I know their "rank" has been discussed before and how I think we agree that Neri was slowly becoming a higher up than Rocco. But I was watching GF2 yesterday and in the scene where Tom tells Michael about Kay's abortion Michael tells Neri and Rocco to leave, I forgot the line. Neri's look and gestures are kinda like "Mike, I understand getting Rocco out of here, BUT ME TOO?!" Rocco just leaves but Neri walks around a bit, I forget what he does but I get the feeling he was waiting for Mike to say ok Rocco is gone, you stay Neri, and it obviously is never said. Even when Neri is walking out the door he kinda gives that one last look hoping for Mike to change his mind.

That was the impression I got at least.

Absolutely, DMC. Not only does he make his exit slowly, but he seems rather pissy about it. If I recall the scene correctly, doesn't he snatch something (cigar maybe?) off the table on his way out? He's acting rather peevish, and I believe that he's jealous of the relationship between Michael and Tom. Although he treats him rather shabbily, Tom is still a member of Michael's family, while Neri is only part of The Family.

Yeah he grabs something off of the table. But he keeps showing himself to Mike as if Mike is going to look at him and remember oh wait that's Al Neri he's my main guy I better keep him involved.

I have to watch that scene again more closely to catch the nuances, although, as Sicilian Babe mentioned, I do recall reading on these boards that Al did snatch a couple of cigars (Cubans, probably ) off the table before he exited.

Michael used this same tactic on Tom earlier, and I registered Tom's reaction even more clearly. When Johnny Ola came to meet with Michael during Anthony's party, Michael informed him that Tom only handles specific areas of the family business, and therefore Tom would not be sitting in with them. Tom then took his time gathering his papers into his brief case, making sure to linger should Michael have a question for him. In a last attempt to get Michael to notice him, he announced, "I'll be right outside if you need me, Mike." Michael's reply -- an offhand "Thanks Tom. Tell Rocco we're waiting for him" -- practically had the effect of a slap in the face. You could see Tom's crestfallen expression as he left, and you could feel his disappointment that his input -- as longtime family advisor and experienced lawyer, no less -- was not as valued as that of a mere button man.

These two episodes make me wonder if Michael enjoys playing people off each other, as if it enhances his aura of power to make another feel that he is not in his good graces at that particular moment. Being right-hand man one day and then told to wait outside with one's "inferior" the next day can leave a person wondering where he stands ... and possibly vowing to work harder to prove his worth, which may be what Michael wants.

It could also be an ego trip for Michael (he probably likes the idea of people getting jealous of each other over who's most important to him ). And/or it could be his way of keeping people at a distance, as though asserting "You think you're second in command; but there's no room for a Don #2 in this echelon. There's only one person with all the power here, and that's me."

DMC, this is something I never noticed before until your post got me thinking about it: there's this kind of rivalry that Michael engenders, if not encourages. I don't recall seeing Tessio and Clemenza this competitive under Vito in GF1. I wonder what others think.

Michael enjoyed manipulating people, no question. However, I truly believe that he only completely trusted one person, and that was Tom. Although Michael was close to Neri and Rocco (Senator, I trust these men with my life), there was always the chance that they could "pull a Tessio", even after years of loyal service. Tom, on the other hand, would never, ever betray the family that rescued him from poverty and disease.

Some interesting points made here.

I think that Michael's exclusion of Tom in the first meeting with Johnny Ola, while clearly intentional, was not meant as a personal insult or manipulation.

I think Michael knew that, like his father (as Pentangelli points out later), he could not trust Hyman Roth even though he wanted to do business with him.

By deliberately keeping Tom out of the loop with respect to his early dealings with Roth, Tom, as Michael tells him later that evening, is “...at his moment...the only one I completely trust.”

His keeping things from Tom was done out of love, admiration, and trust, rather than a desire to manipulate, insult, or play Tom off against Rocco or Neri.

But....As our esteemed member Turnbull has pointed out on several occasions, during the final boathouse scene in GF II, which depicts the only really meaningful conversation in the film that includes Michael and all three members of his inner circle, a notable shift of power and importance has already taken place as Neri has clearly risen to the top of the pecking order.

Tom is insulted and humiliated by Michael, probably because of the "mistress thing" - who, let's remember, was ostensibly Michael's sister-in-law Sandra - and quite possibly because of information provided by Neri (notice, as TB has pointed out, the smug look on Al's face), while
Rocco has been reduced to the role of a mere button man once again.

So I would definitely agree that these three men were constantly vying for Michael's attention, approval, recognition, and the opportunity to be regarded as his top man, due in no small part to Michael's playing one against the other.

DMC made an astute observation about Neri's behavior in that hotel room. I always thought that it was a mild comic touch--swiping a cigar before leaving--not unlike the somewhat intimidated look he gives Geary after the "oily hair" scene when Geary says, "Open the door, son." But, as DMC implies, it's also another in the clues FFC gives us about Neri's ascendency over Rocco.
And, as esteemed member plaw points out, Michael didn't entirely trust Roth, though he could do business with him. BUT: Michael probably had too much hubris in his attitude toward Roth, as if to say, "Yeah, I know the old guy's slippery, but I've got my eyes open all the time." Uh, not quite, Mike. Notice his reaction when Johnny Ola tells him that Roth won't object to his moving Klingman out of the Tropigala Hotel: He grips Ola's arm and says, "You tell him that's greatly appreciated"--a completely rare exhibition of emotion at a time when Michael was otherwise emotionally cold as ice.

