The Tragic Death of Tom Hagen | The Godfather Explained 

"They made him an offer he could refuse...and he did." Hilarious -- well done.

The Godfather and The Godfather Part II were great movies. It's a shame they never made a third one.

Tom perspective of Micheal vs Vito dichotomy was unique & near perfect. He worked with Vito closely & got to see his great mess up close up more than any of the other children. That’s why you can see him in Part 1 get pulled into Micheal & seeing his potential when he’s talking about the dire need of taking out Sollozzo and using their paper in the News Papers to spin it. He also see Micheal going down a dark path towards the end of Part 2. Tom knew as ruthless as Vito was prepared to be, he would never lose his sense of humanity like Micheal was. Tom was definitely missed in Part 3. He might’ve not been the best war time Consigliori but definitely a loving devoted Son/Brother & extremely valuable confidant/legal consultant.

Your comment about 'the studio making him a offer that he could refuse' made me laugh. Thank you for the content.

The third film really does miss Tom Hagen. Had Tom been in the film, an ending where Michael kills him or vice versa could’ve been really surprising.

If it wasn't possible to bring Hagen back for Godfather Part III, then let his death be undramatic and natural. These assassination/kill Hagen scenarios being brought up all sound kind of lame.

111 godfather, was not as good, because Diane busted the dons chops too much, also they focused too much on the death of Fredo. He was outstanding in acting as a incompetent gangster. The forbidden love was too much. I don't know how they could have salvaged it

Tom Hagen suffered a stroke in the courtroom after the judge charged him with contempt and sentenced him to live in Lonesome Dove Texas where the dinner bell ringing cook conspired with indians to ambushed hagen after he became attracted to a certain buffalo.

The tragedy was the cheap producers that did not wanna pay for Bobby in 3 and Marlon in 2. And another thing, Francis waited too long to do The Godfather 3 and Al Pacino must have thought he was doing a sequel to Dick Tracy and not The Godfather. He over the top and was out of character He was not Michael Corleone...The No.3 is a bomb.

The whole idea of competing with Michael for power is really a Dead Issue Tom could never be the head of the Corleone family or any other Mafia Family or even a made guy. He was Irish Italian, and the Italian came from his mother's side not his father's I belive, but even if it was the other way around and that particular timeline of the mafia he was not full Italian all you could ever be was an associate.

Problem with part 3 is that it no longer has the aesthetics of a 1970's italian movie but rather is a generic Hollywood action movie. Not bad, just mediocre

I thought he died of cancer in the 1970s. Maybe that was in the books, I don’t know.

How did Tom Hagen really die? He was killed because he was angry that Michael Corleone got paid much more than him to appear in the third movie.

I don't think much of the Godfather 3 movie. I don't get the same feeling as I do with the first 2 movies. There is something missing in the movie, even though having Tom's character in it would have moved it up a few notches. They should have given Roy Duval the money he deserved to play in the film. The 3rd movie was missing the same soul of the original story. I found it a little boring even though the actors tried their best to make it work. I've watched the epic version of the films in chronological order and found that the most interesting. It had many deleted scenes that answer many questions you have when watching the first 2 movies. I never get tired of watching both Godfather 1 & 2.

Duvall stated in an interview that he really wanted to do the third film but they money they were offering him was disrespectful. He was a main character in the first two movies and, with Vito, Sonny, and Fredo dead, would have been the second lead in part three behind Pacino. He thought he should at least get paid half of what Pacino was making but they refused. Diane Keaton was paid twice what they offered Duvall. He rightfully saw it as an insult, considering he was an A-list actor in his own right. The studio said they didn't need him and the movie would be great without him, so he declined. I'm not sure what role Coppola played in the negotiations, but without Tom Hagen the movie became the worst in the trilogy, by far. I've seen part one and two over a dozen times, but I've only watch part three once and probably will never watch it again. It's just not good, and Pacino's acting is way too over the top. They really dropped the ball on that one.

