Review of The Godfather Part II (1974) by Harpreet S — 03 Jan 2013

After seeing "The Godfather Part II" again and again I still cannot determine which I prefer the most, the first or the second. Both are spectacular and very much like "The Godfather," the second installment has minor issues in my eyes.

The opening is almost ordinary; in no way does it measure up to the first. I really admired how Coppola shows the life of the young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) juxtaposed with the current times. The prequel part does start slowly but very quickly progresses and matches the power of the events in current times.

One criticism you may consider is that the flashback sequences are very mild compared to the current events, there are explosions of violence, but overall it's somewhat playful in contrast to the high tension of the present.

I again did not like how the mother was presented, but she is necessary in one or two scenes for the story to move. In the first installment the film opens with a grand wedding, and you feel like everyone knows each other.

In "Part II," when Michael asks his son about his gifts for his first communion (If I remember correctly), his son says that he did not know who gave the gifts. I found this incredibly striking, it shows how vastly different the world is when Marlon Brando's Vito Corleone is gone and Al Pacino reigns.

We also see in the beginning where Michael shows his control over Tom Hagen, his sister, and his brother Fredo. If you look at the Corleone brothers: while all being genuine characters, Santino was a tough, blind hot-head; Fredo is weak and stupid, Michael is highly intelligent, but does not categorize to a stereotype as distinctly as the other two brothers.

To me, he is an enigma, a mystery. I frankly do not understand what made Michael as he is seen bluntly in this film. Was it because of the loss of his loved ones in the first installment? It can't be totally based on the desire for power.

He very much cares for his family, but is completely oblivious on how to do it; in Brando's words: he does not spend time with his family. Every actor and actress performs exceedingly well; obviously De Niro and Al Pacino are the headliners.

Not to take anything away from De Niro, but it is Al Pacino who delivers a performance for the ages; without a doubt one of the five greatest male performances of all time. Overwhelmingly great! One of the great achievements of Coppola in this film (and the first) is how little we know of every character, because they are constantly mingled with the events taking place, so we never really learn that much about them, and yet we relate to each and every one of them, including the minor ones.

I just can't get enough of the Corleone family and all they go through, I am fascinated by everything and everyone. I wish there was more time so Coppola could explore each and every character, the relationships they have with one another, their history.

The very last scene of "The Godfather Part II" summarizes my feeling; this film and that scene are unbelievably sad. And even more deeply, I hope people see what Michael is as a person, what lies in his eyes.

To conclude, in this film Coppola brilliantly shows how a man can create a family (the past) and how another can destroy a family (the present); hand in hand.