Review of The Godfather Part II (1974) by Ben T — 13 Jun 2015

The Godfather Part 2 has a really really tough act to follow. The first film was loved by pretty much everyone. However Godfather 2 is one of the best sequels ever made, no doubt about it. In this film we get some of the original cast returning, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton but we also get Robert De Niro giving one of the best performances of his career.

Francis Ford Copolla returns to direct and just like last time his direction is flawless. The music is absolutely fantastic, the main theme is one of the best pieces of music ever made for a film. This film focuses on two plots, the first one is about Michael Corleone running the family business as he has to deal with attempted murder, betrayals within his inner circle and the law catching up with him.

Al Pacino gives another great performance in this movie, I love seeing him as the boss who pulls all the strings, it's really great. The second storyline follows Robert De Niro who plays a young Don Vito Corleone as we learn about his past, see him become a feared man and plot for revenge against the mob boss who ruined his family.

Robert De Niro is fantastic as Don Vito, it's probably his second best performance behind Travis from Taxi Driver. This film while not as violent as the original is quite dark, the violence feels more personal and the drama feels more real.

In my opinion quite possibly the best part of this movie is the ending. SPOILER ALERT the two ending for the two characters are both very different and it's great to see two types of ending. With Robert De Niro it's a fairly happy ending for him.

He's built his way up the crime ladder and is know a feared and respected man, he gets his revenge on the man who killed his family and he has a loving wife and family, he basically has everything he wants.

However Michael loses his wife, loses his mother, has to have his brother Fredo killed after he betrayed him and has pretty much lost most of the stuff that matters to him. I feel that is the perfect ending as Michael had everything and now he's lost almost everything that matters.

In one of the flashbacks right at the end we see Michael with all his family when they were alive however they all leave the room until he's on his own. You don't get many endings better than this.

Overall the Godfather 2 is a fantastic sequel that is one of the few that is able to live up to the originals legacy. This film is close to perfect, it's one of the best movies ever made and one of my favorite movies of all time.

This film is in my opinion equal to the first film although if I had to pick one it would be this one. See this film now. A+.