119 of 1001 Movies: The Godfather Part 2 (1974)

The Godfather was a great movie, so when beginning to watch The Godfather Part 2 I didn't think it could rival the first. These movies stand great side by side though as they are great together, but also movies that seem to explore two different parts of someone's personality. The first one shows the transformation of Michael's views on his father's business after he sees his father betrayed, and the second continues to show Michael's fall into the business and the contrast of how his father handled people versus how Michael does.

In flashbacks Vito Corleone's beginnings are shared as a young boy in Italy to his arrival in 1920s New York where he would build a life from an orphan to becoming a mafia boss from scratch. On the other end, the present shows Michael continuing his descent into the mafia from a man who never thought he would be in the business to a man who easily takes down his enemies without mercy. He begins targeting people everywhere from Nevada, Lake Tahoe, and even in pre-revolution Cuba. This further step into the business though pushes away his family who isn't pleased with how differently he runs things from his father.


Before watching The Godfather I could not recall having seen Al Pacino in any other movie. He's a brilliant actor in The Godfather though as he brings to life this character of Michael in such a real way. The movies are already 3 hours long, and even that time doesn't seem long enough to grow with the character in the ways needed, but he makes it feel like we have watched years worth in one seating because the not only has Coppola capture the character development well, but Pacino portrays him so realistically.

Robert DeNiro also stars in the flashbacks as the younger Vito. It shows him in the years after he moved to America, and was starting a family of his own to provide for. The scenery is absolutely beautiful in the flashbacks. Coppola has a way with utilizing the setting and the color to cast a certain mood, and it just isn't dark, but there are also the arrangement of pastel colors mixed in with the darker ones that provides a great mix for the movie. In the previous Godfather movie one character we didn't feel that well connected to was Kay, and that was because she was really just getting started. She was the character that Michael would begin his family with, but in the second movie she takes such a dark interesting twist. You won't see many other roles with women in a part like this. Diane Keaton proves she is a good actress, as I've only seen her in a few things so far, she has been so diverse.

Robert Duvall also returns as Tom who is the family lawyer. There isn't much progression with his part, but his nonverbal language speaks volumes. It's obvious he is saddened most the movie by what has happened to Vito's business, but there are some interesting twist that even make Tom an unlikable guy, and maybe that is what some viewers won't like about this movie. This has to be one of the darkness movies I've seen. It's a look at what happens when one can't forgive.

The Godfather Part 2 is on par with the first movie in acting, writing, story, and the filming. It's beautifully done and shows the characters developing realistically. It may not be a movie you want to put on your list for light viewing as it is one of the darkest movies I've seen. I couldn't stop thinking about it for days after viewing it. You will be thinking about how one man goes from never believing he will be in the business of the mafia, and then ends up being an even bigger crime boss than his dad was.

Rating 9 of 10.