The Code of Omertà: How Betrayal Was Against the Honor System of La Cosa Nostra
To understand why Michael Corleone quickly eliminated Frank Pentangeli as a suspect in the assassination attempt, it‘s important to consider the strict code of honor that has traditionally governed the mafia underworld. Known as omertà, this code explicitly forbids any cooperation with government or legal authorities, but more importantly it establishes trust and loyalty as sacrosanct values among "men of honor" who live by this code. As George Anastasia notes in his book Blood and Honor, "Loyalty was paramount; betrayal was unforgivable; secrecy essential." This explains why betrayals have been extremely rare among made men in La Cosa Nostra – doing so was tantamount to breaking a sacred vow that bonded mafiosos together as an extended crime "family".
We see these themes of loyalty and betrayal also playing out in the complex relationship between Michael Corleone‘s family and longtime mafia associate Hyman Roth going back to prohibition days, when Roth was a prominent bootlegger and close ally of Vito Corleone in establishing a thriving criminal empire centered around New York City. Their families collaborated profitably for decades despite underlying tensions. But for Hyman Roth, the national expansion of the Corleone family under Michael‘s leadership threatened his power base and prompted secret machinations to bring them down.
Preserving a Façade to Investigate the Prime Suspect
Having survived the bombing attempt masterminded by someone close, Michael maintains a veneer of trust with two prime suspects – Frank Pentangeli and Hyman Roth – in order to covertly investigate which one conspired to have him killed. We see Michael have a tense confrontation with Frankie where he pretends to dismiss the incriminating claims made against him earlier, which Michael realizes stems more from Frankie‘s impulsive frustration rather than calculated mafia treason. This insight, combined with understanding how betrayals shatter the mafia code of honor, allows Michael to quickly rule out the loyal Frankie as the mastermind.
Michael has much craftier adversary in Hyman Roth, who cordially invites him on a celebratory trip to Cuba while secretly orchestrating his downfall. In several scenes we observe Michael pretending to let his guard down with amused laughs and nostalgic conversations as Roth practically gloats over his unfolding plot. But behind Michael‘s charming facade is a shrewd tactician laying a trap for Roth while scanning for proof of his guilt. Coppola builds subtle tension by having Michael mostly listen silently with occasional interjections, his piercing eyes and faint smiles hinting that Roth‘s monologues are only further incriminating him.
The Symbolism Behind Michael‘s Realization in Havana
When solid confirmation finally comes during a lavish event in Havana, it takes the form of sinister symbolism rather than blunt admission. A drunken Hyman Roth quotes Shakespeare‘s Julius Caesar, musing "I always thought it would be Clemenza to turn on Michael, just like Caesar and Brutus." This not-so-veiled comparison of Michael to Julius Caesar and Roth to Caesar‘s friend Marcus Brutus who ends up betraying him out of ambition, makes clear that Roth orchestrated the assassination attempt. Michael immediately recognizes this quote as the smoking gun evidence he needed.
The Cuba setting adds rich symbolism showing how quickly fortunes change amidst power games, just like Caesar‘s rule transforming into tyranny and abruptly ending in bloody betrayal – foreshadowing looming threats facing Michael‘s own empire. Like competing senatorial factions vying for ultimate authority in Rome, Michael and Roth present a veneer of friendship while seeking to eliminate each other to rule organized crime in America. The exotic Cuba backdrop represents the height of Michael‘s expansionist ambitions after vanquishing other mafia families, but will he suffer a tyrant‘s downfall through the betrayal of a once close "ally"?
Masterfully crafted scenes like this exemplify how The Godfather movies work as both immersive drama and almost Shakespearean commentary on universal themes like friendship, loyalty, power and treachery – depicted through the epic rise and fall of crime family dynasties.
Embodying the Corleone Family Tradition of Ruthless Cunning
What truly distinguishes Michael Corleone as successor to his father’s empire is not brute intimidation but supreme strategic intelligence – allowing him to outmaneuver formidable foes like Hyman Roth. We see this through his patient deductive efforts investigating Roth, elegantly setting a trap to uncover incriminating knowledge, while showing no outward signs of suspicion. As Peter Cowie notes in his book The Godfather Book, Michael represents "a new and chilling form of gangster, educated, ruthless, entrepreneurial and ambitious…"
Like his father Vito who rose from humble roots by using visionary thinking and cold calculation to dominate New York’s cutthroat underworld, Michael has almost preternatural mental acuity. He thinks several moves ahead like an elite chess player to checkmate "the old man" Roth before he destroys the Corleone family for good. Whether keeping volatile Frank Pentangeli on side with a graceful gesture or piercing Hyman Roth’s facade over champagne in Cuba, Michael embodies the Corleone tradition defined by Vito of successfully "keeping your friends close but your enemies closer” – using this intimate knowledge of friend and foe to secure power by neutralizing threats. His patient unmasking of Roth‘s conspiracy re-establishes the family as one of the world’s foremost mafia superpowers.
The Larger Message About Power and Betrayal
At its core, The Godfather trilogy explores timeless socio-political questions – could the Corleone family’s criminality simply represent "business" by other means? Casting mafia organizations as dark mirrors of corporate monopolies, director Francis Ford Coppola challenges viewers to question ethical norms. As Peter Cowie explains, “He suggests as well that American society ought not to be too self-righteous in condemning the methods used by the Corleones” when such wheeling and dealing is essentially what big business or political lobbying look like stripped of pretense.
Michael’s epic yet tragic trajectory also probes how power not only corrupts good intentions but also cultivates mistrust. Protecting his family empire ultimately left Michael isolated and unhappy despite the outward extravagance of wealth and success – just as unilateral rulers often end up paranoid and lonely. This darker message is reinforced through Roth’s literary reference about Julius Caesar being doomed by betrayal – those who get power through cunning force often lose it the same way.
The Godfather’s uniquely gripping saga about America’s original criminal enterprises thus offers thought-provoking art imitating life perspectives on human nature surrounding friendship, loyalty, ambition, deception and the corrosive effects of power – rivaling staging from Shakespeare himself!
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