A Great Sequel And A Great Movie In Its Own Right
Added 7/26/2009
Although many consider this sequel to be better than the original, I am not so sure about that. It is certainly a great movie, but so was 'The Godfather'.
This is a continuation of the story with Don Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) now in power. There are flashbacks to his deceased father Don Vito Corleone (played by Robert Deniro in the sequel). Both actors are superb.
The story itself is great. There is a lot of action and intrigue in the Corleone crime family. It will certainly keep viewers entertained throughout.
I would definitely recommend watching 'The Godfather' before seeing this one. Although I think it would do fairly well as a standalone, it will be even better for those who benefit from knowing the background of the first one.
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Joins its Older Brother at the top of Film History
Added 4/21/2009
Two years after Francis Ford Coppola made an indelible mark on Hollywood with "The Godfather", he returned with writer Mario Puzo to add to the saga of the Corleones. Part II is an ambitious film - it cuts back and forth between two timelines. One tells the story of the original Godfather - Vito. This part relies heavily upon Puzo's original novel. The second part tells about Michael, Kay, Fredo and Tom Hagen starting about seven years after the end of the first film.
Essentially the entire cast returned for part II, with the exception of Marlon Brando. The cast for this film is augmented by Robert Deniro, who won the Academy Award for best supporting actor, and Michael V. Gazzo and Lee Strasberg, who were also nominated for the same award. Bruno Kirby, John Cazale, Robert Duvall and G.D. Spradlin could all have received the same nomination. Talia Shire returns as Connie Corleone, and she was nominated for best supporting actress.
We see in early scenes the young Vito Andolini circa approximately 1900, born in the town of Corleone, Siciliy. His father is murdered after insulting a local mafia chief and his brother Paolo is murdered during his father's funeral procession after vowing revenge. Vito is spirited to a ship headed for Ellis Island and an immigration official assigns Vito the surname of his Italian home-town rather than his father.
We see the rest of the family at their Lake Tahoe home about seven years after the end of the first movie, celebrating the first communion of son Anthony. Like the other films, this one opens with a large celebration that gathers the cast to allow the audience to become familiar with them prior to settling down to business with the Don.
Michael is planning a large deal in both Vegas and Havana, and he is eager to not let old New York contacts, represented by Gazzo as Frank Pentangili, interfere with his plans with Hyman Roth, played by Lee Strasberg.
When an assassination attempt floods Michael and Kay's bedroom with bullets, Michael realizes he had to be betrayed by someone very close to the family. He turns the family business temporarily over to Duvall's Tom Hagen while he takes a trip to try to save the big family deals and discover the identify of the betrayer.
The scene where Michael unexpectedly discovers the traitor is one of the most famous pieces of wordless acting in film history.
We see scenes of the early Vito, played as a young adult by young Robert Deniro, mixed with the scenes of Michael fifty years later. We see that Vito comes to the business by a sense of necessity, but uses his power as the Don with great human compassion, while Michael, who we know ten years earlier had no intention of joining the family business, becomes a more cruel Mafia Kingpin than his father.
The first two Godfather films are not only "The Standard" for films about organized crime: they are among the best films ever made. Period.
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The Godfather Part II
Added 4/15/2009
Since I have not seen The Godfather Part I it took a while to connect with it. But when I did proved to be a good movie about the mafia.
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Excellent, but lacks the brilliance of its predecessor
Added 4/10/2009
Many people consider "The Godfather Part II" to be the best film in "The Godfather" series, but for me, although I consider it to be an excellent film, it just didn't quite match the brilliance of its predecessor. "The Godfather Part II" is effectively two films combined into one. The main plot continues the story of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) from where the first film left off, while a secondary plot tells the story of Michael's father, Vito Corleone (Robert DeNiro) and how he became the Godfather in the first place. Although these stories never intersect, they are connected by the themes of family and revenge.
The story of Vito is the stronger portion of the movie. This story has a similar arc to the first "Godfather" movie, in that both show how a man can transition from an honest life to one of crime, and it did not surprise me to learn that this sub-plot was also based on material from Mario Puzo's novel. The plot about Michael, however, is all new material written especially for the movie and it lacks the direction and focus of the Vito plot. Michael's character arc was more or less completed in the first film. He has already transitioned from being an upstanding citizen to being a cold, hardened criminal, and all that is left for him to do is to become colder and harder. This second transition just didn't hold my interest the way the original arc did.
I have heard "The Godfather Part II" described as being a "companion piece" to "The Godfather", alongside claims that both films should be watched together in order to fully understand the saga of the Corleone family. Having just watched both films, I am glad that I have seen them both, but I feel that in future, I will only rewatch the first film. For me, the first film alone conveyed a stronger message than these two "Godfather" films combined.
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"If history has taught us anything . . . it's that you can kill anybody."
Added 4/8/2009
Most sequels don't do justice when compared to the originals (such as Jaws 2, Speed 2, Poltergeist 2, and of course, every Disney sequel ever created). Only a few are either equal or better than the original (Terminator 2, The Dark Knight, Aliens). The Godfather Part II is considered to be either equal or better than the original classic Godfather. I guess it depends on everyone's opinion.
But anyway, this is yet another phenomenal masterpiece by master filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. It has a much grander scale, mainly because it focuses on two stories. The contrast between young Vito Corleone rising as a powerful Don and the ascension of his son Michael many years later is so painfully obvious. Here, we have young Vito spreading his love with his own family while still making progress in his own private (and seemingly dangerous) business. And then we have Michael, whose cold heart and harsh judgments start to destroy those close around him. Vito would not be proud of how his business is being run during the 50's.
