Al Pacino Has Settled ‘The Godfather’ Vs. ‘The Godfather Part II’ Debate

It’s important and necessary to begin with this: The Godfather and The Godfather Part II are both great movies. Actually, “great” is an understatement, so let’s try again: Francis Ford Coppola’s Best Picture winners are two of the greatest films of all-time… but Al Pacino, who would know, thinks one is slightly better than the other.

“No, I don’t,” Pacino said at a recent 92nd Street Y event when asked if The Godfather Part II is superior to The Godfather (The Godfather Part III was not brought up). “I really think it’s more — what would you call it — artistic or something, I don’t know. I don’t mean to play it down and be overly modest because I star in it with Bob de Niro, but at the same time, it’s a different film.” He called The Godfather “more entertaining,” while The Godfather Part II is “this study, this personal thing for Francis.”

He continued:

“Godfather I, I saw it recently, it’s always got two or three things going on in a scene. You’re always in the story, you’re going. You don’t know what’s going to happen next, it’s storytelling, it’s really storytelling at its best. Godfather II sort of linearizes, and [it’s] kind of different, somber, moves slowly. But it’s a great movie, I have to say.”

It’s fun to imagine Pacino cracking open a cold one and putting on The Godfather after a long day of work. It was either that, or an episode of Modern Family on Freeform. “The Godfather” he says. “Don’t mind if I do!”