Opening Image:
Michael Corleone, who has just inherited the all powerful “Don” position, is pictured with one hand on his chin and the other being kissed by a man (a gesture of great thanks)… Image fades.
Set-Up:
Vito: For Vito Corleone, the original don and father of Michael, the set-up is outlined when his family is killed and he is brought into the United States as a child, where he must start a new life.
Michael: The set-up for Michael is one fairly similar to the opening of the first Godfather film, as Michael is seen dealing with not only business issues, but also problems inside the family during the celebration for his son’s Christening. Here we see the power Michael now holds, similar to that of which Vito held in the previous film
Theme Stated:
The theme for the Godfather II is the idea that what Michael is doing is strictly “business, nothing personal.” This can be seen in the set-up as Michael is dealing with “business” issues. From gambling, corruption, to murder. All of it is “business”, with no remorse or emotion behind the decisions. Michael has become a new man with this newfound power.
Catalyst & Debate:
Michael: Life changes and all hell breaks loose when the Corleone compound is breached by two men who attempt to assassinate Michael Corleone, however the attempt is failed and the two men are killed. Michael believes this attempt was executed with the help of some close to him, so he temporarily leaves the decision making and estate to his adopted brother Tom Hagan and leaves the city.
Vito: Another flashback ensues, and Vito is now 19 or 20. He is in love with a woman who is seen being verbally abused and groped by Don Fanucci, the don of his area at the time. Fanucci also becomes aware of the partnership between Vito, Clemenza and Sal Tessio, and demands a share of their profits every week. Clemenza and Tessio agree, but Vito is reluctant. These situations upset Vito and play a large part in Vito’s later actions towards Fanucci.
Break Into Two:
Michael: Michael meets with Hyman Roth in Miami where he tells Michael that he believes Frank Pentangeli was responsible for the assassination attempt, and that Pentangeli will pay for it. Michael lets Pentangeli know that Roth was actually behind it, and that he has devised a plan to deal with Roth, but needs Frank to first cooperate with the Rosato Brothers in order to put Roth off guard (keep your friends close and enemies closer). Frank meets with Rosato at a bar, where a man affiliated with Rosato attacks him from behind him and says “Michael Corleone says hello”. The attempted murder is accidentally interrupted by a policeman and Pentangeli survives. However, this leads Pentangeli to believe that Michael was behind the attempted murder, screwing up their friendship.
Vito: Immediately after the second encounter with Fanucci and during the neighborhood festival, Vito murders follows Fanucci to his apartment, where he waits in the hallway outside his door and murders Fanucci with a muffled pistol. Vito then rejoins his wife and children on the steps outside his apartment building where he tells infant Michael that “his father loves him very much”.
B-Story:
The relationship between Michael and his wife Kay has now become stressed and seems to be falling apart. Michael has changed from the man Kay was in love with in the beginning of the first film. He is no longer empathetic and has become a monster.
Fun and Games & Midpoint:
Michael: Michael introduces Hyman Roth and Johnny Ola to his older brother Fredo, who says he has never met them. Michael later tells Fredo that it was Roth who tried to kill him, and that he will try again. Michael assures Fredo that he has already made his move, and that “Hyman Roth will never see the New Year.” Johnny Ola is successfully strangled, but Roth, who is in a delicate state in the hospital, is not killed and Michael’s enforcer is shot trying to suffocate him with a pillow.
Vito: With Fanucci dead and with no one else apparently to take over the “Black Hand”, Vito earns the respect of the neighborhood and begins to intercede in local disputes, as well as giving out “favors” in return for respect and loyalty. Soon, Vito becomes the powerful Don Corleone. He also avenges his father’s death by killing the Don who murdered his family.
Bad Guys Close In:
At the sex show in Cuba, Fredo comments out loud that Ola told him about the event, contradicting what he told Michael multiple times earlier, that he didn’t know Roth or Ola. Michael realizes that the traitor is his own brother and at the stroke of midnight, Michael grasps Fredo tightly by the head, kisses him (possible kiss of death) and says, “I know it was you Fredo; you broke my heart.” When they return, Michael tells Fredo that “you’re nothing to me now. Not a brother, not a friend, nothing”, but orders that nothing is done to Fredo until after the death of his mother.
All is Lost & Dark Night of the Soul:
In 1959, a Senate committee conducts an investigation into the Corleone family and their “business”. Michael appears before the committee, and denies all criminal allegations against him, including the murders of Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey back in the first Godfather film, and his business status of operating several gambling casinos in Nevada. Michael challenges the committee to produce a witness to corroborate the charges against him. The hearing ends with a Chairman promising a witness who will extort the Corleone family and Michael himself.
Break Into Three:
1. Frank Pentangeli, the man did not die in the attack by the Rosato Brothers, made a deal with the FBI in which will testify against Michael. At the hearing, Michael arrives with Pentangeli’s brother, brought from Sicily. His presence causes Frank to recant his previous statements about Michael and blow it off. When Pentangeli is pressed, he claims that he just told the FBI what they wanted to hear. With no witness to testify against Michael, the committee is forced to adjourn.
2. In 1959, Carmella Corleone, Vito’s widow and Michael’s mother, dies, and the whole Corleone family is reunited for her funeral. Michael continues to shun Fredo, who is absolutely miserable, but relents when Connie begs him to. Michael and Fredo embrace, but at the same time Michael signals to his capo that Fredo’s protection from harm has come to its end.
Finale:
The movie reaches its climax with a montage of death and murder, similar to that of the first film. The murder and death includes Hyman Roth and the suicide of Frank Pentangeli, respectively. Lastly, it is Fredo, who is reciting a hail Mary in hopes of catching a fish, that is murdered on the middle of the lake by Michael’s order.
These events are followed by a flashback with his family preparing for a surprise birthday party for Vito. Michael’s oldest brother Sonny introduces Carlo Rizzo to the family, Connie’s future husband and later Sonny’s betrayer. They talk of the recent Pearl Harbor bombings and Michael tells his family that he has enlisted to the Marines. Sonny angrily ridicules his decision and Tom Hagan mentions that his father had great expectations for Michael and that these were not them. Only Fredo supports Michael’s decision offering kind words to his brother. At that point Vito arrives and everyone leaves the table to greet him, except Michael who stays seated, silently contemplating.
Final Image:
The final image is of Michael silently contemplating outside of his Lake Tahoe estate. However, this does not seem like a normal contemplation, and Michael looks empty. Most of his brothers are dead and his wife and kids have now left him. Opposed to the opening image of Michael surrounded by others, it’s now only Michael.
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