The Godfather Part II story
The Godfather Part II is a 1974 American epic gangster film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, loosely based on the 1969 novel The Godfather by Mario Puzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Coppola. It is both a sequel and a prequel to the 1972 film The Godfather, presenting two parallel dramas: one picks up the 1958 story of Michael Corleone, the new Don of the Corleone family, protecting the family business in the aftermath of an attempt on his life; the other covers the journey of his father, Vito Corleone, from his Sicilian childhood to the founding of his family enterprise in New York City.
24 total · 3 choice · 9 major · 12 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| loyalty to one's family | choice | Michael's loyalty to his own family above else was on full display. In particular he was outraged when his family was imperiled in an assassination attempt in his home. He kept a tight hold on his children even as he, reluctantly, divorced Kay. He displayed unwavering adoration for his mother. He told his brother Fredo he loved him, and it was an iconic nadir in Michael's moral decay when he committed fratricide by ordering Fredo's murder at the end. |
| organized crime | choice | The story concerns the Corleone family crime syndicate as its head Michael Corleone increasingly lost his humanity while attempting to run his criminal empire. Flashbacks presents an origin story of the same family. |
| the desire for vengeance | choice | In start contrast to the first film, Michael's killings at the end did not advance his family's business interests in any apparent way, but instead were a direct fulfillment of his desire to take revenge on anyone involved in his the failed plot on his life. After an attempt was made on his life right in his bedroom, endangering his family, Michael set out to avenge himself. He had already won in every other way that matters when he made the decision to sacrifice one of his most loyal men to murder Hyman Roth in front of the police at an airport. It was a sinister sign of moral decay when he ultimately committed fratricide and had Fredo killed. Vito's storyline culminated with him settling an old score with Don Ciccio. |
| betrayal | major | A central line in the story is the question of whom in his inner circle had betrayed Michael and enabled the assassination attempt on him within his secure compound at Lake Tahoe. |
| corruption in society | major | The Corleone family's crucial advantage in the American underworld was that they had politicians in their collective pocket. Notably, Senator Geary demanded a huge bribe from Michael but was in turn set up, blackmailed and turned into a mouthpiece for the family. |
| descent into crime | major | A central theme is how Michael become ever more brutal and callous as the story progressed. It ends with a moral nadir when Michael committed fratricide. |
| disintegrating romantic relationship | major | Michael and Kay's marriage fell apart. The final straw came when Kay, in a heated argument with Michael, revealed to him that she'd aborted their baby. |
| fratricide | major | The story culminated ominously with the killing of Michael's remaining brother, Fredo, at Michael's behest. |
| loyalty to a group | major | Many people were fiercely loyal to the Corleone family. For example, Tom Hagen's loyalty was almost though not entirely above questioning. |
| murder | major | Attempts were made on Michael's life. Michael had numerous people murdered, notably Fredo and Hyman Roth in the end. |