I mean he was supposed to go out on the lake with Anthony and Neri and then all of a sudden Anthony is pulled off the boat and now he's sitting in the boat with Al, you know the family's most trusted hitman. Part of me thinks Fredo realized what was going on, knew he couldn't do anything about it and just accepted it but at least he would die in peace doing something he loved.
shareI think he did. Once Connie announced Michael was taking Anthony to Reno, I think Fredo resigned himself to his fate. He knew what he did and he knew what Al Neri was.
shareIts obvious isn't it?
shareI read the book almost 50 years ago and don't recall if it covered it, but unless it says otherwise, then the answer would be no.
The only way Fredo would have known that Al was going to kill him is if he were insightful enough to figure Michael wouldn't whack him as long as their mother was alive, but would now that she was dead.
Fredo was written to be not particularly bright, so unless he put two and two together (first time alone with Al since Mama C died), then nothing would have seemed different to Fredo that day as opposed to any other. For all we know, Fredo and Al fished together often, *and* Michael appeared to forgive him with that big dramatic hug at their mother's funeral.
Michael was an asshat, Fredo was dumb.
Al was not supposed to go out with them (Fredo initially thought Al was just getting the boat ready), the fact that Fredo voluntarily went out on the lake with Al suggests that he was like "OK I know what's going on here, let's get this over with"
shareAl was not supposed to go out with them
Because as I said in the op from his perspective at least he would have died In peace doing something he loves. There’s no way he would have ever been able to escape from Michael
shareThere’s no way he would have ever been able to escape from Michael
Again the fact that he was going out on the lake with the families most trusted killer ALONE should have been a tip off. Also the way he said “ok Al” seemed to me to imply that he was like “ok I know what this is let’s get this over with”
shareAgain the fact that he was going out on the lake with the families most trusted killer ALONE should have been a tip off.
Because he was supposed to go out on the boat with Anthony, then Anthony is all of a sudden pulled off and now he's sitting alone in the boat with Al Neri. He knows that Michael not only has a reason to have him whacked but also has a history of pretending to forgive people then having them whacked (like what happened with Carlo). Seriously this isn't rocket science and Fredo knows what kind of a man Michael is.
shareBecause he was supposed to go out on the boat with Anthony, then Anthony is all of a sudden pulled off and now he's sitting alone in the boat with Al Neri.
He knows that Michael not only has a reason to have him whacked but also has a history of pretending to forgive people then having them whacked (like what happened with Carlo).
Yes, exactly if anyone thought Michael might have a reason to take them out being alone with Al is a definite risk, it's just like how in Goodfellas Karen didn't want to walk into the room in the ally after Jimmy told her to.
"It would also mean that Fredo was never alone with Neri at any time before this. Do we know this? Al never gave Fredo a ride into town? Never went fishing with him alone?"
As far as I can tell this was the only time that Michael and Fredo had a falling out and Fredo was about to go fishing with Anthony but then Anthony was pulled off the boat at the last second leaving Fredo alone with Al, if you can cite another example of this happening then I will entertain it.
"It's just too far out. Fredo never showed an instant of realization or an instant of resignation. Remember that great scene when Tessio realized he was found out? That *instant* when he knew he was going to die is one of the best shot scenes in cinema. In that split second, Tessio's face showed he knew he was caught, and then when they relieved him of his weapon, knew he was going to die."
Well I'm sorry you didn't pick up on it but I sense the instant of realization in Fredo as well.
"Michael didn't forgive Carlo: he told him to get out of his sight."
He told him he wouldn't kill him, and he did.
Well I'm sorry you didn't pick up on it but I sense the instant of realization in Fredo as well.
It's called subtlety, it would have been pretty ridiculous if Fredo just announced to the camera what he's thinking. And I did see a reaction in him, just like with Tessio, it may have not have been as on the nose as it was with Tessio but it was clearly there. Also Fredo was right in front of his nephew, he most certainly didn't want Anthony to know what was going on.
share> I read the book almost 50 years ago and don't recall if it covered it, but unless it says otherwise, then the answer would be no.
It wasn't in the book. The Vito/De Niro parts of the movie are all from the novel, while the Michael/Pacino parts are an original story. I don't think the book can be regarded as authoritative on this issue; it didn't have Fredo's betrayal of Michael and his death, but also didn't have Pentangeli, Roth, the Cuban events, etc either.
My take on it is that Fredo did realize what was happening. First, note the similarity to Tessio's death in the first movie. The victim is led to believe he's going somewhere in safety, then at the last moment the plans change and he's led to his death. Second, the plans change in the same way, someone other than Michael delivers the message. When Tessio died Cicci told him Michael suddenly wasn't coming with him; here, Connie tells them Anthony's not coming with them.
This isn't just how a hit is done, it's Michael's style of setting up a hit. Fredo's not the brightest guy around, but he's not an idiot. And after Anthony's sudden departure Fredo seems to me resigned to what's happening; but admittedly I could be just reading that into the scene, it's subtle if it's there at all.
The one I've gotta wonder about is Connie. No, she wasn't in on it. But first (in GF1) Michael stood as godfather to her son, already knowing he was going to kill Carlo. Now he sends her on this errand (fetch Anthony), using her so Fredo could be killed. If I were Michael I'd have someone count and lock up the kitchen knives every night before going to bed.
Yes I agree with your interpretation.
shareYou really think Fredo was smart enough to figure out that he was about to be killed. And he would just go on the boat and accept that fate. All evidence seemed to point to the opposite.
He was saying a Hail Mary because that's what he always did when he cast his line.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out what was going on in that circumstance. Also everything about the way Fredo was acting suggests he had a pretty good idea that this was it for him.
share