Sequels are a way of life in Hollywood, and they’ve been around in some fashion since the dawn of cinema. But in 1974, it just wasn’t common for an Oscar-winner for Best Picture to have a sequel two years later that won the same prize … and more. Fifty years ago this month, The Godfather Part II changed the game for the industry and arguably surpassed The Godfather itself.
While many of The Godfather Part II‘s contemporary films — like The Towering Inferno — have faded from pop culture, this movie continues to influence every crime epic that came after it. It set the bar so high for a sequel that not even The Godfather Part III could come anywhere close to this film’s heights. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Godfather Part II, we’ll examine what makes the film resonate and determine whether it’s the greatest sequel ever made.
The dual narratives are both compelling
Director Francis Ford Coppola (Megalopolis) and The Godfather novelist Mario Puzo co-wrote the screenplay for The Godfather Part II, which effectively serves as both a prequel and a sequel to the first film. In the early years of the 20th century, young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) struggles to find his place as an Italian immigrant living in America. The narrative, starting in 1958, follows Vito’s son, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), as he settles into his role as the Don of the Corleone crime family.
The film intercuts between these two stories as we see how Vito slowly built his reputation and put together the first pieces of his empire, while Michael franticly tries to hold that same empire together as he faces betrayals from friends, allies, and even his own family. De Niro and Pacino don’t have any scenes together in this movie, and Marlon Brando didn’t reprise his role as Vito from the first film. Regardless, the link between the father and his son is felt across the years, and that keeps the audience invested in both of their stories.
Al Pacino was robbed
As you might expect, Al Pacino was nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars for his role in this film. He had previously been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for The Godfather, while Brando took home the Best Actor award for that film. As fantastic as he was in The Godfather, Pacino was even better in The Godfather Part II. Regardless, he lost the award to Art Carney, who won for his role as Harry Coombes in Harry and Tonto.
All due respect to the late actor — who also defeated Dustin Hoffman (Lenny) and Jack Nicholson (Chinatown) at the Oscars that year — but Carney’s performance isn’t the one that’s held up 50 years later. Pacino’s intensity was riveting, and all traces of the good man that Michael used to be were long gone. This version of Michael is perpetually angry, sometimes desperate, and even occasionally lonely. Michael hasn’t just become his father; he’s transformed into something worse. As viewers, we witness some of the early sins of Vito Corleone in this film — and they pale in comparison to things that Michael does by the time the final credits run.
Michael is a monster, and yet we can’t help rooting for him to finish off his enemies and triumph in the end. Few performers can hold an audience’s sympathy while playing a character like that. This was an Oscar-worthy turn by Pacino, even though it took him nearly two decades before he finally won Best Actor for Scent of a Woman in 1992.
Robert De Niro gave one of his career-best performances
One of the most striking things about young Vito is that De Niro initially plays him as a man without power. Most of his dialogue is in Sicilian, and Vito doesn’t have much money or influence. He’s just scraping by like the rest of the immigrants in his neighborhood.
Yet over time, we see the wheels turning in Vito’s mind through De Niro’s face as he figures out how to change his fortune by seizing power where he can … and by murdering someone who stood in the way of his rise.
De Niro’s take on his character wasn’t as flashy as Pacino’s or even his own role in Taxi Driver two years later. Instead, De Niro humanized young Vito while the script made him an underdog. His narrative also parallels Michael’s, as both father and son set out to get their revenge. De Niro gave subtle nuance and depth to Vito that his on-screen son lost over time, and his performance was unforgettable.
The film stands as an artistic achievement
In a seven-year period between 1972 and 1979, Coppola made The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, and Apocalypse Now, all three of which are widely recognized as some of the best movies ever made. It was kind of all downhill from there, especially if Megalopolis turns out to be Coppola’s final film. The director made some good — and even great — movies between 1979 and now, but The Godfather Part II towers above the rest.
Every aspect of this film works magnificently, from the staging and the performances to the choreography, the music, and more. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful movie that feels uncommonly timeless. That may be why The Godfather Part II has never fully gone away from the public consciousness. How many times have you heard Pacino’s iconic line, “I know it was you, Fredo,” in your life?
The irony is that some contemporary critics trashed The Godfather Part II before reappraising it after it was clear how the film was embraced by audiences. To date, the only other sequel to win an Oscar for Best Picture is The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. That’s rarefied territory, but we’d still call The Godfather Part II the greatest sequel ever made. Until something else comes along that can match its impact, this film will continue to wear that crown.
Watch The Godfather Part II on Paramount+.
