Originally posted by AppleOnYa:
True...he 'ended' it by losing that famous temper, falling into a trap set by his own brother-in-law, and being shot to smithereens. Prior to that, business was neither coming in nor going out. While no one can know how either Vito or Michael would've acted under similar circumstances, all Sonny did was nurture a stalemate. One that could only be jarred with his own demise.
In short...he's NOT underrated, he WAS a bad Don.
Apple
Agreed.
Hell...even Don Vito said Sonny was a bad Don.
I highly doubt Vito or Mike would have acted so rashly and abruptly after learning Carlo had beaten Connie again. They would have sensed it was a set-up. This is the reason Tom feels so horrible after the fact (in the book). Tom knew that Genco would have smelled a set-up...and so he felt incompetent as a consigliere.
But with that said...I'd say that Sonny's demise was a culmination of his temper...and Tom's not being a war-time consigliere.
