Frank Pentangeli | The Godfather Wiki | Fandom Fredo says he's never met them. (3) Neri, Fredo, and Anthony are about to go fishing when Michael calls Anthony back, leaving Neri and Fredo to go out alone. Roth had played Frankie against Michael with a feigned assassination attempt, as he knew Frankie was angry at Michael for banning him from moving against the Rosato brothers. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. The reason Frank Pentangeli contradicted his sworn testimony before Congress was exactly because his older brother, Vincenzo, had come from Sicily to attend the hearing. Edit, Viewers are split on whether or not Fredo knew he was going to be killed. Sonny (James Caan) introduces Connie (Talia Shire) to her future husband Carlo Rizzi (Gianni Russo). Pentangeli later secretly sided with Vito Corleone and continually reported back to Peter Clemenza what Mariposa was planning, keeping the Corleones one step ahead of the game. Finally, Michael is reluctant to invest in Roth's Cuban business, whereas Fredo seems much more interested. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. What blood type would my parents be if I am O negative? Pentangeli eventually offers to testify against Michael at his senate trial and is placed under witness protection. Edit, It's strongly advised that the movies be viewed in sequence. Rather than give in, Coppola wrote out Clemenza, explaining that hed died in the intervening time between Parts I and II, and replaced him with his Lieutenant, Frankie Pentangeli ( Michael V. Gazzo ). He was an old associate and friend of Vito Corleone, having worked with him in the early days of the olive oil business. A man puts a cord around his neck and says Michael Corleone says hello. Metacritic Reviews. Upon seeing his brother in the committee room, Frank denied his written testimony and feigned ignorance of the Corleone family's criminal activities. (1) Roth returns from Israel and is taken into custody by the police. Vincenzo's guardianship. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Most damningly, Pentangeli tells investigators that Michael personally killed Captain McCluskey and Virgil Sollozzo (portrayed by Sterling Hayden and Al Lettieri respectively in The Godfather), and also began planning a mass slaughter of New York's other Mafia bosses as early as 1950. Because Pentangeli's protective custody was so secure, Michael could not have him killed before the hearing. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Essentially letting Tom handle the day-to-day. In this scene, Frankie was just acting drunk, the crude man he is, but this behaviour was a display of disrespect, and it had the consequence that his angry and dissatisfied feelings were revealed. Connie, meanwhile, tunes out the drama and eventually leaves the room entirely as Michael and Sonny nearly come to blows. It's simpler and doesn't require explaining the backstory in the drafts which still had the Clemenza character. Later, at a Senate hearing investigating organized crime and allegations of Michael's criminal activities, Michael learns that the committee intends to call Pentangeli as a surprise witness to contradict Michael's adamant denial that he is a crime boss. and our Michael V. Gazzo Gavin Hammon (voice). 6 Who was Frank Pentangeli and what did he do? And this broke their relations and turned out fatal to Frankie: Roth managed to weaken their mafia family, which, in turn, makes the Corleones more reliant on the deal they are currently negotiating in Cuba. Why did Frank Pentangeli decide not to testify against Micheal - Reddit [8] On November 15, Stone was found guilty on all seven counts, obstruction of proceedings, five counts of false statements, and one count of witness tampering. Stone's trial began on November 6, 2019. 1 Why did Frank Pentangeli not testify against Michael? The final film only What blood type would my parents be if I am O negative? In The Godfather 2, Frankie Pentangeli walks into a bar. I would assertively say that the capture of Pentangeli's brother by Michael may very well serve as a sign that Hyman Roth is on the dead list. My read is that Michael was threatening Frankie: he talks and the brother dies. It showed to Frank that his testimony to the Committee would be heard by his brother and family, disgracing him and his family. Because Pentangeli's protective custody was so secure, Michael could not have him killed before the hearing. This is corroborated on the bonus disc of the newly-restored Godfather release on Blu-ray/DVD, where a "Crime Organization Chart" is given explaining all characters and their crimes. Additionally, some believe that the scene is meant to take place in the future and that Michael is picturing a time he can never get back or that he is reflecting on how he tried to separate himself from the rest of his family (evidenced by the fact that he remains behind in the dining room while everyone else goes to greet Vito) but was inevitably drawn into their business, losing several of them permanently in the process. This belief had much to do with the formation of the mafia and its ultimate growth and staying power. Also, with enough time passing, Connie's anger towards Michael may have faded. Hagen tells a story about what would happen to traitors during those Roman days, implying that the correct thing for Pentangeli to do now is to kill himself. User Ratings Since the murder was committed during the fireworks ceremony and Vito had properly disposed of the gun, there would be no way that he would have been caught. The code originated in Sicily, long invaded and ill-treated by foreign governments, and states that one should never, no matter how they or their families are harmed, go to the authorities. After the trial dissolves into chaos, Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall), the Corleone family's lawyer and adopted son, shows up at Pentangeli's compound to inform him in so many words that if he commits suicide as penance for speaking out against Michael at the trial, his family will be taken care of for life. Was it just out of