The Godfather Part II (1974) Full Plot Spoilers & Detailed Summary: An extensive breakdown of the dual-timeline masterpiece, contrasting young Vito Corleone's rise to power with Michael Corleone's tragic moral decay and the betrayal that broke the family.
Synopsis
In this sprawling continuation of the Corleone saga, the narrative unfolds across two parallel timelines. In 1958, Michael Corleone fights to protect his family's interests and expand into Las Vegas and Cuba, all while facing a senate investigation and a heartbreaking betrayal from within his own circle. Simultaneously, the film traces the early life of his father, Vito Andolini, in early 20th-century New York, chronicling his journey from an orphaned Sicilian immigrant to the respected and feared Don Vito Corleone. The juxtaposition highlights the cruel irony of a son destroying the very family his father built to protect.
Information |
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Language |
English Sicilian |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
December 20, 1974 |
Running time |
202 minutes |
Genre |
Crime Drama |
Budget |
$13,000,000 |
Box Office |
$47,961,919 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
Francis Ford Coppola |
Produced by |
Francis Ford Coppola Gray Frederickson Fred Roos |
Written by |
Francis Ford Coppola Mario Puzo |
Music by |
Nino Rota Carmine Coppola |
Cinematography |
Gordon Willis |
Edited by |
Peter Zinner Barry Malkin Richard Marks |
Production Co. |
The Coppola Company |
Distributed by |
Paramount Pictures |
Top Cast |
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Official Trailer |
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Movie Collection |
Movie Order: #02 in The Godfather Collection
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The Plot
Tragedy in Corleone
The saga begins in 1901 in the harsh landscape of Corleone, Sicily, during the funeral procession of Antonio Andolini, who was murdered for daring to insult the local Mafia chieftain, Don Ciccio. The violence does not end with the father; during the procession, Antonio’s eldest son, Paolo, is gunned down after swearing vengeance against the Don. Desperate to save her remaining family, Antonio’s widow takes her nine-year-old son, Vito, to Ciccio’s compound to beg for mercy. However, the ruthless Don refuses, coldly prophesying that the boy will grow up to seek revenge. Realizing her son is doomed, the mother holds a knife to Ciccio’s throat, sacrificing herself to allow Vito to escape as Ciccio’s men gun her down.
With the aid of sympathetic townspeople, the orphaned Vito is smuggled out of Sicily. He endures a long voyage to America, eventually arriving at Ellis Island in New York City. There, an immigration agent, mistaking the boy's place of origin for his last name, registers him as "Vito Corleone," marking the beginning of a new identity in a new world.
The Godfather at Lake Tahoe
In 1958, the timeline shifts to Nevada. Michael Corleone, now the established Godfather, hosts an elaborate celebration for his son Anthony’s First Communion at his Lake Tahoe compound. Amidst the festivities, Michael tends to pressing family and business matters in his office. He meets with Senator Pat Geary, a corrupt Nevada politician who holds disdain for the Corleones. Geary demands an exorbitant bribe to facilitate the gaming licenses for the family's new hotel-casinos. Michael, unmoved by the Senator's threats to make the acquisition difficult, coldly refuses to pay, telling Geary, "I want your answer and the money by noon tomorrow... the answer is no, and the money is nothing."
Domestic troubles also plague the compound. Michael’s sister, Connie, recently divorced, arrives with a man named Merle Johnson, whom she intends to marry despite his lack of means. Michael disapproves, seeing Johnson as a grifter. Business concerns continue as Michael meets with Johnny Ola, the right-hand man to Jewish gangster Hyman Roth. Roth is backing Michael’s expansion into the gambling industry, cementing a partnership. However, tension arises with Frank "Five Angels" Pentangeli, a caporegime who took over Peter Clemenza’s territory in New York. Pentangeli is furious about the Rosato Brothers, rivals backed by Roth who are encroaching on his turf. When Michael refuses to let Pentangeli retaliate to preserve the deal with Roth, Pentangeli leaves in a rage, warning Michael: "Your father did business with Hyman Roth, your father respected Hyman Roth, but your father never trusted Hyman Roth."
Betrayal from Within
Later that night, the celebration turns into a nightmare. Michael’s wife, Kay, notices the bedroom window drapes are inexplicably open. Moments later, machine-gun fire erupts from outside, riddling the bedroom with bullets. Michael barely manages to save himself and Kay. The two hitmen are soon found dead on the grounds, having been silenced by a "mole" within the compound to prevent them from talking.
