Two split, and very compelling, stories of men going through their own emotional grinders told amidst a backdrop of honor, family ties and trust.

Rating: 8/10 (28 June 2009)

The second Godfather film kicks off in a similar fashion to the first; with a large and overwhelming gathering of friends and family on a sunny day within the confines of the Corleone family grounds. The event is the Holy Communion for Michael Corleone's (Pacino) son, and much like the wedding with which the first film began, it represents the beginning of a new venture; of a new tale, or of a new chapter in life or in the franchise that is the Godfather films, a new addition to the lives of this collection of Mafia based individuals whom are forever being deconstructed on screen. And what a tale the piece eventually branches out into, giving us the next chapter in the lives of those in the 'present' tense, as well as seamlessly incorporating an interesting mesh of the rising of one gangster twinned with his lust for revenge.
This second strand is, of course, the tale of Vito Corleone (De Niro); an Italian immigrant of the Andolini family based on Scicily and his coming of age in early 20th Century New York. The Godfather Part II is an extremely assured film; a film that is mostly everything a crime film can be, complete with a patient and mature aesthetic which helps in the distinct placing of it in the annuals of contemporary American cinema. The film is split into two equilibriums, one occurring from the late 1950's onwards while predominantly focusing on Michael and his family and friends, where as the other initially unfolds in the very early years of the 20th Century before branching out into the 1920s. This segment sees Vito marry; get involved in petty crime; come up against a local crime kingpin as well as have a son but always retain an eye on a certain larger goal which awaits him back in Scicily.
Each of the two equilibriums offer very different studies of the human condition. The equilibrium in the 'present' tense takes on a certain amount of substance to do with honour and trust; as well as incorporating the notion of expansion and moving on, which ties in with the idea of modernity and branching out in an attempt to keep up with the times. These are ideas Michael brings up in the first Godfather film, mainly through fear of his family's safety that they need to 'go straight' but additionally because he feels real estate and so forth acts as a healthy means, money-wise, to sustain the family for the years to come. The other equilibrium sees a much more simplistic and routine chain of events; a tale of revenge and a certain degree of ruthlessness brought about within one man as this study of this character evolves him from an innocent and frightened child; to a young man who is very much observant of this new world he's in; to cold-blooded killer.
The installation of Vito's story here is simplistic but very well done in both a story telling and character driven sense. Vito becomes aware of the notion of crime in New York and learns of the rules of hierarchy. He observes his initial, more local, nemeses in Don Fanucci (Moschin) in a close to voyeuristic manner; not necessarily gazing at the individual but at what the individual is: feared but additionally respected. Vito is not afraid of Fanucci, but the study of Vito's involvement in crime, which begins with the stealing of someone's rug and the temporary holding of a neighbour's illegal firearms, act as lures into a world within the historically proclaimed 'new world' he has already arrived in. You might view Vito's tale as a tragedy, since it is Vito's entry into this line of work that will propel him into the mindset of a criminal and, ultimately, it is this line of work that develops the attribute of a cold blooded killer which enables him to fulfil his goal of revenge.
The passage of film looking at Vito sees the film revisit one of Vito's ideation from the first edition; the notion of always killing for business and that there is nothing personal behind 'hits' - it is strictly business. Vito and his goal as a young man in New York exist before these rules are drawn up; Vito's hatred of Don Ciccio for the death of his father during the prologue is not business, but very much personal. It might be this that makes Vito's strand of The Godfather Part II the better of the two, and it may well be the reason people have more of a reaction to this edition of the trilogy; in the sense it is a piece establishing ideals and ideation's; before having, what is arguably its strongest character, confront what we already know he believes in and threaten its integrity.
Michael's segment of the film covers broader, more personal issues such as life and family ties and marital relationships. It is about expanding an empire on the outside just as much as it is the narrowing down of an empire on the inside: finding out who is actually who and where they stand. There is one such brilliant scene in which Michael and Fredo (Cazale) confront one another and they fall out of favour. It is an establishing of power as Michael, standing, towers over Fredo who up to this point has become more and more of a loose cannon. Michael's segment of The Godfather Part II isn't so much about the mafia or crime as much as it is the human condition; it uses said setting as a means to explore these conditions within a criminal world, as death and increased pressure to make moves dominate person's lives. Its dedicated and calm approach to psychologically chaotic and unnerving subject matter allows the film to retain a certain juxtaposed sense of dread throughout. Perhaps undoubtedly, The Godfather Part II will remain a somewhat timeless study of emotion, angst and so much more.