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THE 100 GREATEST MOVIE SEQUENCES OF ALL TIME Return to Main 100 Sequences Page | Enter Your Choices! |
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100 99 98 97 96 95 94 93 92 91 90 89 88 87 86 85 84 83 82 81 80 79 78 77 76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 68 67 66 65 64 63 62 61 60 59 58 57 56 55 54 53 52 51 50 49 48 47 46 45 44 43 42 41 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 NUMBER ONE
The ending with Michael's ordering of Fredo's death
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Out of all of the images from Francis Ford Coppola's incredible film achievement of the GODFATHER series of films, these final
images from the end of GODFATHER II remain the strongest. Besides the usual intercutting of murders being carried out,
the one death that is the most tragic in this film is the death of Fredo, ordered by his own brother, Michael, again played by
Al Pacino in his greatest performance. Fredo had betrayed him, and Michael has become totally drained of emotion and the person
he once was by committing this act of murder. In a classic scene, Fredo is out in the boat with the man who will kill him, saying
his lucky prayer to try to catch a fish -- "Hail Mary, full of grace ..." -- the image returns to a long shot of Michael looking out
the window at Fredo on the lake and we hear the single gunshot, at which point Michael's head drops. The next shot shows the boat,
this time Fredo cannot be seen.
The next scenes continue the tragedy -- we see an image from the past, of the brothers together at the dinner table back before
Michael was about to leave for the Army, back before the events in the original GODFATHER took place. When Michael
announces his decision to join the Army, his brother Sonny is the most disappointed, and they all leave Michael alone at the table
to contemplate his thoughts while they are all in the other room cheering for their father Vito's birthday. The image fades into
a silent scene of Michael sitting in a chair, alone, contemplating his thoughts. The camera focuses tight on Michael's face until
his eyes are dark. It's a stark image of a man out of control, in complete control of a world of murder. A man who would kill
his own brother. Michael Corleone remains one of the best written and memorable film characters of all time, a man who we have
seen in the ultimate tragedy, and a family caught in a never-ending cycle of violence. Long ago, Vito Corleone dreamed of a
legitimate life for the Corleone family, and hoped Michael would be the bright hope for that future. Instead, the worst
imaginable tragedy was to come, and the family would fall apart.