The absence of Tom Hagen in Godfather 3 pretty much sealed the fate of the film to mediocrity. In Godfather 1 & 2 it was Tom who was the voice of reason and showed a large measure of civility compared to the rest of the Corleone family. With Michael trying to get away from the organized crime life, the character of Tom Hagen would’ve been crucial in that regard. And Duvall is a great actor who would’ve upped the acting quotient.

Tom Hagen was a major figure in the Godfather story. It's unfortunate that he was excluded over compensation to make the movie.

I would have loved to see Robert Duval in the Godfather part 3. He was definitely missed

Tom was honestly probably my favorite character, he’s just so dedicated, educated and unwavering in his dignity and loyalty. Also I believe it’s widely agreed Part 3 was good but it’s not in the same league as 1 and 2. Just different levels of film quality

both TOM HAGEN and PETER CLEMENZA were lost to the series over money. there were other issues too but it was mostly money which i think is pretty sad.

I believe Duvall said in an interview after III was released that they tried to get him on the cheap since Pacino wanted such a huge paycheck and he refused. Reminded Coppola that he was in a fact a 2x Oscar winner and his Tom Hagen character was central to the story - but they wouldn't budge

to replace robert duvall with george hamilton is like cinderella's fairy godmother replacing the two mice and the pumpkin with a couple of roaches and a zucchini...

Duvalls character added the richness to the series and it was sorely missing in the third installment.

Tom Hagen always was faithful to Michael and the family. He was the voice of reason for the best interests of the family.

Could you imagine the first two films without Tom Hagen in them? Yeah, me either! That’s why the third felt like it was missing something throughout the entire movie!

When the studio decided to low-ball Duvall for the reprise of his role as Tom Hagen, they where probably thinking that Andy Garcia would carry the second male lead part in the film. Boy were they wrong. That, plus Coppola's daughter in the second female lead killed Godfather III and it probably shouldn't even be considered as a sequel to Godfather I & II. It downright sucks.

Interesting thing about Luca Brasi: he was played by Lenny Montana, a real life 'enforcer' for Colombo crime family.

The Achilles heel of Godfather 2 was that they wrote out Clemenza and created the character of Frank Pentangeli. The story would have been 10 times better as originally written. The fact that Frank Pentangeli was created for the movie and therefore didn't have any real back story robbed his betrayal arc of any real dramatic substance and was the movie's fatal flaw. That too was a contract dispute! SMH

I bet now they regret not paying Duvall what he asked for

I thought I was losing my mind when i saw the title of the video because I've seen Godfather I and II more times than I can possibly count and don't remember Tom dying in either of them. Turns out I simply forgot that Godfather III even exists. I'm not sure I ever knew it existed at all.

Godfather 3 was barely worthy of being associated with the two previous masterpieces.

I didn't think Michael would have had Tom killed, since as you say he would have confessed it in the Vatican scene, but I always assumed the two would have been estranged after Fredo's death, since Tom was surely aware of what had really happened, and he also clearly wasn't on board with what Michael was doing towards the end of Part II, so it would make sense.

Tom's most important counsel in GF3 would have been to tell Michael to get a better haircut.

Best Tom Hagan Scene... "Don't worry about anything Frankie Five Angels."

Part 3 - (mentioned in the comments) The fact that Coppola is still denying that he purposely put his daughter in the movie because he couldn't find another actress - no other actress other than his inexperienced daughter - so no other actress in Hollywood was available to start in a Godfather film with Coppola. - Tells me that he is in complete denial that part 3 is absolutely terrible. And it is. Not just a bad Godfather movie but a bad movie. The character of Michael is terrible. It ruins the trilogy. For me The Godfather ended at the end of part 2. It's as bad as his hair cut for that film.

Tom Hagen would have saved the movie...and Winona Ryder instead of Sofia Copolla as Mary.

When I first saw part 3, I remember thinking how hollow it was regarding Tom Hagen. Just a short line that he was dead did not give justice to a brilliant part played by a brilliant actor. But didn't the same thing happen with Clemenza in part 2?

