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The Godfather: Part II (1974) More at IMDbPro »

The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags have been used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.

For detailed information about the amounts and types of (a) sex and nudity, (b) violence and gore, (c) profanity, (d) alcohol, drugs, and smoking, and (e) frightening and intense scenes in this movie, consult the IMDb Parents Guide for this movie. The Parents Guide for The Godfather Part II can be found here..

Yes. The Godfather (1969) is based on a novel written by Italian-American author Mario Puzo [1920-1999]. The book was also the source for the first The Godfather movie in 1972. Puzo and director Francis Ford Coppola wrote the screenplay for The Godfather Part II. There is a third Godfather movie The Godfather: Part III (1990). However, only the story of Vito Corleone (played by Robert de Niro in this film) came from the novel. The continuation of Michael Corleone's story was written specifically for the film by Coppola and Puzo.

Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo originally intended for the character Clemenza to return, and for his troubles managing the New York family, and his betrayal of Michael, to be a major issue in this film. Richard Castellano demanded too much money to return, and in addition, wanted his girlfriend at the time to rewrite his dialogue. Rather than give in, Coppola wrote out Clemenza and replaced him with his Lieutenant, Pentangeli. Clemenza is still in the movie, albeit as a younger man in the 1917 scenes, played by Bruno Kirby.

To act as a primitive silencer and to conceal it so he could take his time and aim. Which is why Don Fanucci asks "what have you got there?" If he had seen a gun in Vito's hand, he likely would have shut the door and ran.

More specifically, how does Michael find out that Fredo is the traitor?

After the assassination attempt on Michael at the Lake Tahoe compound, Michael is certain that there must have been a traitor within the Corleone Family to have helped pull off such a daring coup attempt. He suspects that Hyman Roth is the mastermind behind the assassination attempt, but he knows that Roth would have needed help from the inside. He can trust no one in the Family, except for Tom Hagen.

Days or weeks later, when Michael and Fredo are having drinks together in Havana, Michael decides to test Fredo by asking him if he knows Hyman Roth or Johnny Ola, Roth's right hand man. Fredo tells Michael that he has never met either one of them.

Later that night, when Fredo is entertaining Senator Geary and others by bringing them to the sex show, and after Fredo has had a few too many drinks, he stupidly lets it slip that he knows about the place because Johnny Ola had brought him there. He tells his guests, "Old Man Roth would never come here, but old Johnny knows these places like the back of his hand." Upon hearing Fredo's words, which make it clear that not only has Fredo met Roth and Ola, but that he seems to know at least Johnny quite well, Michael has no doubt that his own brother was the one who betrayed him to his enemies. The look on his face says it all.

Al Neri. After telling Fredo that he is nothing to him, neither a brother nor a friend, Michael tells Al that he doesn't want anything to happen to Fredo as long as Mama Corleone is alive. At Mama's funeral, while embracing Fredo, Michael looks grimly up at Neri, and nods his head, signaling that he is now free to kill him.

First, the code of "Omerta". The code originated in Sicily, long invaded and ill treated by foreign governments, and states that one should never, no matter how they or their families are harmed, go to the authorities. Avenging the harm was instead in the hands of the offended. Violation of this was considered the ultimate form of disgrace. This belief had much to do with the formation of the mafia, and its ultimate growth and staying power.

Michael brought in Frank Pentangeli's older brother, Vincenzo Pentangeli, from Sicily. It showed to Frank that his testimony to the Committee would be heard by his brother and family, disgracing him and his family. Thus, he changed his story, refusing not only to implicate Michael, but anyone.

There are two theories as to why Frank did this. The first is that having Frank's brother show up at the hearing with Michael was a veiled threat that insinuated the brother would be killed as a result of the testimony. Frank assumed his brother would be safe seeing as he was a lonesome shepherd in Sicily with no ties to the mob. Michael was showing him this wouldn't be the case.

Another theory is that Vincenzo is a powerful Mafia chieftain in Sicily. Frank tells Hagen afterwards that Vincenzo is "ten times tougher" than himself, that he's "old fashioned" and that he could have had his own crime family if he moved to America. Vincenzo's icy stare at his brother during the testiomony was a threat that Frank's family would be killed if he testified. In an early draft of the script, it was mentioned that Frank had a mistress and child in Sicily under the care of Vincenzo, but he would kill them should Frank testify against Michael. Michael tells Kay afterwards that what happened at the hearing was a personal matter between the brothers.

Al Neri. As Tom Hagen arrives to talk with Senator Pat Geary to explain his situation, we see Al Neri appear in the doorway and Tom beckons with his head for him to go away. This is corroborated on the bonus disc of the newly restored GF DVD/Blu-ray, where a 'Crime Organization Chart' is given explaining all characters and their crimes; under Al Neri, it is stated that he killed the prostitute that was with Senator Pat Geary. It is also confirmed by director Francis Ford Coppola himself during the director's commentary track on the DVD. Coppola had previously received much criticism for allegedly 'glorifying the mafia'. On the commentary, he mentions that the scene with the dead prostitute is to remind the audience that members of the Cosa Nostra are as ruthless as they are honorable; it shows that they would not hesitate to have Neri kill an innocent girl just to put pressure on a senator.

Thought not explicitly stated, it is implied that he wanted revenge for the death of Moe Greene, who was assassinated in the previous film. He is visibly angry with Michael when they are discussing Greene. Also, Roth was a very powerful man. The cliche is the only thing men with power want is; more power. Roth wanted to make a deal with Michael, but Roth probably just wanted to take what he had or a better offer came along from one of the other families. Michael points out that even though Roth was dying, he thought he was going to live forever. Meaning Roth was just purely arrogant and felt he was untouchable.

It is strongly implied that Fredo betrayed Michael by opening the bedroom drapes to give Johnny Ola's hitmen a better shot into the room. After the attempted hit, the gunmen evidently went to Fredo's room for a safe haven and escape. It is also strongly implied that Fredo, realizing now that they had attempted actually to kill Michael and Kay, instead killed the gunmen. (According to Fredo's wife, their bodies were found right outside her and Fredo's room.) Fredo later explains to Michael that Hyman Roth and Ola had assured him it was not going to be an actual hit, just a ruse to frighten Michael into being more cooperative in his business negotiations. This is probably true, although Fredo also makes it clear that he relished the opportunity to operate on his own, independently of Michael. To Michael, Fredo's act of betrayal is straightforwardly unforgiveable, regardless of motive and regardless of whether Fredo had been deceived.

Honor is the principle of this subject. Roth betrayed Michael and therefore must die by the hand of the Corleone family. If Roth died of natural causes then he would have won/gotten away with it.

Michael sends his bodyguard to kill him. The bodyguard takes out Roth's right-hand man Johnny Ola, but Roth suffered a heart attack and was being taken away in an ambulance before the bodyguard could get to him. Later, the bodyguard tries to smother him at the hospital but the Cuban police shoot Michael's bodyguard dead. Later, Roth flees to Israel but they send him back as they refuse to offer him asylum. On his way back from the airport he is escorted by police to take him into custody, but Rocco shoots Roth dead. Unfortunately, Rocco didn't make it far and he is in turn shot dead by the police while trying to escape.