guilt or was there another less obvious reason? Why did Frank Pentangeli not testify against Michael? Did the Rosato Brothers kill Peter Clemenza? Edit, Though the film itself doesn't provide a definitive answer, the video game adaptation posits that a Corleone hit squad (led by the player character) invades the Rosato estate and kills both brothers. "Mafiosi are known among themselves as 'men of honour' or 'men of respect'.". Michael V. Gazzo as Frank Pentangeli in "The Godfather: Part II." . Fredo, likely drunk says that Johnny Ola took him there. There's another less obvious reason that was left out of the final cut of the film. This is correct. Who ordered the hit on Frankie Pentangeli in the Godfather 2? Having this information from the first movie makes it a lot easier to follow the second. Fredo had been shown over the "Godfather" and "Godfather II" to be a more easily malleable and accepting of his siblings, though not as passive as Connie is before her marriage. What Did Clemenza Say To Paulie? - Caniry Clemenza's successor, Frank Pentangeli, refused to hand over the territories, but was told to negotiate by Michael Corleone, who was in business talks with Roth. As he did last week, Sheeran played his guitar to refute testimony Stewart's testimony, in which he argued that one of the chords he plays in the opening of "Thinking Out Loud" is similar to . Pentangeli took this as an insult and left in despair, saying "There will be no trouble from me". other than having an additional scene where one of Pentangelis men informs Pentangeli that it was, in fact, Michael who ordered the hit. He kept his mouth shut to stay alive. The FAQ items below may give away important plot points. Credico said an impression of Pentangeli was not in his public repertoire. Upon this realization, he recants on his statements against Michael that would have put him in prison for perjury (lying under oath) Knowing that now Frankie had broken his FBI deal, and was looking at a life sentence, he cuts a deal with Tom as so his family and possible Willy Cici's family could keep their fortunes as Frankie is the head of his own New York Crime Family. This testimony catches the committee completely off-guard and effectively derails the government's case against Michael. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Two MacBook Pro with same model number (A1286) but different year. While in Cuba, Michael asks Fredo to bring several family associates out to show them a good time. Who was Frank Pentangeli and what did he do? While trying to kill Frank Pentangelli in the bar why does Tony Rosato say, "Michael Corleone says hello"? When he collaborates with the FBI telling them about the Corleone family, he also reveals his implications, the crimes he had committed for the family. Because Pentangeli's protective custody is so secure, Michael knows he will be unable to have him killed before the trial. Respect, a form of honor, is an nearly all important to Sicilian Mafiosi. Even at that age, young Vito was intelligent and known that having loose lips got his father and his brother killed. "I did (Al) Pacino and I did Marlon Brando, but I never did Frank Pentangeli," he said. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Upon seeing his brother in the committee room, Frank denied his written testimony and feigned ignorance of the Corleone family's criminal activities. However the deal was a set up and Tony Rosato himself garroted Pentangeli, claiming to have been sent by Michael. As we see in the flashback with Vito, he goes to confront Don Ciccio, who killed Vito's entire family. This act itself already means he is dead from the perspective of any of the mafia families, and could only hope to live under an FBI programme with a false identity. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Why did Frank Pentangeli not testify? Are there any canonical examples of the Prime Directive being broken that aren't shown on screen? I always interpreted this along the lines of his brother sitting with. The final film only states that Vincenzo is a powerful and ruthless Mafia chieftain in Sicily. It only takes a minute to sign up. I did not scream." Tacopina asked why she had not called the police so many times that the judge told him to stop. Pentangeli thanks Hagen, returns to his assigned quarters, and slits his wrists while taking a bath. He told FBI agents, and was prepared to tell the committee, that Michael was the most powerful Mafia chief in the nation, and headed a crime family that controlled all of the gambling in North America and had ordered countless murders. The final film only states that Vincenzo is himself a Mafia chieftain in Sicily. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. It was only upon promise he wouldn't be harmed that he agreed to sit down with Michael and tell him what happened. Later that night, Michael narrowly escaped an assassination attempt at his home. Tom and Sonny react negatively to the news. After the assassination attempt at Michael's house, Michael had a private meeting with Tom Hagen. Edit, Al Neri (Richard Bright). He was also deeply fond of his family and of young children, giving Anthony Corleone a reasonable sum of money at his Communion Party at Lake Tahoe. Because Pentangeli's protective custody was so secure, Michael could not have him killed before the hearing. Vito eventually turns out as the head of his own crime organization, because he is the one to realizes that power cannot only be based on violence alone; it depends as much on persuasion, gaining respect and loyalty. At this point Frankie cuts a deal with the Corleones to end his own life for the sake of his family to keep their fortune instead of being wiped out. He ran the family operations in New York when Michael Corleone was in Nevada. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Even though at the end, Michael pretended to forgive Fredo, if Michael suggested that Fredo go fishing alone with Al Neri, Michael's personal hitman; Fredo likely would have been suspicious and not have gone along with it and gone back into hiding.