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

"We're bigger than US Steel". Was Roth being genuine or still stringing Michael along? More from that scene that can keep us guessing who was being honest and who playing the game.

Roth wanted Michael's funding and the facade of a partnership with him. It was a utilitarian relationship. I don't think that Michael was ever fooled by Roth's apparent friendship. Michael wanted control of gambling; Roth had at least some of that control. Thus, to Michael, Roth was a natural enemy.

Michael said it best when he commented that Roth has been dying of the same heart attack for years, and that he pretends Michael is his successor, but in reality he thinks he will live forever.

Roth had to suspect that Michael had caught onto him, simply because Michael had survived the Tahoe shooting and there weren't many culprits for him to blame. Must have been a very tense meeting for Roth. Then again, he couldn't very well take flight when Michael said he wanted to meet with him. But: since Roth's Plan A was to have Pentangeli blamed for killing Michael, he had reason to believe, before the meeting, that Michael fell for it.

BTW: Just as Michael should have smelled a rat when Roth got interested in the Pentangeli/Rosatos quarrel, Roth should have smelled a rat when Michael said, "Frank Pentangeli is a dead man--you don't object?" Why would Michael need Roth's permission to whack his own subordinate?



I'm guessing Michael was 95% convinced that Roth was the culprit before he left Tahoe. He might have been looking for clues from Roth. But I believe he was 100% convinced when he met with Pentangeli and got him to agree to meet with the Rosatos.


One of the greatest scenes in the Trilogy. Both knew the other knew. But they were still hanging tough--Roth holding out for the $2M, Michael holding out to find out who the traitor was his family. And: Michael first looking weak ("just wanna wait") then turning tough ("Who had Frank Pentangeli killed?"), and Roth brilliantly countering with that magnificent soliloquy. Bravo!