Geary's insult and Michael's reply that his offer is nothing, not even the fee for the gaming license, show Michael has gone to another level; the line is often quoted between the hosts.
Hyman Roth starts slowly, watching the real Notre Dame-USC game, before his Mo Greene speech about the man who invented Las Vegas.
Michael pulling his chair close to Roth is a lesson in how men of that era learned a code; pulling a chair uncomfortably close to get the truth is called very effective in real life. — Brian Koppelman
Strasberg, a legendary acting teacher in his first film performance, is perfectly cast as a Meyer Lansky stand-in; Coppola fills the film with figures from movie history, such as Gazzo and Roger Corman. — Sean Fennessey
Roth is Michael's aspirational Vito figure yet lives alone in a small Miami house watching college football and eating sandwiches; a peanut-butter-and-jelly versus tuna fish mix-up is corrected. — Chris Ryan
For Roth it is about power, not money; his "wise and considerate young man" really means Michael is a fool, and the scene plays differently on a second viewing. — Brian Koppelman
Shirtless Roth came from Coppola meeting Elia Kazan, who declined the role but was not wearing a shirt at their meeting.
The banana daiquiri scene shows Michael never saw Fredo as an equal; it is called the most important scene rather than the most rewatchable.
Part II scenes grow painful, so the Geary scene is the most rewatchable, with Michael still the Michael of the first film defending his family. — Brian Koppelman
Pentangeli drunk at the communion, blending Italian and English with "Cheech, aport," is a favorite rewatch that brings the old ways back into the room.
The Havana sequence has Michael realizing Fredo betrayed him at the sex club, intercut with the Roth assassination going sideways. — Bill Simmons
Roth's would-be assassin Bessetta wears one turtleneck outfit the whole film, even in Havana heat. — Chris Ryan
The book tells how Michael recruited Rocco Lampone and Al Neri, and the Havana assassin is assumed to be a Sicilian executioner, like Furio before Furio. — Brian Koppelman
"I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart," with the kiss, is called the number one movie acknowledgment of betrayal; Coppola is the master of big noisy set pieces.
Vito killing Finucci during the festa is praised for the rooftops, the white suit to track him, the oranges, the light bulb and the towel over the gun.
Vito bringing home a single pear after losing his job and sharing it silently with his wife is a wordless moment that brings a viewer to tears every time. — Brian Koppelman
Themes of what comes from the earth, including oranges, the pear, olive oil and wine, are purposeful; Gordon Willis fought with Coppola over actors moving within the frame.
In the Tahoe confrontation, Fredo could perhaps have saved himself by going straight to his brother the night of the assassination, but not by then.
Michael banishing Fredo is almost worse than killing him; another view never felt bad for Fredo, since Johnny Ola's call proves the betrayal.
Killing his brother is called the second-worst thing Michael does, behind having the innocent woman killed. — Brian Koppelman
The abortion scene is defended as rewatchable and Pacino's greatest scene, rewatched almost daily; his face after "it was an abortion" is called the greatest five seconds in a movie.
Hagen must have known about the abortion because he would know the doctor Kay went to, which contributes to Michael's anger at him. — Brian Koppelman
A hottest take calls the abortion Kay's only good scene and Kay the worst character, dumber than Fredo; others defend Diane Keaton as a great dramatic actress and cite her other scenes.
The abortion was Talia Shire's idea, and Coppola thanked her by adding her plea that Michael forgive Fredo. — Bill Simmons
Talia Shire is praised as a smart actress and for looking great in Rocky 3.
The Kay argument continues with Trump-style jokes about how many people agree.
Vito killing Don Chitio with the 18-inch knife prompts questions about whether a knife could do that.
Connie asking Michael to forgive Fredo ends with the hug and the menacing look to Al Neri. — Bill Simmons
Tom and Frankie's prison scene with the Roman emperors story is called perhaps the best acting and writing in the two films, shot through the fence until Frankie is left alone.
The scene ties to Clemenza talking about history and to Coppola's Patton script about warriors steeped in heritage, the idea that the empire ends. — Brian Koppelman
The final three deaths are rewatchable: Roth's high-difficulty murder, Frankie in the bathtub, and Fredo killed on the lake during the Hail Mary. — Bill Simmons
The final flashback dinner is praised; the Sonny actor returned for the same pay, while Brando did not show up and the scene was rewritten, which is judged better. — Bill Simmons
The rug theft by Clemenza and Vito is another pick, as is the Don Roberto rent scene, with a nail in the door that the actor could not open. — Brian Koppelman
The spaghetti scene shows Vito taking over from Clemenza.
The Senate hearing, where Pentangeli recants after his brother appears and Hagen yells for an apology, is highly watchable.
A final pick is the Senator Geary scene, which can be watched thousands of times. — Sean Fennessey
Another final pick is the Havana sequence, specifically the Michael-Fredo cafe scene and the recreation of pre-revolution Havana. — Chris Ryan
Two more picks go to a Fredo and Michael scene; whether it is Cuba or Tahoe is left unclear. — Bill Simmons
Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, praised Pacino's performance and said Coppola was a master of mood, atmosphere and period. — Bill Simmons
The three-star grade is joked to be a little better than Poseidon, like a Simmons review of The Irishman.
Ebert wrote that the flashbacks gave Coppola the greatest difficulty in maintaining pace and narrative force, a structural weakness from which the film never recovers. — Bill Simmons
Ebert later amended the review in a re-review as a four-star movie; he did hundreds of re-reviews, and in his Great Movies book rarely notes that he originally disliked a film.
