olivant...while you are correct in stating this topic has been covered before, why don't you be nice & give others a chance to respond before just dismissing someone with the 'search other threads' line.

Personally, I think the 'Michael Corleone says hello...' line is an outright flaw in the film and always will be.

If Roth intended Frankie's death, then the line would've been simply for him to die believing that his Don had set him up. Except I really don't think a man like Roth would bother himself with such trivialities.

If Roth intended for the hit to fail as it did, then it would in turn make sense that Frankie turn rat on Michael while Roth sit back and watch the whole thing.

But the way the policeman just happened to walk in and completely mess up the whole thing ... and he appeared to be legitimate by the way the bartender reacted to him ... it just doesn't seem that that part was orchestrated. Therefore, Roth would've wanted Frankie to die, but when it fell apart Roth was still able to use that to his advantage. For a while, anyway.

Yet...that still leaves the question of why the line? There's really NO explanation for the line, except as a teaser to the audience to ponder whether Michael would REALLY set Frankie up in such a way...only to discover later that he did not.

Therefore, the line is a FLAW, because no matter how you slice it there is just no logical reason for the Danny Aiello character to have said it.

Apple