The Godfather: Part II

 

DIRECTED BY-:
Francis Ford Coppola
STARRING-:
Al Pacino
Robert De Niro
John Cazale
Robert Duvall
Diane Keaton
YEAR OF RELEASE-:
1974
PREMISE-:
The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed, while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

THE NEGATIVES-:

• It would’ve been better if it was clearly explained what the exact nature of Fredo’s betrayal was, since if it was just a behind-the-back business deal with Johnny Ola and Hyman Roth, then the question as to who exactly helped the assassins make an attempt on Michael’s life remains unanswered.

• It's convenient that Senator Geary, who was harboring antagonistic feelings towards the Corleone family, was caught with a dead prostitute in a brothel. Personally, I would've preferred if the whole Senator Geary subplot would've been removed from the film as it didn't add much to the story and made the film feel about 10 minutes too long.  

• It could've been better explained whether the Rosato brothers manipulating Frank Pentangeli to testify against Michael by attempting to kill Frank on "behalf" of Michael was something that they had planned prior to their meeting with Frank, or was a plan that they came up with on the spot after a random police officer COINCIDENTALLY walked into their bar at the exact moment they were trying to kill Pentangeli. 

• The army CONVENIENTLY arrives in the hospital JUST BEFORE Michael’s bodyguard can kill Roth. 

• Fredo ACCIDENTALLY revealing that he knows Johnny Ola, and the Cuban Revolution both COINCIDENTALLY happen on new year’s eve.

THE POSITIVES-:

• Much like its first part, the film's cinematography, costumes, set designs, performances, and music were all topnotch. 

• The authenticity and believability with which the characters and their relationships were written were also nearly flawless.

• While Michael Corleone doesn't go through an arc in this film, his cunning, merciless, and ruthless manner of leading the Corleone empire is brilliantly explored and shown in-depth. This is further accentuated by juxtaposing Michael's rule with Vito's rise, where the main difference between the father and the son is highlighted - even though Vito used violence, he was in many ways also generous, benevolent, and merciful. We get a sense that Vito only resorted to violence when it was absolutely necessary, to eliminate someone bigger and worse than him. Hence, people under Vito obeyed him more out of respect, rather than fear. Michael on the other hand, believes that the only way to safeguard his family and his business is to wipe out all of his enemies, even if it means killing his own guilt-ridden regretful brother, and his senile uncle, who was going to die of old age in prison anyway. Thus, it's made clear that people working under Michael obey him out of fear, rather than out of respect for him as a person. Michael also does seem to recognize this fact, and is afraid that being "strong" for his family might cause him to lose it entirely, as is reflected in his brief but impactful conversation with his mother. Ultimately, both Vito and Michael's stories get concluded in ways that make the most sense - Vito is surrounded by his loved ones right till his demise, while Michael finds himself alone even at the apex of his power.

• The last 30 minutes of the film, more specifically the final scene, does wonders for improving the film's quality.  I'm talking of course, of the flashback sequence to Vito's 50th birthday celebration, which is filled with great details like-:

• It was SONNY who introduced Connie to Carlo (who later turned out to be an abusive husband), which is why whenever Connie called Sonny after Carlo beat her, Sonny's expressions not only depicted rage but also a hint of guilt, perhaps because he blamed himself for Connie's situation.

• After all of the tragedy and suffering the Corleone family had been through the duration of the two films, it was really refreshing to see a scene with a warm and loving atmosphere where Sonny is being playful with Tom and Fredo, and jokes are being made about how the Japanese are really inconsiderate for attacking Pear Harbor on Vito's birthday.

• While all of this is happening, Michael is shown sitting on the opposite side of the table (both literally and metaphorically), alone and silent, only speaking up when he disagrees with Sonny and Tom on a fundamental idealogical level.

• When Michael and Sonny get into a brief scuffle, I really liked how Sonny's daughters were giggling about the fact that "Daddy's fighting again", indicating that this is not the first time Sonny's got into a fight in front of his kids - something that is very much in character for a hothead like Sonny. Again, little details like these made an already great scene feel even more genuine. 

• I liked how Fredo was the only one who congratulated Michael on joining the army, perhaps because as someone who felt like he didn't fit in with the family, he could appreciate his younger brother trying to forge his own future. This made Fredo's betrayal and eventual death even more tragic and depressing.

• This scene did a great job of establishing that Michael was always going to do things his way, going to be in charge of his own destiny, even if it meant hurting his family, pushing away his loved ones, and leaving him completely alone in the process. 

• In the end, Michael is all alone, not only at the dining table where the Godfather's chair is situated directly in line with him, foreshadowing his ascension, but also on his estate, where he sits on top of his lonely empire, as we see younger and happier versions of Michael and Vito wave goodbye to an older, more powerful, yet tragically sadder, Don Corleone.

RATING: 8/10