All the power on earth can't change destiny

Rating: 10/10 (4 September 2019)

Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather: Part II" (1974) is the second installment in the Godfather Saga, masterfully executed as a sequel.
In my view, it is the greatest sequel to have ever been conceived. How much pressure Coppola must have felt when embarking on this after the huge success and instant classic that "The Godfather" (1972) had become. In spite, he must have kept calm in perfecting the work of Part II.
The film centres partly on Michael's descent into the downward spiral of the crime world, as well as the history of his late father, Vito Andolini, beautifully portrayed in the original by the screen legend above them all, Marlon Brando.
In part II, Vito's life is presented from when he was a young boy in Sicily, and how the tragic events of his childhood shapes him as a person. We also follow him as a growing adult, portrayed by Robert De Niro, who gives a stunning performance, for which he deservedly won the Academy Award for best supporting actor. In this period piece part of the film, we see some intriguing character development which contributes to sophisticated storytelling, while simultaneously paying homage to Part I.
The character studies of Part II really is what drives the saga's perfection further. Along with a budget twice as large as in Part I, this highly ambitious effort was possible for Coppola to execute to perfection with beautiful shifting set designs and huge staging of the milieus. Naturally, it draws on the same perfect storytelling, direction, cinematography, score and all else that Part I is revered for. But it adds further, with even more intrigue and suspense than what we where exposed to in Part I.
A perfect film, and a deeply convincing character study of a man, who has it all but love, and who falls apart from his desires to power and money. Almost on par with Part I, and although some even think this surpasses its perfection, the original remains my favourite film.