While the first Godfather is set in New York City, Las Vegas, Hollywood, and Sicily, the locations in second Godfather is much more broad: Corleone in Sicily, New York City, Lake Tahoe, Florida, Pre-revolutionary Cuba, etc. They all look so beautiful and they all match with the appearance and feeling of the film.
The strongest points of this film are the performances by the actors. No doubt whatsoever that Robert de Niro was born to play young Vito Corleone. He's got the calm appearance, firm intelligence, and the Sicilian language down perfectly. He deserved the Oscar win. Al Pacino continues to amaze as Michael Corleone. His silent and not-so-silent rage is so believable, I would be so afraid to be standing face-to-face with this guy. Diane Keaton is a great actress, and she shows her outstanding acting abilities during the fight with Kay and Michael. It's an immensely intense scene, and kudos to actress Talia Shire for the suggestion that would break Michael's heart forever. Robert Duvall does what he does best as Tom Hagen; his professional look is truly outstanding. Michael Gazzo as Frankie Pentangeli is overall very worthwhile, although I do miss Richard Castellano as Peter Clemenza. Lee Strasberg knows how to be a good antagonist, and he shows it off as Hyman Roth. He really knows what makes people hate villains; it's a performance no one would ever forget. The standout in the film is the late John Cazale as Fredo, Michael's brother. Considered the weakest son in the Corleone family, his desire for respect and love is so heartbreaking. I could almost feel for the guy when he confronts Michael during the snowfall. Unfortunately, Cazale died of cancer when filming The Deer Hunter. I could only imagine what sort of success he would've achieved in film if he survived.
In my opinion, The Godfather Part II is equal to the original Godfather. Both are now a part of my favorite films list. I haven't seen The Godfather Part III just yet, and many people agree that it is the weakest in the trilogy. I see for myself if it's underrated, so-so, or just plain crappy.
Grade: A+
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A soap opera for guys...
Added 10/19/2009
I am one of the few middle-aged males in the USA who had not seen this film until now. I watched to find out why people think it's one of the greatest films ever. Even Kubrick, whose films I love, thought so. I expected to be offended by a celebration of mafia violence and the underworld, but I was wrong. It was serious, boring, and utterly pretentious.
Yes, the actors are good, but who can take this story seriously? One commenter discusses the great drama of Michael Corleone's transformation from the 'good son' to the head of the family. From where I sat, it seemed to happen instantaneously and without conflict. Also puzzling was why his New England girlfriend, Kay, is so faithful to him through his desertion, despite being troubled by his activities. Just WHO is she?? Then there's the Irish Tom Higgins - we are supposed to just accept that a non-Sicilian, non-ITALIAN is the chief advisor to a Don who puts family and community above all. How multi-cultural! Of course, we don't get a clue about what his odd position might mean to Tom. He's a one-dimensional character like Kay.
I found the idyll during Michael's exile in Sicily laughable. (Was the mistaken car-bombing of his wife a allusion to The Big Heat, in which Marlon Brando's sister plays a character who meets the same fate?) Apparently the pull of blood and soil is too much for a Corleone to resist.
I gave this three stars because if you like watching incredible melodramas with some well crafted rub out scenes, this if for you. That is, if you entranced by the Mob, and can't get enough of it, this film will entertain as promised. It's not incompetent or truly bad, but just vastly overrated by a public that for some reason gets a vicarious thrill out of watching savages live outside the rules (how tiresome) of society.
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A Masterpiece
Added 6/1/2009
I must admit I was a little scared to write this review because no matter what I write, no words can do this film justice. So, where to start? I believe in this film. Let's be clear, this in not a gangster movie. The Godfather is about family ('a man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man'), it's about post-war America, and it's about a war hero, a good man's descent into darkness and solitary. Yet, it's so much more. The screenplay is amazing and the entire film is a huge quotable. An epic poem, a three hour masterpiece.
From the iconic opening scene to the scenes in Sicily to the gruesome murders, the audience is always in awe. Coppola put it perfectly when he said that it was the best home movie ever made. You feel like you are a Corleone. No matter what they do you feel they are justified and you agree with what they do. They are never the bad guys. Even Brando as The Godfather is always likeable. This man has killed so many and still you feel for this man. That's great writing.
The title of this film is The Godfather yet the movie is about the rise and the loss of innocence of Michael Corleone. Pacino shines and is always chilling. He's always thinking. He has distanced himself from his family yet when his father is targeted he's drawn into the center of the drama. The key scene of his transformation is always chilling. He stands outside of the hospital with Enzo the baker and is attempting to prevent his father from being assassinated. He succeeds and as Enzo attempts to light a cigarette, he cannot because his hand is shaking so much. Michael reaches over and lights it for him, he stares at his hand and sees that it is steady as a rock. The transformation was complete. Following his return from Italy, a conversation takes place between him and his father. We feel right at home. Vito tells his son that there wasn't enough time and that Michael was supposed to be more: A Senator or a Governor, the one pulling the strings. As Michael becomes Don and head of the family, we are almost disappointed for Michael yet we support him one hundred percent.
The acting is amazing and it always feels natural. I could literally talk about this film for days. In any time period, any country, this film is relevant. It is life changing and it is amazing. The film starts with the iconic words, "I believe in America." Well, this film represents everything America is about and I truly mean it when I say that I believe in this film.
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More like the GodAWFULfather.
Added 4/25/2009
When's an editor when you need one? This movie is so long that I played it on my TV, drove across the state, and when I came back, it was still playing. Since when is a movie this long? Movies are supposed to be 1:30-2:00 hours long. Plus this movie is as boring as a trip to the doctor's. No good violence, no hot sex scenes, and furthermore, it stereotypes Italians. The only decent movie in this series is The Godfather III.
For a good crime movie, get Gigli instead.
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