The Godfather Part II The Rewatchables
The Godfather Part II poster
The Godfather Part II

What’s Aged the Best?

Young Pacino and young De Niro together; Merle; drapes shooting sequence; 'In my home' outburst; all things Fredo; Johnny Ola; Michael's IBM stock; Pentangeli's brother; Rocco Lampone; oranges; Gordon Willis photography; bathtub Roman-history scene; Talia Shire

In the discussion (20)
Approx. transcript time · 01:26:35Read transcript
  • Young Pacino and young De Niro in the same movie; De Niro spent four months studying Brando, learned Sicilian and speaks about eight words of English.
  • De Niro had been cast as Paulie in the original and read for Sonny.
  • Merle asking for a drink in Michael's office and Michael saying "I don't know this Merle" in the third person; the hosts speculate about what Merle does for a living.
  • The drapes-and-gunfire sequence, Michael diving for cover and finding Rocco alive, is great.
  • Pacino's "In my home!" outburst shows his volume changes in their pure form.
  • Michael's advice about trying to think like the people around you is great life advice.
  • All things Fredo: his outfits, hot drunk wife, hair and fishing; he gets wins left and right unlike Kay.
  • Dominic Cheney as Johnny Ola starts a Sopranos lineage of casting from these films.
  • The Geary dead-woman scene is praised for Duvall, though one view says the idea has aged worst; Duvall is argued as possibly the best actor of his generation.
  • The scene shows the family is now doing the killing themselves, unlike the horse in Part I.
  • More entries include the daiquiri, Vito and Signor Roberto, and Michael's IBM stock.
  • Pentangeli's brother flying in from the old country and staring is the most Italian part of the movie.
  • Tom telling Michael he is staying, met with Michael being mean to him again, and the "anyone can be killed" line three years before JFK.
  • Rocco Lampone is underrated for two high-profile mob murders, including Roth.
  • The oranges are a literary echo; oranges reportedly represent memory and nostalgia to Sicilians.
  • Gordon Willis's photography, turn-of-the-century New York, the Ellis Island arrival and the recorder.
  • The top pick for one participant is the bathtub scene and its Roman history.
  • Another pick is the look of the film with Willis, plus De Niro and Pacino in their prime.
  • The 2012 Thunder comparison casts Kendrick Perkins as that team's Kay Corleone.
  • Talia Shire is added late: much better than in the first film, with an arc.