Going on the timeline between "The Godfather's Revenge" and "Part 3", there would have been some fifteen years between Tom Hagen's death and the events around Pope Paul VI's passing. It would make sense on a lot of levels (particularly with Michael's personality quirks) for Tom's absence to be barely addressed. It must have been a business thing that Paramount didn't consider "Revenge" to be canon as I thought it fit very well into the overall story line and had no conflicts with any of the films. Part 3 is often panned as mediocre, but I thought it well enough done to complete the story. Michael's death at the end could have happened at any time between 1978 and, say, 1995 (although that late date may have been unlikely given his diabetic problems). I read or heard one time that a Part 4 was kicked around but Mario Puzo passed, and the project died along with him. Summing up, Tom Hagen's death in a Florida swamp would make a lot of sense for a mob lawyer. And yes, Part 3 would have been better with Robert Duvall.

Would I have wanted to see Tom in The Godfather Part III? Let me put it this way - I wish I had never seen The Godfather Part III.

I’m glad they didn’t go with Michael and Tom going to war with eachother. But you can’t really ignore the disrespect toward Tom with them “killing him off” just like that. Sucks because he was an important character.

They needed Hagen for Godfather III. They should have paid Devall and cut Keaton. She wouldn't have been missed. Hagan would never have challenged Michael. He wouldn't have wanted to be a full time Don. He never personally killed anyone. Neither did Sonny, as far as I know, but definitely a plus if you want to be a Don.

I did miss Tom in the third movie. I thought he would have taken over for micheal when Michael died but since micheal died old I would have loved for these two men to be together as brothers till the end.

I like Duval in every movie he's ever made..."Falling Down" was one of his best.

Robert Duvall not being in the Godfather, part 3 as Tom Hagen was the second biggest mistake next to the ridiculously boring Vatican angle they decided to go with. Godfather 3 should have been a prequel telling the story of the ride of Don Vito and the five families with an older Michael making a minor appearance to bring his and Tom’s arc full circle. I always believed that Tom died of a heart attack at the begging of part 3.

Every time I get the DVD package out to watch the Godfather I leave III in the box, only watched it once and couldn't believe they allowed Coppola to make that piece of junk for no reason other than to let his daughter have a major role. The only "Godfather III" I watch is an old HBO special where they combined scenes from 1&2 and some cut scenes, it was very good, there was another "III" put together as well doing something similar I believe. But to put out the GF III as it was should never have been allowed. Really missed Robert Duvall and Al Pacino and others were pretty awful

I think Tom was more cerebral than violent - obvious - as opposed to Michael who was cerebral AND violent. I think Tom was more inclined to do business - it's business, not personal - and to do cool power calculations. He would've very likely ended in a deep-background position of political power, like managing political campaigns in Vegas or LittleRock, Arkansas.

When Duvall asked for more money to be in Godfather III, the director was overheard saying "You're out Tom."

Missing Tom and small other details are the reason why Godfather 3 did not feel like the other movies in the saga.

Godfather Part III was a rambling hot mess!

His character's absence in my opinion dealt a death blow to a Masterpiece's continiuarion.

Simply put, Duvall had won Best Actor Oscar already for "Tender Mercies" after three previous nominations. Pacino had not. He had several more years to wait until "Scent of a Woman". Duvall felt that the Oscar made him deserving of at least half the $5 million Pacino was getting.

Tom Hagen was always pragmatic. Imagining him, resigned to his fate, in the car, and choosing to reflect on happy memories, sounds exactly like Tom Hagen.

what killed Tom Hagen? Robert Duvall having standards and rightly calling out that the only reason to make a Godfather 3 was money

The studio should've met Duvall half way at least. The Godfather Pt 3 was a let down after the first two but if Duvall played Tom again, I think it would've been saved 🤔

Tom was the best. Hands down

It's too bad that Duvall couldn't work something out with Coppola. That's the biggest reason why it's not on par with the first 2. Duvall seems to always complete the cast and put films on a different level.

