Great Movie. Another Winner from Francis Ford Copolla

Rating: 9/10 (16 July 2007)

Warning! Spoilers Ahead!
"The Godfather, Part II" is another gem of a movie, worthy of a place alongside its revered predecessor. This movie's strengths lie in Copolla's retention of the best actors from the first film mixed in with terrific new actors for the second. John Cazale, Lee Strasberg, Robert de Niro and Michael Gazzo are given their moment to shine here, and play credible and unforgettable characters. Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, and Robert Duvall reprise their roles from the first movie, and put in an equal amount of effort to the first film, which means that the second is also very good. Copolla had a lot more creative freedom with this picture, but it doesn't differ much from the first in terms of style and camera angles. Still, the director does an admirable job crafting an interesting and wonderful film.
Pacino's Michael Corleone is, in the first, a quiet and understated character most of the time, only this time, whenever the character is riled by a tragic event, Pacino lets out his infamous "scream" to emphasize that his character is like a dangerous time bomb with an unpredictable temper: one minute he's calm, the next he's in a rage. Unfortunately, Pacino is most remembered for his loud, bombastic performances rather than his understated quiet ones. Keaton appears to have less screen time, but, like her husband Michael, undergoes a credible transformation from the naive, submissive character we remember from Part I into an assertive, strong woman who will not give in to her husband. She asserts control over her own body by aborting her baby rather than letting Michael have another heir to his criminal empire. Again, Keaton's performance is usually cited as the weakest of the "Godfather" saga, but this seems unfair, and she does well whenever she has screen time. Robert Duvall is back with another excellent turn as Corelone family adviser Tom Hagen.
The new faces do very well here, and again, Copolla was blessed with an excellent cast. Gazzo is simply delectable as mobster Frank Pentangeli, one of cinema's most memorable characters. One minute he's a lovable old man, sometimes seeming as dopey and sweet as your great-uncle, asking the band to play an Italian "tarantella"; the next he's viciously asking for the blood of the Rosato Borthers. He, ultimately, cows to Michael's control during a Senate hearing, just as he is about to rat him out.Gazzo, a prolific playwright, showed he had the chops as an actor as well. Another memorable performance is the Italian actor who played the gangster Don Fanucci, a dandy tyrant who shakes down Italian immigrants for protection money. He, like the guy who played "The Turk" Solozzo in Part I, is a convincing actor who can make a slimy villain come to life. He seems to relish his role as the white coated mobster who confidently rules the neighborhood with an iron fist. Less potent is Lee Strasberg's Hyman Roth, who, after Don Fanucci, is the film's main antagonist. Roth's true evil is only revealed in other characters' dialogue and indirect screen action rather than anything we see Roth do on the screen. I wasn't fully convinced that Roth was a cunning double-crosser, as we don't actually see him engage in the double-cross. Strasberg gives an understated performance as the kingpin of the pre-Castro Havana casinos (an obvious representation of real-life gangster Meyer Lansky). Still, Strasberg does have some memorable moments, such as the famous "This is the Business We've Chosen" speech he gives to Michael.
Fresh performances from John Cazale and Robert de Niro round out this movie. We don't see much of Fredo in Part I, but he's essential to Part II. Cazale gives a memorable performance as the meek, weak, sweet, but ultimately treacherous middle brother of the Corleone family. His flaws include his lack of intelligence and possible naiveté, which ultimately result in his being a pawn in Roth's scheme to kill Michael. Fredo wants the keys to the kingdom, but will settle for some power, and Roth apparently offered him something special for his services. All Fredo says is that "there was something in it for me!", but what this was is rather vague; still, Fredo's ties with Roth are enough for Michael to commit the darkest murder he will commit in the saga: fratricide. We almost feel sorry for Fredo as he sweetly tells his nephew how to catch a fish by reciting a "Hail Mary," right before Michael has one his goons shoot him from behind on a fishing trip. Fredo may be the rather weak and dopey member of the Corleone clan, but Cazale also manages to humanize Fredo and make a memorable performance as the ultimately tragic odd man out in the "family business."
Part II carries with it a sadder tragedy than Part I, as Michael "loses his family," in terms of his wife's abortion and departure, and Fredo's treachery and his eventual murder. It is in Part II that we see the full scope of the perils of a life of crime in terms of keeping a family together. Even Don Vito, while running a criminal empire, was able to somehow keep his family glued together. We see the sad irony when Michael's mother tells him "you will never lose your family."
This is an excellent movie, much like the first one. Copolla does well here. (Copolla's further career is debatable. Radio host Phil Hendrie once gave a hilarious criticism of Copolla's career: "what do you mean 'Charlie don't surf?!'") He directs beautifully here, and the actors cooperate by giving excellent performances. This is a highly recommended movie.