Rocco sacrificed his own life to take out Roth because he was given the assignment. It was Rocco who decided that the meeting the plane wasn't impossible and therefore Rocco who had to carry out the job. What's so difficult to comprehend about that?

You guys can debate all you want about discarded draft screenplays and 'subthemes' (imagined or unimagined) and accounts of feuds, redemption, etc. that are simply not covered in the film and therefore af no significance to me. (Is a Rocco/Neri conflict discussed in the novel?) You can assume that Rocco could've hired somebody underneath him but the elimination of Roth was too important a job to trust a lower guy with - this involved a bit more than simply waiting for an elevator to open and blowing everybody away.

The bottom line is the task of killing Roth was given to Rocco. It was a life-risking job and Rocco was in a life-risking line of work. He risked his life every single day by working for the Corleone Family - and this time with Roth despite his efforts to escape - the sacrifice was made.
It was a chance he had to take.

I'm not sure which subject has been stretched to more ridiculous lengths - this one or how did Anthony get a role in a opera so fast.

Or the all time favorite...whether or not Fredo knew.

Which of course he didn't.



Best,
Apple