Tom Hagen was undoubteless a major figure in Part 1 and 2 of the Godfather. He's part of the family and loyal to the tooth. What a shame the producer didn't want to pay him what he deserved...!!!

I was only interested in seeing Godfather 3 to see what would happen with the Hagen character. In the first two I saw him as a survivor, and I think it would have been best if he went on living through the series.

The Godfather without Tom Hagen is not The Godfather. He’s an important part of The Godfather story. “The Godfather” 3 is crapolla.

I pretend Godfather 3 never happened. The first two were basically 4 parts.

Tom Hagen was arguably the BEST character the first two films. The lack of him in part 3 to counter Mike's growing crazy would have made that movie so much better. Also, Robert Duvall is a fantastic actor. The first thing I saw him in was an episode of the Twilight Zone, "The Miniature" and it's still one of my fav episodes. Great video, thanks!

This is all very interesting, but there is a major flaw in your analysis: there were only 2 Godfather films.

Tom seemed to be isolated from the necessary violence, so I feel his death should have been of natural causes between movies 2 & 3. He took care of the paperwork, as the family lawyer would, and was just as guilty as any of them, but he was isolated and in my mind it was not violent.

You mention if Michael had killed Tom, or ordered someone to kill him, he would have mentioned it in GF3 when confessing to the bishop. Michael said that he had killed his own brother, and we assumed he was referring to Fredo, but Tom was also his brother and someone who he had trusted implicitly.

If a filmmaker is serious about story then omitting a significant character over an actor declining an under par compensation is outright obnoxious. It shows in the Godfather-3. Like someone said earlier, I too have watched the first two parts a couple of dozen times over but have watched part 3 just twice and I'm not gonna ever watch it again.

Michael didn’t want to put him in the direct line of fire and respected him too much hence his so called demotion….Michael in many ways was protecting Tom.

I never liked Hagen, to be honest. I always thought he was a smug, charmless character, despite Duvall's good performances. As for whether he was missed in Godfather 3 - I think that was the least of Coppola's problems! A terrible script, crap direction and his daughter being the world's worst actress were a lot more problematic.

I disagree that Part 3 is mediocre. It is certainly not without us issues. However, it did present a compelling arch. Wev are all in agreement that Duvall was greatly missed. Truly a missed opportunity.

This is when they stopped caring about the movie, if Ale would have said, if he doesn't get his part. I'm done with the Godfather

Personally, I would’ve liked Tom Hagen to be in GF III but, it was a ch a shitty movie I don’t know how much difference Hagen would’ve made. Re. How Hagen died: I’d like to see a scene where Tom wakes up and finds his Mistresses head under his bed covers, which cause him to stroke out!

Godfather three failed because there is no Tom Hagen and Sofia Coppola

The loss of the Tom Hagen character was a dreadful miscalculation but I also never believed that Kay would beosed back into the house and that she and her ice cold husband would be reconciled - isn't credible after what happened in Godfather 2.

Tom's presence would've helped bring a sense of continuity to the godfather 3 that it does lack. I enjoyed it yet it is also true. It's like a separate genre with a different set of characters even. So. Any of the old guys who could be brought through would have helped for real and Tom was one of the main ones who could've done this. Tom and his son the priest could've mad either more natural.

Francis Ford Coppola screwed up this film with his poor choice of his daughter as Mary Corleone. This epic failure tainted the film, and although missing Tom Hagan , the fatal flaw was self inflicted.

I always loved Tom Hagan's character and I think his role in the Corleone family was vital

Tom was Michael's last brother and person he could trust. Arguably he was Vito's best son, both his character & oscar winning actor was tossed aside like trash.

The three best Scenes for me with Tom Hagen is: 1) Telling Vito news of sonny's death in Part one 2) Blackmailing the senator in vegas after they killed a prostitute and set him up with it, and 3) The scenes when he questions if michael has gone too far.

