The Godfather II

The Godfather II (1974) Director: Francis Ford Coppola Cast: Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Rober Duvall, Diane Keaton, John Cazale, Talia Shire
Memorable Line(s): "I don't feel I have to wipe everybody out, Tom. Just my enemies."

It's a rare sequel that is better than the original, but The Godfather II is one of those films. Actually, the two are so dependent on each other is many ways that it's hard to separate them.

The Godfather II takes the viewer back in time from the original movie and also forward in time. The retrospective materials takes us back in time to a young Vito Corleone and picks up his life as a boy in Italy. And it is a tragic life. His father is killed by a mafia family and his brother has sworn revenge, but his mother knows he is outmatched. She appeals with the godfather of the crime family to spare her son and she will convince the boy to leave the Family alone, but he is unconvinced and she is killed, plus the brother. Vito is lone family member left alive, but the leader of the crime family knows he must die or else when he matures he will try to exact his revenge. To survive, young Vito escapes the old country to America. At first, he tries a legitimate career, but the allure of crime is too much and he proves to be quite resourceful.

In the future, Michael Corlenone has the "Family" in Las Vegas and even after promising his wife that he would have the family in legitimate businesses in short order, he somehow can't live up to his promise. Corleone is under federal investigation and the family is starting splinter from within. His sister is running off and marrying just about any man and Fredo is feeling left out and under appreciated. Someone tries to take Michael out and that's when suspicion levels raise to a paranoid level and the intrigue begins.

There is something more satisfying about this movie when compared with the initial movie. Something more complete. The story, spanning more time than the first movie, is more satisfying because even though the story is more complex, the end seems to pull all the story lines together more tightly as we see that history repeats itself. And from a craft perspective, this movie also seems more polished than the first movie.

All the performances are excellent. Pacino is both imperious and brooding. Shire plays petulance convincingly. Cazale gets a juicier role in this movie and makes the most of it.

While The Godfather II can't exist without the first movie, they are a great tandem that you just can't miss as these are extraordinary cinematic achievements.