What happened with Michael and Roth? Greed caused him to lower his guard. Roth knew that Michael's overarching goal was to be "completely legitimate." He was well on his way to being the biggest legal gambling czar in America with the acquisition of Klingman's interest in the Tropigala. And Roth's deal to turn over his Havana interests would make Michael the biggest legal gaming operator in the Western Hemisphere (at that time, casino gambling was legal only in Nevada and Havana). Roth played him like a violin.

I once saw a member making a nice expression out of that scene:

"Rocco immediately leaves, but Neri hangs around like a bad smell"

I see plaw's point regarding the dismissal of Tom from the Johnny Ola meeting: Back in GF1, Michael explained to Tom that he wanted him to be his lawyer for his legitimate operations only. And he was courteous, after all, when excusing Tom. But I still saw distinct hurt in Tom's reaction. He's probably thinking like Kay: "But that was seven years ago... and where's this legitimate business I'm supposed to be running?" If only a small part of the legitimacy plans have gotten off the ground, then Tom must feel more and more out of the loop. To Tom, Michael's treatment probably seemed rather whimsical. And at that time Michael, who was becoming more and more "strictly business," likely wasn't thinking of the emotional repercussions this would have on Tom, who was not merely an employee but a brother who had always given his full service and loyalty.

Shortly after that scene, there is another one in which Michael seemed to be decidedly displeased with Tom. It is the segment where Michael meets with Senator Geary. As Geary recites the number of hotels Michael owns and Michael's plans to move out Klingman, Michael gives Tom a sideways glare and Tom looks abashed. It's as if this information was supposed to be kept secret and Michael is angry with Tom that Geary somehow discovered it. I at first wondered if Tom actually did something wrong, or if this was another of Michael's ploys (or "strategies," if you will) to keep Tom off balance around Al. (I can't recall if Rocco was present at that meeting as well.) After reading plaw's post, I wonder if Michael was peeved because Tom happened to hear about the Klingman takeover, which was to be a mob operation and not a legal maneuver. The harsh looks Michael gave Tom certainly made it appear as if Michael blamed him, though. Even the coldness with which Michael says, "You're out Tom" in GF1 depicts the alternating warm and cold shoulder treatment Michael seems to give him.

Shortly after the attempt on Michael's life, Tom is back in his good graces again. Tom has certainly been put through an emotional roller coaster with Michael! As Sicilian Babe says, Tom truly IS the only one Michael can trust, and the audience knows that he has been faithful all the way. But as the film progresses and the Tahoe hit retreats from the front burner, it is Michael who loses sight of Tom's loyalty and begins to treat him more shabbily. This illustrates how much mob life has tainted Michael: He has lost sight of the human and vulnerable side of those around him. He has lost his instincts for whom to trust, seeing instead potentials for betrayal.

It makes me wonder, if Michael had not kept his inner circle off balance regarding where they stood with him (and among each other), would Rocco have felt obligated to "prove himself" by assassinating Hyman Roth?

It is amazing how Michael manipulated Tom, isn't it? It was quite yo-yo like. The scene with Michael right after the attempted hit is amazing. Michael goes on and on about how Tom is the only one he trusts, that he loves him like a brother, etc. When Tom says that he always wanted Michael to think of him that way, he is almost weeping with gratitude for Michael's affection. After having to break the news to him about Kay's "miscarriage", Tom is definitely on the outs (killing the messenger for sure), but Tom has toughened up somewhat by the end. When Michael tries to humiliate him with the mistress remark, Tom outright asks him "Why do you hurt me, Michael?". I think he's wising up to Michael's ways at that point.

Neri got a cigarrette in that scene and lit it before leaving. I think he was wasting time for some reason. As far as Tom Hagen, I can't undertstand why Michael cut him out of everything, except in the end he included him in the meeting before Fredo and Roth were killed. Who knows the reasoning behind it? Too bad Rocco got killed.

At the end of the first film, Michael cut Tom out of the action because he didn't feel that Tom was a "wartime consigliere", he was afraid that "things might get rough with he move we are trying to make", and besides, "who (was) a better consigliere than (his) father"?

By deliberately keeping Tom out of the loop with respect to his early dealings with Roth, Tom, as Michael tells him later that evening, is “...at his moment...the only one I completely trust.”

His keeping things from Tom, I think (at that point at least) was done out of love, admiration, and trust, rather than a desire to manipulate, insult, or play Tom off against Rocco or Neri.

exgigirl, you bring up an interesting point. As plawrence noted, Michael wanted Tom to be involved in only legitimate aspects of the family business. Yet Al Neri and Rocco were included in both legitimate meetings (such as the one with Geary to obtain an additional gaming license) AND mob-related meetings. Then, at the end of the film, we see Tom included in the meeting discussing the assassination of Roth, which is a plainly criminal endeavour.

It invites discussion as to whether Michael has lost sight of the difference between what is legal and what is criminal, or whether he just doesn't care anymore to distinguish between the two. And, as Turnbull notes, Michael's motive for having Tom at the Roth meeting could also have been to question his loyalty, illustrating just how distant Michael had become from those closest to him.

Yes, exactly! Michael spent most of his life trying to rationalize illegal acts by claiming he was no different than so-called "legitimate" people. The most revealing scene in that vein is his wooing of Kay in New Hampshire when he returned from Sicily.
In GFIII, he moans, "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in." Yeah, but was he ever out? At the beginning of the film, Vincent says, "Zasa knows you're holding him back on the Commission." And his near-assassination occurred at a Commission meeting. Out? Legit? Hardly.