Sensational.

Rating: 9/10 (9 January 2008)

Keeps the authentic, beautiful and rich feeling of the first film, while adding a level of intensity and interest throughout. The idea of producing parallel stories depicting the rise of a young Vito Corleone (played to perfection by Robert De Niro) and the loneliness and betrayal of Michael Corleone (the subtle and frighteningly intense Al Pacino) was a brilliant one. However, this is where the majority of the film's flaws lie. In creating these two separate stories, they made one much more interesting than the other. When watching the slow turn of paranoia and danger in Michael's life, all I can manage to think about is what will happen next in Vito Corleone's rise to becoming the Godfather. Either way, these are two of the strongest and most complex characters of all time. Vito loses his father, brother and mother to the same man who he luckily escapes from. He gains a family and rises to power, murdering another Don in the process in one of the most intensely suspenseful scenes of all time, and returns to confront this now bitter and alone man.
The death of Don Ciccio is one of the strongest scenes of the film, and certainly portrays how much more brilliant De Niro is when he's playing quiet strength instead of shouting at the top of his lungs. In the late Don Ciccio, we also see a parallel to the story of Michael Corleone throughout the film. A man who is simply trying to keep his family in tact, while remaining at the same level of respect and power as his late father. Instead, he falls into a world of betrayal on all fronts and the constant paranoia of being at the top of the food chain. He begins to feel as though he is the strongest man, waiting for the inevitable opportunity for another to bring him to the grave (just like what Vito had previously done many years ago). This leads to a life of utter alienation, even from his family. Three images in this film portray the most sympathetic form of isolation in cinematic history (Michael looking out the window as Fredo sails away, Michael sitting in the park bench alone at the end, and Michael sitting alone at the dinner table while everyone else joyously surprises Vito on his birthday). We see the loneliness and rejection of a man who lives his life for his family, but eventually loses them all. The final dinner scene has so much complexity it left me stunned well after the credits rolled. Definitely a film that has earned it's iconic status, featuring two performances that rightfully lit the fuel for the two most acclaimed careers the film industry has ever seen.