Realizing the gravity of the betrayal, Michael confides in his adopted brother and lawyer, Tom Hagen. He asserts that the assassination attempt could only have been orchestrated with the help of someone close to the family. Michael decides he must leave immediately to uncover the traitor, entrusting all his power to Tom to protect the family in his absence.
The Rise of Vito
The narrative flashes back to New York City in 1917. An adult Vito Corleone works quietly in a grocery store on the Lower East Side alongside his friend Genco Abbandando. The neighborhood suffers under the thumb of Don Fanucci, a member of the "Black Hand" who extorts protection money from local businesses. One night, Vito’s neighbor, a young Peter Clemenza, asks him to hide a stash of guns. Later, to repay the favor, Clemenza takes Vito to an upscale apartment where they commit their first crime together: stealing an elegant rug. This marks Vito's entry into the criminal underworld.
A Game of Chess
In 1958, Michael travels to Miami to meet Hyman Roth. Feigning ignorance, Michael tells Roth that he suspects Frank Pentangeli was behind the assassination attempt and that he will be dealt with. He then travels to Brooklyn to meet Pentangeli, revealing the truth: Hyman Roth was the mastermind. Michael outlines a counter-strategy, asking Pentangeli to cooperate with the Rosato Brothers to lull Roth into a false sense of security.
However, the plan goes awry. When Pentangeli arrives at a local bar to meet the Rosatos, he is garroted from behind with the message, "Michael Corleone says hello." The assassination is interrupted by a policeman, leaving Pentangeli critically injured but alive. Outside, his bodyguard, Willie Cicci, is struck by a car while exchanging gunfire with the fleeing Rosatos.
Leverage Over the Senator
Back in Nevada, Tom Hagen is summoned to a brothel in Carson City run by Michael’s older brother, Fredo. Senator Geary has been implicated in the brutal death of a prostitute. Capitalizing on the situation, Tom offers to make the "problem" disappear in exchange for the Senator’s unwavering "friendship" and support for the Corleone family, effectively neutralizing Geary as a threat.
New Year’s Eve in Havana
Michael joins Hyman Roth in Havana, Cuba, amidst the political turmoil of the Batista regime and the rising communist rebellion led by Fidel Castro. During a birthday party for Roth, Michael expresses concern that the rebels might win, threatening their heavy investments in the island's casinos. Earlier, Michael had witnessed a rebel detonate a grenade, killing himself and a police captain, a level of fanaticism that unsettles him. Privately, Roth chastises Michael for not yet delivering the promised two million dollars to solidify their partnership.
Fredo arrives in Havana carrying the money. When Michael introduces him to Hyman Roth and Johnny Ola, Fredo claims he has never met them. However, Michael soon reveals to Fredo that he knows Roth ordered the hit on him and asserts, "Hyman Roth will never see the New Year." Instead of handing over the money, Michael confronts Roth, asking who ordered the hit on Pentangeli. Roth deflects, angrily recounting the murder of his old friend Moe Greene, orchestrated by Michael years prior.
The truth about the traitor is revealed during a night out. Michael asks Fredo to entertain Senator Geary and other officials. At a sex show, Fredo slips up, loudly commenting that Johnny Ola told him about the place. This contradicts his earlier claim of never knowing Ola. Michael realizes with heartbreak that his own brother is the traitor. He dispatches his bodyguard to kill Johnny Ola, who is strangled, but Roth survives an assassination attempt at the hospital when Michael’s enforcer is shot.
At the stroke of midnight at Batista’s New Year's Eve party, Michael grasps Fredo by the head and delivers the kiss of death: "I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart!" As the government collapses and rebels swarm the city, the guests flee. Michael pleads with Fredo to leave with him, insisting he is still his brother, but a terrified Fredo refuses and disappears into the chaos.
Loss and Isolation
Michael returns to the Lake Tahoe compound in early 1959 to a grim reality. Tom Hagen informs him that Roth escaped Cuba and is recovering in Miami, Michael’s bodyguard is dead, and Fredo is likely hiding in New York. The most devastating news, however, is that Kay has had a miscarriage. Michael is distraught, furiously demanding to know the sex of the lost child, but Tom claims not to know.
The Making of a Don
In 1920, Don Fanucci becomes aware of the partnership between Vito, Clemenza, and Salvatore Tessio. He demands a significant cut of their illicit profits. While his partners are willing to pay, Vito is reluctant. He convinces them to let him handle it, predicting Fanucci will accept much less. True to his word, Vito negotiates with Fanucci, paying him only $100 of the demanded $600. Winning Fanucci’s respect, however, is a ruse. During the neighborhood festa, Vito stalks Fanucci across the rooftops and murders him in the hallway of his apartment building. He then rejoins his family on the stoop, telling the infant Michael that his father loves him very much.
