong. Micheal and Tom knew exactly what happened though once they talked to Fredo. What did Fredo say "And they got Pentangelli too". Micheal forced Roth's hand when he went down to Florida because he wanted to know exactly who was the traitor in his family, he was willing to make Roth believe he thought Frank tried to kill him after the party but then does nothing which forces Roth's hand once he doesnt hear of Frank being killed. After the failed hit he knew for a fact Roth was his enemy but he still could not finger the traitor.The failed hit on Frank was exactly how Roth wanted it to go down, by half killing a wanted man and telling him hello from micheal corleone you make him think michael set him up. Once they clean up the scene and find who is most likely the most wanted man in New York half dead in the closet i bet their mouths were watering,plus when the FBI gets Frank in a room he is welcoming them with open arms. See what people need to understand that Roth was just about as smart as Michael, he knew doing this to Frank would hurt Michael a whole lot more than killing frank. Micheal has to play a long game of looking Roth right in the face while wanting him dead all to find out his brother helped with an attempt to have him killed, that's drama like no other.

It is true that Michael was almost 100% certain that Roth was behind the Tahoe shooting before the smoke cleared. Yes, he tried to lull Roth by visiting him in Florida and telling him "Frank Pentangeli is a dead man."

But, instead of killing Frankie, Michael sent him on his mission to "settle these problems with the Rosato brothers." Michael had his own reasons: if Frankie settled with the Rosatos, it'd be one more worry off his shoulders. If the Rosatos killed Frankie, it'd be one more proof that Roth was behind the shooting. He couldn't lose. Meanwhile, Roth knew that by sending Frankie to the Rosatos rather than killing him, Michael really didn't suspect Frankie--he might suspect Roth. So Roth ordered the Rosatos to kill--repeat, kill--Pentangeli, not to leave him half-dead. He wanted Pentangeli dead because he was Michael's ally and muscle in NYC, and he wanted his allies, the Rosato brothers, to take over.

Here's why Roth could not have engineered Frankie's near-fatal garotting and last second rescue:

Roth's plan was to lure Michael to Havana, get the $2 million, and have him assassinated on his way back to his hotel in the early hours of January 1, 1959. Why would Roth try to engineer an incredibly risky, incredibly difficult, split-second-timed rescue of Pentangeli from the garotte? So Frankie could develop a grudge against Michael and testify against him at a Senate hearing weeks or months down the road--at which time, according to Roth's plan, Michael would already be long dead?

And, suppose he did try to engineer the cop's last-second rescue of Frankie. We saw that the cop who broke it up wasn't in on it--he was genuinely surprised that Richie's was open, and he was wounded in the ensuing shootout. So, how would Roth do it? Call his contact in the local police precinct and tell him, "Hello, Shultz--this is Roth. I want you to send a patrolman to Richie's Bar...today at 3:17 and 34 seconds. Not 3:17 and 44 seconds, not 3:17 and 24 seconds--it's gotta be 3:17 and 34 seconds. Got it? Ok, let's synchronize watches." Or, suppose he called the precinct anonymously from a phone booth and said, "Hey, there's something bad going down in Richie's Bar. You better send a patrolman down there. But not now...send him at 3:17 and 34 seconds" (etc., etc.).

Thanks for the responses and i do see your point now that i look at the big picture with Cuba involved. Your right if they kill Frank all they have left to do is kill Mike in Cuba, but whose to say Roth even had a plan to kill Mike in Cuba yet, he thought he was going to be dead after the party and then would never be in Florida talking to him about Frank. And why Micheal Corleone says hello? If you are dead why would you be worried about who killed you? Thats what makes it seem like Roth meant to leave him alive,I guess what happened was just lucky for Roth, just seems well put together to me considering Roth had a senator and ended up giving Frank to the feds. Do you think Roth should have killed Fredo before he tried to kill Mike? Do you think it would have pointed the finger away from or strait at Roth? Thanks you for your response again, love it when a good discussion is started!

Tony Rosato's saying "Michael Corleone says hello" is the source of so many speculations that Roth planned for Frankie to survive. In an interview, Danny Aiello, who played Tony, said he adlibbed that line. But why did FFC allow it to stand? IMO, the line was for the benefit of Richie the bartender. Richie was a "civilian" and he was nervous as hell ("Carmine--NOOOO!"). Tony knew he might wilt under pressure from police questioning. But Richie wouldn't rat out the Rosatos. So, Richie could tell the cops, "I don't know the guys who did this, but one of them said, 'Michael Corleone says hello.'" That would lead the cops--and the newspapers--to Michael: another blow to his "legitimate" front.

Michael had already agreed to go to Havana before dispatching Frankie to meet with the Rosatos. Roth had no intention of letting him leave Havana alive.

I've always believed that Fredo was far more deeply involved with Roth than he let on. Consider the scene where Michael meets with Tom, Rocco and Neri in Vegas probably less than 48 hours after he left Havana. Tom tells him that Roth had a stroke, got out on a boat, recovered, and the bodyguard is dead. Michael asks about Fredo and Tom tells him Fredo's probably in NY. Tom was in Nevada the entire time Michael was away. How did Tom know all those things? Fredo must have told him. Fredo got to NY in the same <48 hours that Michael got to Vegas. Michael had a plane, but Fredo wasn't on it. IMO, Fredo was on the boat that took Roth out of Cuba, and that's how he knew about Roth's survival and the bodyguard's death. And, later, in the boathouse, Fredo knows the Senate subcomittee has Pentangeli--and that the Senate lawyer, Questadt, belongs to Roth. How could he have known all that unless he was very close to Roth?

Roth should have killed Fredo, wouldve left Tom and Mike playing a guessing game.

If he did, then Michael would know that Fredo was the traitor.

But think of another scenario: What if Fredo hadn't made his fatal gaffe at the Superman show, and had gotten on the plane with Michael? Michael had to kill Roth before Roth could kill him. Then he would have had to return to Tahoe still not knowing who the traitor was in his family.

If Roth kills Fredo, Mike and Tom don't know Frank is alive or that Roth has the senator.