He Died when paramount wouldn't pay him

Part 3 should have been a battle between Michael and Tom dealing with the way Fredo was handled, make that the main crux of the film, add in other shit, Academy Award

Admittedly it's been a long time since I read The Godfather Returns and The Godfather's Revenge, but I swear I remember Tom "making his bones" by killing someone at the end. Whoever the other boss was says something along the lines of "Irishman, you think they're going to let you make your bones by killing me?" and Tom, cold as ice does the deed. I don't remember the drowning in the swamp thing at all.

According to Duvall, Tom Hagen never died, and Godfather part 3 was the unofficial version. Therefore, I think it should be redone in the right manner, even if Duvall and Al Pacino should be replaced so they can properly back date the time to when La Cosa Nostra was still very much relevant in the United States.

Tom didn't die, it's just that by GF III he was a big enough Star to turn down a role in a turkey movie that should have been titled, "The Search for More Money."

I wish Tom was in GF3. George Hamilton was a joke. Couldn't they find another Italian for the attorney? George Hamilton?? WTF??????? xoxo

What happened to Tom in the books sucked…. Nick catches Tom off guard which leads to Tom’s death in the swamp was really stupid…. You can’t really compare the book and the movie… it would’ve been nice to see Tom face off against Micheal in Part 3… But the movie was not the same without Tom… and in the book it comes across as kill Tom To throw Micheal off a little bit

That final trash shouldn't even be mentioned in the same breath as 1&2... Tom Hagan's inclusion wouldn't have made it much better... perhaps though 'less bad'.

Pt 3 was so incredibly bad, it was even funny Most actors did a very bad job, even great actors like Pacino or the great Eli Wallach But the worst part was Sofia Coppola What a joke

I would like to have seen Tom and Michael end up together with Tom continuing to be loyal and supporting Michael. Maybe the opposition eliminates Tom's whole family so he fully returns to Michael and they move to Sicily together to avoid further reprisal after Mary's death. Or maybe Michael resigns as head of the family but Anthony takes over and Tom with his family move to Sicily to care for Michael as he has become a broken man. Any way you want to write this, Tom is a featured character; second to Michael.

If I knew it was about the money I would have paid Robert myself. The movie should not have been made without him.

Tom Hagen died because Paramount played it cheap and wouldn't pay him what he was worth. The original idea was for Godfather 3 to be Michael vs Hagen. Now THAT'S a premise for a movie.....way better than Michael's diabetes problem and cinema history's worst and creepiest love story subplot. Atrocious, completely out of place third act as well.

"Your attorney Tom Hagen, whatever happened there."

Somehow, I think that Tom Hagen probably is my favourite character. I see him as the most three dimensional character of the story...and let's be honest, how great is Robert Duval...then again it is a great performance in movies full of great performances.

I only think that Phil did 20 years

Ping! Pong! Bong!

That was a terrible mistake not putting Tom Hagan in Godfather 3. He was considered a member of the Corleone family. Robert Duvall was made for that part. Whoever made that decision should be ashamed.

The Weingargner novels were well done and the death of Tom is some of the most chilling couple of pages I have read, being a Godfather devotee. Michael’s and Tom’s stories between movies 2 and 3 are interesting. Wish they could have done movies. Fredo back story also a new twist.

W trzeciej części brakowało Toma Hagena, wątek miłosny córki Michaela z kuzynem też zaszkodził filmowi, zamach na szczycie wieżowca jak na działania mafii trochę przesada

Being in Godfather 3 would have been a far worse fate

I my head-canon, The Godfather's Revenge by Mark Winegardner is the Godfather III. Especially given that it was commissioned by the Puzo family and estate. Also, it's just so much better story wise than what we were given.

The studio low balled Robert Duvall for GF3. Declining to pay Duvall and exclude him from GF3 diminishes the value of the film. Very poor decision by Paramount.

I always viewed Tom Hagen as an embodiment of Vito. When Vito is incapacitated and dead, Tom takes on his spirit when guiding Sonny and Michael. Without Tom in the third film Michael falls apart as his dad’s spirit is gone.