I disagree. Neri was Michael's Luca Brasi. Like Luca, Neri was at Michael's beckon and call. Like Luca, Neri would carry out any order, without question, given by Michael. Neri, Like Luca, would have given his life for Michael. And in my opinion, what made Neri even more valuable than Luca was the fact that Neri, unlike Luca, was ALWAYS at Michael's side. Neri felt forever indebted to Michael because Michael was the one who gave Neri a second chance in life.




If anything, that really showed what a good Don Michael was becoming because Michael needed to make it appear as though he was not a good Don. He needed to make it appear that he was a weak Don who's days were numbered. And Michael was patient enough and cunning enough to pull off this false appearance and fool even those who knew him all his life. Those who had been in "the business" for so long could not see through this. And for me that's part of the reason that I feel Michael was a good Don. Only Hagen was smart enough to see through this facade that Michael was putting up. What Michael was putting into place did NOT escape Hagen's eye.

But getting back to Michael, he was not a bad Don. In fact he was an excellent Don for THE FAMILY, but became a cold hearted bastard to his family.

One really has nothing to do with the other in judging Michael's ability to run the business end of THE FAMILY.

Oh, and Sonny wasn't a bad 'wartime' Don. It was Tom who was actually a bad wartime consigliere.