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The Godfather, Part II (1974)

tomatometer

98

Average Rating: 9.2/10
Reviews Counted: 58
Fresh: 57 | Rotten: 1

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.

83

Average Rating: 7.3/10
Critic Reviews: 6
Fresh: 5 | Rotten: 1

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.

audience

96

liked it
Average Rating: 4.3/5
User Ratings: 356,207

My Rating

Movie Info

Francis Ford Coppola's legendary continuation and sequel to his landmark 1972 film, The Godfather, parallels the young Vito Corleone's rise with his son Michael's spiritual fall, deepening The Godfather's depiction of the dark side of the American dream. In the early 1900s, the child Vito flees his Sicilian village for America after the local Mafia kills his family. Vito (Robert De Niro) struggles to make a living, legally or illegally, for his wife and growing brood in Little Italy, killing the

May 24, 2005

Paramount Pictures

Cast

All Critics (58) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (66) | Rotten (2) | DVD (33)

Not once does Pacino overtly ask for the audience's sympathy, but through a disciplined, suggestive performance he dominates the film.

February 20, 2009 Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | Comment
TIME Magazine
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The Paramount release has everything going for it.

February 19, 2008 Full Review Source: Variety | Comment
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Francis Ford Coppola pulls it off in grand style.

December 13, 2006 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | Comment
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The stunning text of The Godfather is replaced in Part II with prologues, epilogues, footnotes, and good intentions.

October 23, 2004 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | Comments (5)
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It's a second movie made largely out of the bits and pieces of Mr. Puzo's novel that didn't fit into the first. It's a Frankenstein's monster stitched together from leftover parts. It talks. It moves in fits and starts but it has no mind of its own.

New York Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Few sequels have expanded upon the original with the faithfulness and detail of this one.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: ReelViews | Comment
ReelViews
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A rare sequel that is even better than the original 1972 The Godfather, largely due to the superb performances by De Niro (as the young Brando character), Pacino, who here assumes the lead, and the rest of the ensemble.

February 27, 2011 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | Comment

Part II is brilliant, but not for kids.

January 1, 2011 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Comments (6)
Common Sense Media

Often ranked as the greatest movie sequel ever produced, The Godfather: Part II follows Al Pacino's Michael Corleone as he teams up with gangster Hyman Roth (Lee Strasberg) in an effort to expand his empire into the lucrative world of gambling.

April 1, 2009 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | Comment
Reel Film Reviews

Has an even broader scope than the original, but does not fail in its depiction of small, intimate moments and surprising emotional reveals.

October 10, 2008 Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | Comment
San Francisco Examiner

Although it runs a bit long, The Godfather: Part II is still an excellent film.

October 8, 2008 Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | Comment
7M Pictures

While I'm sure profits were a big part of the conversation the Paramount suits had when deciding to green-light The Godfather Part II, but Coppola didn't go out and bastardize the franchise. Far from it.

October 6, 2008 Full Review Source: Movie Views | Comment

Paramount gave Coppola more money and a freer hand in directing the sequel.... I guess they made him an offer he couldn't refuse. (Blu-ray Edition)

September 17, 2008 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis | Comment
Movie Metropolis

...an epic landscape of events and an exquisite tapestry of characterizations.

September 17, 2008 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis | Comment
Movie Metropolis

It's not Shakespearean, but it's tragic.

March 8, 2008 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | Comment
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

The greatest sequel ever made. Probably.

February 19, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4 | Comment

Shadows lurk throughout the movie, as they do over the Corleones' lives.

February 7, 2008 Full Review Source: Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) | Comment
Sun Publications (Chicago, IL)

A mesmerizing sequel that explores the parallels in the life of father and son.

December 13, 2006 Full Review Source: Oscar Guy | Comment
Oscar Guy

A rare sequel to a great film that recaptures and expands upon the mastery of its predecessor.

November 12, 2006 Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | Comment
Arizona Daily Star

O segundo ato da obra máxima do Cinema.

July 28, 2006 Comment (1)
Cinema em Cena

The performances, Gordon Willis' memorably gloomy camerawork, the stately pace and the sheer scale of the story's sweep render everything engrossing and so, well, plausible that our ideas of organised crime in America will forever be marked by this movie.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out | Comment
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Godfather, Part II

Terrific film, the best sequel ever! And in some moments, The Godfather, Part II is even better that the first one. Fresh.

February 1, 2012
Lucas Martins

Super Reviewer

This is just as, if not more interesting than the first. The depiction of Vito's rise and Michael's fall is nice. Like the first, however, the story is a dull chess match: the strategy is impressive, but it is still a boring game. It is also sad that Brando is not present and Caan only makes a brief appearance.

January 23, 2012
Sanjay Rema

Super Reviewer

    1. Michael Corleone: I knew it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart.
    – Submitted by Michael C (34 days ago)
    1. Michael Corleone: Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.
    – Submitted by Patrick H (3 months ago)
    1. Michael Corleone: I don't feel I have to wipe everybody out, Tom. Just my enemies.
    – Submitted by Sam B (7 months ago)
    1. Vito Corleone: Michael, your father loves you very much. Very much.
    – Submitted by Yury M (8 months ago)
    1. Frankie Pentangeli: Your father did business with Hyman Roth, he respected Hyman Roth, but he never trusted Hyman Roth!
    – Submitted by Yury M (8 months ago)

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Foreign Titles

  • Der Pate II (DE)
  • The Godfather: Part II (UK)
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