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The Godfather, Part II

Play trailer 4:10 Poster for The Godfather, Part II R 1974 3h 22m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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96% Tomatometer 129 Reviews 97% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
The compelling sequel to "The Godfather," contrasting the life of Corleone father and son. Traces the problems of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in 1958 and that of a young immigrant Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) in 1917's Hell's Kitchen. Michael survives many misfortunes and Vito is introduced to a life of crime.
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The Godfather, Part II

The Godfather, Part II

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Critics Consensus

Drawing on strong performances by Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, Francis Ford Coppola's continuation of Mario Puzo's Mafia saga set new standards for sequels that have yet to be matched or broken.

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Critics Reviews

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Wendy Ide The Times (UK) The storytelling is leisurely and masterful; Coppola at the very peak of his powers. Dec 29, 2023 Full Review Jake Cole Slant Magazine The Godfather films have set home-video standards for decades, and that trend continues with Paramounts astonishing 4K restorations. Mar 18, 2022 Full Review Pauline Kael The New Yorker It’s an epic vision of the corruption of America. Mar 8, 2022 Full Review Marcelo Paredes Cinencuentro If I consider The Godfather Part II a formidable film, it's because it's the perfect complement to the first, even when the latter apparently didn't need it. [Full review in Spanish] Apr 23, 2025 Full Review Megan Fisher Loud and Clear Reviews Pacino’s performance is like that of a simmering volcano, powerful through what is being withheld from the audience. Jan 11, 2025 Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault "Godfather II" ties all its elements together into a nuanced yet epic vision of an American family and how its downfall parallels that of America itself in the first half of the 20th century. Rated: A+ Nov 26, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Marissa Q The movie was fantastic. I have seen it numerous times at home on the small screen but to see it on a huge screen in a theater is how a movie is meant to be seen! Great experience. Only one complaint: the server was HORRIBLE! It took him 30 minutes into the movie to bring my husband his drink and popcorn. and this was after a number of times stopping him and asking him about this order. Others came later than I did and placed their orders while in the theater. My husband and I placed our orders when we showed our QR code. The server was snarky, horrible, unhelpful and deliberately holding up our order as other late movie goers were receiving their orders before ours. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/01/23 Full Review kish b ★★★★★ The Godfather Part II is not merely a sequel; it is the rare film that towers even higher than its perfect predecessor, a devastating, majestic double-epic that somehow manages to be both the greatest prequel and the greatest sequel ever made at the same time. Francis Ford Coppola doesn’t continue the story; he fractures it across two timelines and watches the Corleone soul rot in real time. Young Vito (Robert De Niro in a performance of quiet, terrifying dignity) rises from Sicilian orphan to American patriarch with the slow, inexorable grace of a lion claiming his territory. Meanwhile, Michael (Al Pacino at the absolute peak of his powers) descends from reluctant don to hollow-eyed emperor, systematically destroying everything he once claimed to protect. The parallel editing is genius: every time we see Vito hug his children, we cut to Michael alone in a colder, bigger room. Every time Vito earns loyalty through love, Michael buys it with fear. By the final flash of that heartbreaking final shot (Michael sitting utterly alone on a winter bench), you realize the tragedy isn’t that Michael became his father; it’s that he became everything his father never was. The cast is flawless: De Niro’s Italian-only dialogue feels lived-in and mythic, Pacino’s eyes go from wounded to dead across three hours, Diane Keaton’s quiet rage finally explodes, John Cazale’s Fredo breaks your heart in every scene he’s in (that "I’m smart!" speech still hurts), and Robert Duvall’s Tom Hagen is the last honest man watching the family die. Even the smaller roles (Lee Strasberg’s chilling Hyman Roth, Michael V. Gazzo’s tragic Frankie Five Angels) are perfect. The scope is insane: Ellis Island, 1917 New York tenements, 1950s Havana, Senate hearings, Lake Tahoe snow; every location feels real enough to touch. Gordon Willis paints with shadows again, Nino Rota’s score aches, and the baptism-of-fire montage is replaced by something even more brutal: the slow, methodical assassination of Michael’s soul across an entire film. Most sequels shrink the original. Part II expands it into Shakespearean tragedy on an American scale. It’s colder, longer, sadder, and infinitely more profound. Fifty years later it still feels like the pinnacle of what cinema can achieve. 10/10. "I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart." And it still breaks mine every single time. 🍷❄️🖤 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/17/25 Full Review Graham B. I think that it’s the greatest sequel of all time Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/15/25 Full Review Audience Member Francis Ford Coppola continues the mafia saga in stellar fashion. great performances by Al Pacino and Robert Di Niro. Another masterpiece only beaten by its predecessor The Godfather Part 1. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/15/25 Full Review Estefania O The Godfather Part II deepens the myth with surgical precision — a cold, tragic elegy where power devours everything, even the soul that sought to save it. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/11/25 Full Review George W Even worst than The Godfather, if such a thing were possible. Coppola is with Hitchcock one of the most overrated directors in the history of cinema. The Conversation is great but it's downhill from there. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 10/12/25 Full Review Read all reviews
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The Godfather, Part II

The Godfather: Part II: Official Clip - Fredo's Death The Godfather: Part II: Official Clip - Fredo's Death 2:13 The Godfather: Part II: Official Clip - If History Has Taught Us Anything The Godfather: Part II: Official Clip - If History Has Taught Us Anything 1:50 The Godfather: Part II: Official Clip - It Was an Abortion The Godfather: Part II: Official Clip - It Was an Abortion 2:08 The Godfather: Part II: Official Clip - The Murder of Don Fanucci The Godfather: Part II: Official Clip - The Murder of Don Fanucci 2:10 The Godfather: Part II: Official Clip - You're Nothing to Me Now The Godfather: Part II: Official Clip - You're Nothing to Me Now 2:13 The Godfather: Part II: Official Clip - Corleone Family Flashback The Godfather: Part II: Official Clip - Corleone Family Flashback 2:12 The Godfather: Part II: Official Clip - My Offer is Nothing The Godfather: Part II: Official Clip - My Offer is Nothing 2:11 The Godfather: Part II: Official Clip - Sicilian Revenge The Godfather: Part II: Official Clip - Sicilian Revenge 2:12 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis The compelling sequel to "The Godfather," contrasting the life of Corleone father and son. Traces the problems of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in 1958 and that of a young immigrant Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) in 1917's Hell's Kitchen. Michael survives many misfortunes and Vito is introduced to a life of crime.
Director
Francis Ford Coppola
Producer
Francis Ford Coppola
Screenwriter
Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Paramount Pictures, Coppola Company
Rating
R
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 12, 1974, Wide
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Apr 19, 2012
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 15, 2012
Runtime
3h 22m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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