The Godfather Part II

Very recently I began one of the most iconic trilogies of all time, The Godfather. 

It was a very clear blemish on my movie resume that I hadn't seen this classic set of films and I decided that 2017 would be the year that I rectified that. 

So, despite whatever date I decide to actually publish this review, I sought out Part II of the trilogy very shortly after I watched the first. 

You can find the review for that one HERE, but suffice it to say that I loved it. For starters, it holds up remarkably well given its age and is still an iconic film with many memorable scenes and characters.

As much as I enjoyed my two part viewing of The Godfather Part II (way too long to sit with one viewing while on a work trip!), I couldn't help but think that it was a measurable step down from its predecessor. 

Overall it's still a fantastic entry and it keeps the trilogy more than alive in my eyes, all while providing a lot of context to the Corleone family and world. It isn't as old as the first by only a couple years, but also still ages gracefully and also tells a strong, if not overly complicated story about power, the many ways that power can threaten a person, the different ways that people handle that power, and loss. It's heavy stuff, much like the first, and in its own ways, this film does some things better as it visits and revisits the lives of Michael and Don Corleone, respectively. 

Well that didn't go as expected...

The Godfather Part II picks up a little while after the events of the first film. Michael Corleone is now the head of the crime family and it's clear that his demeanor and attitude has changed since taking on the role. The first film saw an innocent young man who really wanted nothing to do with this life forced to take the mantle as many other in his family were inept to do so (or dead). It's clear that he both despises and loves the power that he holds in this film and Al Pacino gives an incredible performance for the entirety of the film. It reminded me a decent amount of Walter White's descent into power more than a time or two. Also attached to the film is a series of flashbacks with Don Corleone and his venture to America and the start of his crime empire. He's represented here by Robert DeNiro who, similarly, turns in some of the best work of his career. Don, much like the first film, is measured and calculated here even though he's just starting out. It's an interesting contrast when held against Michael's life and the film captures the time periods of each very well...making the time jump have the disbelief effect that I think they were going for. Whenever it would transition back to Michael I was always quietly astonished how powerful of a crime ring and family the Don created that it could survive decades later after it began.

The story itself leaves a little to be desired when compared to the first. There's dramatic tension here and among all the chaos of everything going on what we're left with is a compelling family drama. I think that had some of the subplots been eliminated, the film would have been able to focus on its core one or two issues (at least in Michael's portions) but they instead get slightly muddled down due to generally just too much going on. It's still an interesting tale though and one that follows the Shakespearean themes of the first. The final 30 minutes in particular are tragic and we begin to see the affect that Michael's power is having on him, almost disintegrating him slowly.

About how excited we all are to be in America these days ^^

I will begin to adopt Michael's
"power stance" while sitting at work

As with the the first, this one is a technical achievement of the time. Set and time period designs are fantastic while everything else holds up as believable even decades after its release. Cinematography is slow and thoughtful while the framing of everything and everyone had a lot of care too. There was only one scene of action that I couldn't quite piece together what happened as it was a bit chaotic, but maybe that was the point. Once more, the original score is also superb, starting us with the heavy Italian theme made famous by the original and accompanying many other scenes with subtle but effective undertones and themes.

Surprisingly, I don't have much more to say about The Godfather Part II. I feel as if a lot of what I said with my review of the original holds true here too. It's clearly part of an iconic trilogy for a reason and it stems from the quality of the film making on display as well as the weaving, complex family drama. It's that story that suffers, only very slightly, this time around but that's only due to the amount of ambition that a title like this carries with it. It's another important piece of American film and a strong example of how a trilogy's second film should be approached; one that expands and builds on the story rather than copying it.

CONS

• I feel as if the film is 3 hours long because they felt they had to match the original. They didn't and the film suffers partly because of its length. There's too much filler
• Some aspects of the plot are overly complicated and hard to follow 

PROS

• Fantastic core performance by Al Pacino as Michael Corleone. The effect that this power and responsibility has on him is observable in nearly every facet of his performance
• Equally as impressive acting from Robert DeNiro during the flashbacks of Don. He's a much calmer and calculated leader and the juxtaposition with Michael is evident and interesting to see
• The rest of the cast is solid
• Intricate core story and family drama that builds and builds into a memorable conclusion. This is helped by the flashback segments
• Still holds up well thanks to the top-quality technical aspects of the film. Sound, cinematography, and original score are all A+ and just as good as the first
• A necessary and important expansion of the original story, making for a strong second entry in the trilogy

Retro Rath's Review Score | 8.5/10