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The Godfather Part II
Movie

The Godfather Part II

1974 • Crime, Drama

Woke Score
1.6
out of 10

Plot

The continuing saga of the Corleone crime family tells the story of a young Vito Corleone growing up in Sicily and in 1910s New York; and follows Michael Corleone in the 1950s as he attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.

Overall Series Review

The Godfather Part II (1974) is a historical crime epic depicting the rise of one immigrant patriarch and the simultaneous moral ruin of his son. The story is an examination of family, power, and the corrupting nature of American capitalism, set within the highly traditional, male-dominated structure of the Italian-American Mafia. The narrative focuses almost exclusively on the internal dynamics, personal moral choices, and criminal enterprise of the Corleone family. Themes of identity are centered on cultural assimilation versus old-world heritage, not modern intersectional concepts. The film's moral compass, though featuring criminals as protagonists, punishes Michael Corleone's ruthless individualism with total isolation, which functions as a transcendent moral judgment. It contains no elements of progressive social lecturing or identity politics.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics2/10

The film focuses on the Italian-American experience, where characters face genuine bigotry, as seen in the dialogue with Senator Geary, and struggle with cultural assimilation versus heritage. The casting is historically authentic to the ethnic group being portrayed. Merit is determined by loyalty and competence within the mob hierarchy, a form of dark meritocracy. The narrative does not utilize an intersectional lens and does not vilify 'whiteness' in the modern sense, but rather the corruption of power.

Oikophobia2/10

The film criticizes the corruption inherent in American corporate and political life by equating it with organized crime, suggesting a decline of institutions. However, the flashback narrative of Vito Corleone's rise portrays a respect for his ancestral homeland of Sicily and the traditional family unit as a necessary shield against a hostile world. The critique is aimed at the moral vacuum of the 'American Dream' when pursued ruthlessly, not a fundamental hatred of Western civilization or its ancestors. The family unit is viewed as the central institution, which Michael fails to protect.

Feminism2/10

The movie operates within an explicitly patriarchal Sicilian-American framework. Women are overwhelmingly relegated to the roles of wife, mother, and caretaker, serving primarily as emotional centers or motivators for the men. Kay Corleone actively resists the family business and its destructive impact by making a choice to leave, but there are no 'Girl Boss' or 'Mary Sue' characters. Masculinity is not generally emasculated; instead, Michael's toxic, destructive masculinity is depicted as a path to personal ruin and isolation.

LGBTQ+1/10

The narrative is centered entirely around the traditional nuclear family structure and heteronormative relationships. Sexual identity is a private matter, and there is no presence of alternative sexualities, deconstruction of the nuclear family as a political act, or engagement with gender ideology. The focus remains on familial and criminal power struggles.

Anti-Theism2/10

Catholicism and its rituals are a strong visual and thematic presence, used to highlight the characters' hypocrisy and moral corruption. Michael's spiritual demise is consistently juxtaposed with a major Catholic rite, such as his son’s First Communion. The film acknowledges a higher moral law, with Michael’s ultimate fate being a tragic judgment on his sins, which aligns with a transcendent morality. Traditional religion is not framed as the root of evil, but rather the characters' betrayal of their own faith and morals is the source of their destruction.