With Fanucci dead, Vito earns the neighborhood's respect. He begins operating out of the Genco Pura Olive Oil Company, intervening in local disputes. In one instance, he helps Signora Colombo, a friend of his wife, by intimidating her landlord into letting her stay and even reducing her rent.
The Senate Investigation
In 1959, a Senate committee investigating organized crime, which includes Senator Geary, begins hearings in Washington, D.C. They question Willie Cicci, but as a low-level soldier, he cannot directly implicate Michael. When Michael takes the stand, Senator Geary performs a grand charade of defending Italian-Americans before excusing himself. Michael coolly denies all criminal allegations, including the murders of Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey in 1946, and challenges the committee to produce a witness.
The committee produces Frank Pentangeli, who survived the Rosato attack and, believing Michael betrayed him, has agreed to testify. Michael and Tom realize that Roth’s strategy was to trap Michael in a perjury charge. Meanwhile, Fredo is found and brought back to Nevada. In a private meeting, he explains his betrayal stems from deep-seated resentment at being passed over for leadership. He admits he helped Roth thinking it would benefit the family, swearing he didn't know they plotted to kill Michael. He also reveals that the committee's chief counsel is on Roth’s payroll. Michael disowns him, telling Fredo, "You're nothing to me now," and instructs his enforcer Al Neri that no harm is to come to Fredo while their mother is alive.
The Silent Witness
On the day of Pentangeli’s testimony, Michael arrives accompanied by a surprise guest: Vincenzo Pentangeli, Frank’s brother, brought all the way from Sicily. The mere presence of his brother reminds Frank of the code of omertà . When questioned, Frank recants his entire story, claiming he lied to the FBI. With the witness compromised, the hearing falls apart, and Tom Hagen demands an apology for his client.
The End of a Marriage
In a hotel room afterward, Kay attempts to leave Michael, taking the children. Michael tries to calm her, but the confrontation explodes when Kay reveals her "miscarriage" was actually an abortion. She tells him she could not bring another son into his criminal world and that the aborted child was a boy. Enraged, Michael strikes her and banishes her from the family.
Vendetta in Sicily
The narrative flashes back to 1925. Vito Corleone returns to Sicily for the first time in twenty years. Under the guise of an olive oil importer seeking a blessing, he visits the now-elderly Don Ciccio. When Ciccio asks for his father’s name, Vito whispers, "My father's name is Antonio Andolini, and this is for you!" before ripping the old man’s stomach open with a knife. He avenges his father, mother, and brother. During the escape, his partner Tommasino is shot in the leg, an injury that leaves him with a permanent limp.
Final Goodbyes
In April 1959, Carmela Corleone, the family matriarch, dies. The family gathers for the funeral. Michael continues to shun the miserable Fredo but relents when Connie implores him to make peace. Michael embraces Fredo, but over his brother’s shoulder, he catches Al Neri’s eye, signaling that the protection on Fredo’s life has expired with their mother’s death.
Michael prepares for the final settling of accounts. He rejects Tom Hagen’s advice to spare Hyman Roth. Later, Tom visits the imprisoned Frank Pentangeli. Through subtle historical references to Roman conspirators, Tom suggests that if Frank commits suicide, his family will be provided for and his honor restored.
The Fate of the Enemies
The film culminates in a chilling montage of death. At an airport, Hyman Roth is assassinated by Rocco Lampone, who poses as a journalist; Rocco is immediately killed by police in the ensuing chaos. On the military base, Frank Pentangeli is found dead in his bathtub, having slit his wrists. Finally, at Lake Tahoe, Al Neri takes Fredo fishing. As Fredo recites a Hail Mary to help catch a fish, Neri shoots him in the back of the head, executing his own brother on Michael’s orders.
Remembrance and Solitude
The penultimate scene flashes back to December 1941. The Corleone family prepares a surprise birthday party for Vito. Sonny introduces Connie’s future husband, Carlo Rizzi, to the family. The mood shifts when Michael announces he has enlisted in the Marines following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Sonny is furious, ridiculing the choice, while Tom mentions Vito’s high hopes for Michael to avoid the criminal life. Only Fredo supports Michael’s decision. When Vito arrives, the family rushes to greet him, leaving Michael sitting alone at the table.
The film concludes in 1959 with Michael Corleone sitting alone in the park of his Lake Tahoe compound, staring silently across the water, haunted by the past and the terrible price of his power.
