The thing that stands out the most to me about this scene is the sound design, the atmospheric noise of traffic outside the restaurant creates a sense of stillness and quiet inside, the clink of cutlery as Sollozzo and McCluskey eat their meals while Michael goes into the toilets to get the handgun out stands out against this background noise giving us more of a sense of how quiet it really is inside the establishment. This atmospheric noise grows louder also as Michael heads into the back away from the front of the restaurant, more or less masking any noise he’s making. This emphasis on sound within the scene and the growing tension is used to great effect within the short cut back to Sollozzo and McCluskey eating out front wherein Captain McCluskey looks up momentarily, hearing Michael banging around getting the gun out. For a moment it seems that the two might realise something’s up but they just continue eating instead. I think that there’s a moment of foreshadowing also just before Michael comes back out from the toilets as he pauses for a moment and prepares himself for what he’s about to do, the noise from the outside of the restaurant swells getting noticeably louder and you can hear the noise of a train in particular that becomes recognisable amongst the rest of the exterior rumble.

Skipping ahead to the point in which Michael makes his move, I love how the sound within the scene once again goes from being almost completely quite (save the Italian dialogue) and then the tension ramps back up as the noise of an approaching train gets louder and louder until the final moment of release when Michael gets up and shoots them both in the face using the cacophony from to railway to partially mask the noise from his gun. Although as this point the gunshots and the noise of McCluskey collapsing and the entire table of food spilling over is overwhelming and the noise of the train becomes almost non-existent.

Speaking briefly on shot style, I noticed that Michael appears almost exclusively within mid shots or medium close-ups where we can take in his demeanor and the subtleties of his facial expressions moreso than if he had been framed within longer shots. This style of shooting and emphasis on Michael’s character really shines through right before the moment of climax, you can literally see the glint in Al Pachino’s eyes as they dart between the two men sitting across from him like a lion eyeing off its prey.

Love it!