The Godfather Part II (A or 4/4 stars)
'The Godfather Part II' (directed again by Francis Ford Coppola & written by Mario Puzo) parallels young Vito Corleone's rise to power with his son Michael's fall from grace, deepening the depiction of the dark side of the American dream. In the early 1900s, Vito - as a child - flees his Sicilian village for America after the local Mafia kills his entire family. By 1917, Vito (Robert De Niro) struggles to make a living for his wife & kids in Little Italy. After he kills the local Don Fanucci, Vito's stature grows, but it is his family (then & now) who matters most to him. And so, approximately a decade after the conclusion of the 1st 'Godfather', this film proceeds as set in Lake Tahoe (circa 1958), where Michael Corleone aims to clean up his family's legacy & become "legitimate".
But affairs from NY haunt him & are about to interfere as Frankie Pentangeli (Michael V. Gazzo) arrives to request the Don's acquiescence to a mob hit. Michael can't agree because that hit would ruin his business dealings currently in progress with the influential Hyman Roth (Lee Strasberg). As he realizes that allies are trying to kill him off, the increasingly paranoid Michael also discovers that his intense ambition has damaged his marriage to Kay (a great Diane Keaton) & turned his brother, Fredo (John Cazale), against him altogether. Caught in a web of betrayal & deceit, assassination attempts & gov't probes target Michael, so he returns to his illegitimate mob roots; sacrificing a lot of his humanity in the process. For a man constantly fighting to run from the past & keep his family together, the irony of 'Part II' is that Michael's efforts succeed only in hurting them further.
'Part II' offers strong elements of tragedy. Much of the humanity remaining in Michael (from the end of the 1st film throughout the 2nd) is leeched from him with each deception. Late scenes with a resentful Fredo & an embittered Kay emphasize the price for Michael of continuing his father's dark dominion. He's simply imperceptive to his faults and, the effects are ultimately crippling for him.
The script here (while brilliant) is a bit more sprawling, and not as tight as the 1st film. The 1st film primarily took place in NY. But here, the settings vary from Italy, to Ellis Island, to NY, to Nevada, Miami, Cuba, Washington D.C., etc. Because of that scope, Coppola/Puzo lessens the intimacy of various interpersonal conflicts. But the movie is so freaking good overall that you can't fault it too much. With aid from his editor, Coppola deftly balances the 1917 story with the one from 1958; keeping the pace consistent enough to curb any sense of jarring or confusion.
The performances are ... well, they're exceptional. Everyone from Pacino (powerful) to De Niro (gah, amazing), to Keaton, Cazale, Gazzo, Strasberg, et al, rings true with deep, authentic characterizations. From a technical standpoint, 'The Godfather Part II' is a wonder, as well. It looks & sounds great. The production values (set design, costumes) are immaculate. And, in many ways, the cinematography tells the story as much as the script/characters. Those 1917 Italy scenes look completely different from the 1958 ones. And many of Michael's late scenes exude a certain doom & gloom; where he appears in shadow and/or as a silhouette.
As the beginning of 'Part II' echoes the opening of The Godfather, so too does the end. But the impact here feels more forceful. Michael's tragic flaw (imperceptiveness, his innate tie to crime) is cemented. And Coppola punctuates both of his films with a stomach-churning exclamation point. Together, Godfathers Part I & II represents the pinnacle of the 'American gangster story'. Beneath the surface of this epic and ethnic period piece, 'The Godfather Part II' isn't so much about crime lords as it is about prices for decisions both made & avoided. Michael Corleone's soul may be forever damaged. Superb movie.
But affairs from NY haunt him & are about to interfere as Frankie Pentangeli (Michael V. Gazzo) arrives to request the Don's acquiescence to a mob hit. Michael can't agree because that hit would ruin his business dealings currently in progress with the influential Hyman Roth (Lee Strasberg). As he realizes that allies are trying to kill him off, the increasingly paranoid Michael also discovers that his intense ambition has damaged his marriage to Kay (a great Diane Keaton) & turned his brother, Fredo (John Cazale), against him altogether. Caught in a web of betrayal & deceit, assassination attempts & gov't probes target Michael, so he returns to his illegitimate mob roots; sacrificing a lot of his humanity in the process. For a man constantly fighting to run from the past & keep his family together, the irony of 'Part II' is that Michael's efforts succeed only in hurting them further.
'Part II' offers strong elements of tragedy. Much of the humanity remaining in Michael (from the end of the 1st film throughout the 2nd) is leeched from him with each deception. Late scenes with a resentful Fredo & an embittered Kay emphasize the price for Michael of continuing his father's dark dominion. He's simply imperceptive to his faults and, the effects are ultimately crippling for him.
The script here (while brilliant) is a bit more sprawling, and not as tight as the 1st film. The 1st film primarily took place in NY. But here, the settings vary from Italy, to Ellis Island, to NY, to Nevada, Miami, Cuba, Washington D.C., etc. Because of that scope, Coppola/Puzo lessens the intimacy of various interpersonal conflicts. But the movie is so freaking good overall that you can't fault it too much. With aid from his editor, Coppola deftly balances the 1917 story with the one from 1958; keeping the pace consistent enough to curb any sense of jarring or confusion.
The performances are ... well, they're exceptional. Everyone from Pacino (powerful) to De Niro (gah, amazing), to Keaton, Cazale, Gazzo, Strasberg, et al, rings true with deep, authentic characterizations. From a technical standpoint, 'The Godfather Part II' is a wonder, as well. It looks & sounds great. The production values (set design, costumes) are immaculate. And, in many ways, the cinematography tells the story as much as the script/characters. Those 1917 Italy scenes look completely different from the 1958 ones. And many of Michael's late scenes exude a certain doom & gloom; where he appears in shadow and/or as a silhouette.
As the beginning of 'Part II' echoes the opening of The Godfather, so too does the end. But the impact here feels more forceful. Michael's tragic flaw (imperceptiveness, his innate tie to crime) is cemented. And Coppola punctuates both of his films with a stomach-churning exclamation point. Together, Godfathers Part I & II represents the pinnacle of the 'American gangster story'. Beneath the surface of this epic and ethnic period piece, 'The Godfather Part II' isn't so much about crime lords as it is about prices for decisions both made & avoided. Michael Corleone's soul may be forever damaged. Superb movie.