Review of The Godfather Part II

"The Godfather, Part II" is excellent just like its predecessor. While the first is arguably the greatest film ever made, the second installment is easily the best sequel produced hands down. The film is split between the stories of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino, Oscar-nominated) and a young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro, in his star-making, first Oscar-winning performance). In the 1950s, Michael is trying to expand his crime empire to locales such as Las Vegas, Hollywood, and even turbulent Cuba. However, there are numerous problems as older brother Fredo (John Cazale) may have double-crossed the family. Also two prominent crime bosses pose a considerable threat as well (Lee Strasberg and Michael V. Gazzo, both Oscar-nominated). Younger sister Connie (Oscar nominee Talia Shire) is still reeling from her husband's murder and her father's death at the conclusion of the original film. Michael is also distancing himself from his wife (Diane Keaton) and some of his most trusted friends (Robert Duvall). While all this is occurring we get glimpses into the early life of Michael's father (De Niro). We learn that his parents and older brother have been killed in early-1900s Sicily and that he has immigrated to New York. Vito pays his dues and learns the tricks of the trade, buying his time, before deciding to create his own small empire which would of course grow and become what we saw in the original. It would seem that the film would be confusing by jumping back and forth between Michael and his father, but that is not so. Coppola gives you just enough information to keep the audience intrigued through each segment. The film is very well-made and runs very smoothly even though it lasts over 200 minutes. Many think that this installment is the best of the series. Even though I still think that the original is the best, I cannot totally disagree with this assertion as this is the definitive sequel. 5 stars out of 5.