Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis may have secured a few supporters when it was finally released earlier this year, but ultimately the majority of moviegoers and critics shunned it, especially disappointing many of the cinephiles who had followed the film throughout its lengthy production history. But his latest film does not take away from the quality of the director’s prior films, many of which are beloved classics that continue to shape world cinema and other media. One of these influential favorites is The Godfather Part II, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this week. Looking back on the second installment in Coppola’s epic mob trilogy, it’s easy to see why it remains so beloved and influential, even half a century later. Perfectly building on the foundation set by The Godfather, the film deepens the study of the Corleone mob family to expose the true horror of organized crime and solidifies the saga’s scathing appraisal of the American dream, and in doing so it changed filmmaking, and especially the expectations directed towards sequels, forever.
'The Godfather Part II' Changes the Corleones' Image
For those that don’t know, much of The Godfather Part II takes place in the 1950s, following Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) after he is nearly assassinated, with the once reluctant mob boss entering into a complex conflict with other criminals as he fights to prevent the collapse of the Corleone crime family, only to unintentionally contribute to it himself. Woven throughout the film are flashback sequences depicting Michael’s father, Vito, through his tragic childhood until the beginning of his own reign as a mob kingpin, with Robert De Niro playing the younger version of Marlon Brando’s most famous character.
Brando’s absence and the inclusion of the flashback narrative are the most immediately obvious differences between Part II and its predecessor, but the second film also has drastically different thematic and emotional significance, due mostly to its portrayal of Michael, and through him, the mob itself and its presentation in film and other media. While The Godfather certainly highlights the frightening and immoral nature of the mobsters’ actions, most of the crimes Michael himself is directly involved in are, at least in the twisted code the Corleones hold themselves to, justifiable attempts to avenge slights against the family or prevent future attacks. With the arguable exception of Moe Greene (Alex Rocco), all the other mobsters whose assassinations Michael orders after that film are proven enemies who have been directly involved in attempts to harm the Corleones, including the attempted assassination of Vito. The end of the film focuses directly on Michael arranging the death of his brother-in-law, Carlo Rizzi (Gianni Russo). Although Michael’s sister and Carlo’s wife, Connie (Talia Shire), is understandably upset with her brother for this and his wife, Kay (Diane Keaton), is disturbed by his unconvincing denial of doing so, ultimately Carlo was both involved in facilitating the murder of Michael’s brother, Sonny (James Caan), and physically abusive of Connie herself. This makes his death a mostly understandable (though still violent and old-fashioned) bit of retribution.
Part II starts with a similar dynamic, with Michael himself surviving an assassination attempt that obviously involved someone within the family, but his subsequent attempts to take revenge and protect himself and the family from prosecution see him becoming increasingly vindictive and self-serving, eventually ending up at odds with several of the family members as the family itself falls from its former “glory”. The most obvious example of his doing so is his decision to have his brother, Fredo (John Cazale) killed after finding out he is the aforementioned family traitor, but there are plenty of other instances throughout the film that memorably highlight Michael’s depravity, and Kay in particular calls Michael out on his disturbing behavior. The famous scene in which Kay reveals that she is leaving Michael and that she terminated her latest pregnancy because she doesn’t want to have another of Michael’s children begins with her referring to his current mob rivals, noting that, “I suppose I always knew you were too smart to let any of them ever beat you.” In addition to his arrogant needs to win at all costs and have the most power this scene continues to highlight many of Michael’s other disturbing traits, including his sexist need to control Kay, which had previously been obscured somewhat from the viewer by his sympathetic beginnings. This culminates in him striking Kay in the head and yelling that she, “won’t take my children!”, which, along with Fredo’s death, emphasizes that Michael only really values an old-fashioned, oppressive vision of family and is, in truth, a monstrous thug, hence why he excels as a mob leader.
'The Godfather Part II' Is the Ultimate Dark Sequel
Image via 20th Century Studios
This unflattering depiction of its protagonist is one of many aspects of the film that make it a much darker story than its predecessor, in a way that would prove highly influential on sequels from other film franchises. It has become common practice for trilogies and other film series to make their second installments especially bleak and morally ambiguous, with the most famous example being how the Star Wars series did so with the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back. But six years prior, The Godfather Part II provided the perfect example of how to make a darker sequel, completely upending the more romanticized view of Michael, the Corleones, and the mob presented by the first film to emphasize their corrupt natures in the most dramatic possible way. Adding to the story’s impact is the fact that, unlike third installments in other series, 1990’s The Godfather Part III does not provide any redemption or resurgent triumph for the characters.
The more ruthless portrayal of Michael, rendered chilling by Pacino’s terrifying performance (arguably the best in his storied career and one of the best in film history) is also an obvious influence on later morally ambiguous protagonists. While cinema has always been full of anti-heroes, especially in the crime genre, the protagonists of most earlier mainstream Hollywood films, even and perhaps especially those who eventually become corrupt, have sympathetic qualities, just as Michael did in The Godfather. By depicting Michael’s transformation into something even more twisted and detestable, Part II proceeded many later prestige films (from the crime and other genres) such as Pacino and Brian De Palma’s Scarfaceand Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellasin presenting a protagonist who is almost entirely immoral, but nonetheless entertaining and compelling to watch.
'The Godfather Part II' Continues to Influence Cinema and More
Image via Paramount Pictures
In addition to providing an opportunity for De Niro’s great performance, the flashback narrative has also proved influential. The simple dichotomy of the flashback and 50s sequences likely comes across as extremely straightforward and intuitive to modern viewers who are accustomed to the time-bending story structures of films like Memento and Arrival or any number of modern television series like True Detective. But decades ago, flashbacks were not as common a storytelling device, likely because films that used them heavily often received criticism (with a few notable exceptions like Citizen Kane, of course), particularly for reducing elements of mystery and ambiguity in films. The young Vito sequences aren’t subject to the same level of scrutiny, as they depict a character whose fate the viewer is already aware of, and their purpose in contrasting Vito’s actions and motives with those of his son is obvious. That said, the fact they have been embraced and praised to the extent that they have is a testament to their quality and likely made filmmakers and viewers more open to the more experimental chronologies that have become commonplace in both the film and television mediums.
These are just a few of the ways The Godfather Part II changed cinema, and even storytelling in other mediums, irrevocably, which in turn only accounts for part of its lasting appeal. It’s also simply an incredibly made, wildly entertaining, deeply moving film, one of the great tragedies in Hollywood history. Between all this and how it proved that the film sequel is its own kind of art form, it’s almost certain the film’s reputation will remain as strong, or even improve, over the next 50 years.
The Godfather Part II is available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.
The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.
Image via Paramount Pictures
Image via 20th Century Studios
Image via Paramount Pictures
English (US) ·