Called the all-time record list: "Bert" Reynolds declined Edward and in 2012 said he made a mistake after seeing the love-making scenes. — Bill Simmons
Al Pacino turned down Edward after a screen test with Roberts; that movie does not work. — Bill Simmons
John Travolta auditioned, and had turned down American Gigolo, which made Gere a star. — Bill Simmons
Read as half-assed internet research: Gere was about to turn the part down when Roberts slid him a "please say yes" Post-it; the hosts doubt it. — Bill Simmons
Gere turned down Gordon Gecko in Wall Street; Michael Douglas is floated for this movie, and Robert "Radford," who did a similar role in Indecent Proposal five years later.
Molly Ringwald turned it down and regrets it; Diane Lane nearly played Vivian but pulled out over scheduling; "Michelle Fife" turned it down. — Bill Simmons
Several other actresses allegedly turned it down, which the hosts do not believe. — Bill Simmons
The wedding world-building is praised. — Bill Simmons
The Woltz-house sequence and its later appearance in Fletch are praised.
The family structure remains legible and rich. — Bill Simmons
The use of the word consigliere is praised. — Bill Simmons
“Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes” and the newspaper-wrapped fish are called a great one that went into the lexicon; a participant only now noticed it was rolled in the bulletproof vest. — Bill Simmons
Mama Corleone warning Sonny not to interfere in Connie and Carlo’s argument is praised. — Bill Simmons
The movie’s eating and food-preparation scenes are praised. — Chris Ryan
Michael’s face before the restaurant shooting is praised. — Bill Simmons
Tom delivering news of Sonny’s death is praised.
Vito’s prediction about narcotics reshaping organized crime is praised. — Sean Fennessey
The story’s shades of moral compromise are praised. — Sean Fennessey
The Mafia’s role beside failures of formal government is discussed. — Chris Ryan
Clemenza’s Hitler-at-Munich line is praised.
Jack Woltz’s ethnic insults remain memorably performed. — Bill Simmons
Pacino’s controlled performance grows in stature when viewed with Part II. — Bill Simmons
Michael’s presidents-and-senators line remains resonant. — Bill Simmons
Every Fredo scene is praised, including his Vegas outfit. — Bill Simmons
Clemenza’s sauce recipe remains memorable. — Bill Simmons
The “Tattaglia’s a pimp” line is praised. — Bill Simmons
Tessio asking to be spared for old times’ sake is praised.
12-episode Netflix remake with Michael Mann; Heat 2 with Natalie Portman's character as a Los Angeles homicide detective; Downey and Denzel as a modern pairing; Heat 2 preferred over the Netflix series
Asked whether a 12-episode Netflix remake with Michael Mann involved, or one on Amazon Prime, Hulu or HBO, would be exciting, the answer is that parts would be interesting in the modern world, but surveillance stories are better without the internet: Heat's cops follow the crew with night-vision cameras rather than reading emails and texts, which would feel like cheating, and even this season of Homeland is boring for watching people do stuff on computers.
A remake set in the internet world could be part of the charm, but the preference is for it to stick to the streets and get off the net.
Earlier the film is called what would have been the greatest 10-episode Netflix series ever: scenes of Val Kilmer's character losing big at Foxwoods or stopping at Morongo on the way back from Arizona, and more on the cook, Natalie Portman's character at school, Van Zandt and Jon Voight.
Heat 2 is floated: De Niro's character only passed out, and Natalie Portman's character returns as a Los Angeles homicide detective under Michael Mann, chasing Val Kilmer's character or another bank robber, perhaps falling for Neil's son from another marriage; 'I would see Heat 2.'
Asked who could square off as a modern version of the diner scene, no pair is thought to mean what De Niro and Pacino did; Downey and Denzel are proposed as movie stars with acting chops, Downey and Leo are offered instead, Denzel is defended as still having moves as in Flight, and Daniel Day Lewis is ruled out because it has to be guys you'd see on Wilshire or Figaro, prompting an impression of him vowing to work at an old Blockbuster on Fairfax.
Choosing between Heat 2 and a 12-episode Netflix modern Heat, the answer is Heat 2, for the big-screen experience, with Heat 2 starring Natalie Portman imagined in theaters in 2019.
Instead of more lessons, a run of Pacino lines begins with the chop shop scene, called a favorite scene in the movie: 'Did you fall in love last night?' and 'Don't waste my motherfucking time'; Pacino is still in Scent of a Woman mode for the first hour, it feels improvised, and the two other actors seem to wonder what is going on.
'You can get killed. Walk it in your doggy.' (as transcribed) is aimed at one of two Black actors in the scene, one Tone Loke and the other identified as the comedian Ricky Harris; 'Shut up, Ralph. Sit down.' is added.
From the end, when he thinks De Niro is gone, 'Bon voyage, motherfucker'; a run of scenes about the crew's exit plan seems to get the chronology wrong, since simply pursuing them would have caught them; 'All I am is all I'm going after.' (as transcribed) is called a really good line.
The best one, for its pauses (likened to Pat Summerall doing Murder, She Wrote), is Pacino's line to Hank Azaria's character, the result, called the best 10 seconds of Pacino's career; whether it was scripted or ad-libbed is wondered, nobody in the scene seems to have known it was coming, and Azaria is judged either overmatched or playing an overwhelmed man.
From the diner scene, 'There's a flip side to that coin,' then a seven-second pause before 'What if I got to take you down?' (as transcribed), called incredible.
