Superb- but not as good as part 1

Rating: Null/10 (30 November 2000)

The Godfather part 2 is a spectacular, all-out brilliant film - the reason it does not better the original is the missing characters Sonny and Old Vito and Clemenza. And there aren't as many memorable moments.
Don't get me wrong however this is still a masterpiece of cinema and reminder of how films should be made rather than all the hyped up garbage we see on our screens today.
Al Pacino is BACK as Michael Corleone - the all powerful head of the corleone family. Robert Duvall returns, as does John Cazale, Diane Keaton and Talia Shire (also Morgana King, Richard Bright, Tom Rosqui and Joe Spinell) and are joined by 3 major new characters - Clemenza's replacement Frank Pentangeli (Michael. V. Gazzo), Meyer Lansky clone Hyman Roth (Lee Strasberg) and the slimy senator geary (G.D. Spradlin) There is also a supreme prequel section which takes up about a third of the film - This introduces Robert De Niro as the young Vito Corleone, flanked by Genco (Frank Sivero), Tessio (John Aprea) and Clemenza (Bruno Kirby) . And pursued by Don Fanucci (Gaston Moschin) and Don Ciccio.
The performances are superb - No doubt about that Pacino, Duvall, De Niro, V.Gazzo - all outstanding but special mention to the late GREAT John Cazale - who took his character Fredo Corleone from a brief role in the first film to elevated it to a sincerely higher plein. He was simply outstanding and should have won an oscar for his incredibly realistic and stunning portrayal of a resentful, useless, fool who can't accept that baby brother is better than him (and wouldn't we all) we can understand the way he feels and in a way we are sympathetic.
Cazale's supremacy aside, The film is 9 1/2 out of ten and i strongly recommend it , should watch part 1 first though.