Overview
A powerful tale of family, loyalty, and the dark side of ambition unfolds in the world of organized crime.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- Graphic
- operatic
- shadowed
- deliberate
- classic cinema night
- crime film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Coppola's sequel as a visually masterful, thematically richer crime epic, with extraordinary performances despite concerns about its deliberate and complex pacing.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Michael's efforts to expand and legitimize the Corleone business repeatedly deepen betrayal and familial estrangement.
Vito's rise in Sicily and early New York is interwoven with Michael's 1950s consolidation of power.
Coppola combines expansive period settings, formal compositions, and symbolic imagery across Sicily, New York, Cuba, and Nevada.
Michael pursues expansion into ostensibly respectable businesses while remaining bound to the Corleone family's criminal methods and identity.
Films like The Godfather Part II, and why
The Godfather
shared organized crime drama, family power struggle, moral corruption, and operatic tragedy
Once Upon a Time in America
shared epic gangster narrative, immigrant rise, violent criminal enterprise, and historical sweep
Goodfellas
shared crime family politics, betrayal, psychological deterioration, and morally bleak atmosphere
The Departed
shared ambitious crime epic, corrosive power, and richly stylized period filmmaking
Movie Details
- Director
- Francis Ford Coppola
- Release Date
- 1974-12-20
- Runtime
- 202 min
- Rating
- 8.6 / 10 (14390)
Cast
- Al Pacino
- Robert Duvall
- Diane Keaton
- Robert De Niro
- John Cazale
- Talia Shire
- Lee Strasberg
- Michael V. Gazzo
- G.D. Spradlin
- Richard Bright
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Philo, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, MGM Plus, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel
- Rent
- JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling, Spectrum On Demand, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Godfather Part II about?
- An operatic crime epic intercuts a founder’s immigrant ascent with his heir’s devastating attempt to make a criminal empire legitimate.
- What is The Godfather Part II like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Godfather Part II as slow, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as dense.
- Is The Godfather Part II violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Godfather Part II as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Godfather Part II?
- Critics broadly regard Coppola's sequel as a visually masterful, thematically richer crime epic, with extraordinary performances despite concerns about its deliberate and complex pacing.
- Which films are like The Godfather Part II?
- Films with a similar feel include The Godfather, Once Upon a Time in America, Goodfellas, and The Departed.
- How long is The Godfather Part II?
- The Godfather Part II runs 202 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Godfather Part II?
- In United States, The Godfather Part II streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Philo, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, MGM Plus, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel.
