The Godfather: Part II

The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York is portrayed while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on his crime syndicate stretching from Lake Tahoe, Nevada to pre-revolution 1958 Cuba.

• Director: Francis Ford Coppola
• Genre:Drama / Thriller
• Runtime:202 minutes

Cast

Al Pacino : Don Michael Corleone Robert Duvall : Tom Hagen Diane Keaton : Kay Corleone Robert De Niro : Vito Corleone (as Robert DeNiro) John Cazale : Fredo Corleone

In 1958, Michael Corleone, Godfather of the Corleone family, deals with various business and family problems at his Lake Tahoe, Nevada compound during an elaborate party celebrating his son’s First Communion. He meets with Nevada Senator Pat Geary, who despises the Corleones, but has shown up with his wife to accept a large endowment to the state university. Geary, aware that Michael plans to gain control of another Vegas casino, the Trocadero, demands a grossly exaggerated price for a new gaming license and a monthly payment of five percent of the gross profits from all of the Corleone family’s Nevada gaming interests, all while insulting the Corleones and Italians in general. Michael coldly gives Geary his counter-offer: nothing. Nothing at all for the gaming fee or the license.

Michael also deals with his sister Connie, who, although recently divorced, is planning to marry a man of whom Michael disapproves. He also talks with Johnny Ola, the right hand man of gangster Hyman Roth, who says that Roth will not object to Michael gaining de facto control of the Trocadero (the casinos are “owned” by frontmen, to conceal their true ownership by mobsters – a deleted scene shows the Trocadero frontman Klingman being physically threatened by a Corleone enforcer). Finally, Michael meets with Frank Pentangeli, who took over Corleone caporegime Peter Clemenza’s territory after Clemenza’s death, and now has problems with the Rosato brothers, who are backed by Roth and are attempting to intrude on Pentangeli’s territory. Michael refuses to allow Pentangeli to kill the Rosatos, in order to maintain a smooth business relationship with Roth. Pentangeli leaves abruptly after arguing with Michael.

Later that night, an assassination attempt is made on Michael. Afterward, Michael tells Tom Hagen that the hit was made with the help of someone close. Michael then insists that he must leave and entrusts Hagen to protect his family. The Corleone guards then search the compound, and as Michael suspected, the gunmen are found dead. Read more