I didn't think it was possible. I honestly didn't think it was possible.

Rating: 10/10 (12 May 2009)

"The Godfather" (1972) was, and still is, in my eyes as well as the eyes of most people, one of the greatest motion pictures ever made and without any doubts, the one that featured the quintessential cast for a mafia movie. It took me a long time to getting around to it, but at last a few weeks ago, I had the privilege to see director Francis Ford Coppola's continuation of the trilogy. And during that long span of time, I had heard a lot about "The Godfather: Part II" and how some have even built up the nerve to call it better than the original. I doubted it would even come close, even if it was great. Boy, was I wrong. "The Godfather" (1972) is still great and a true masterpiece, but much to my surprise and delight, Part II is even better. That's what I call a feat.
Perhaps the reason why "The Godfather: Part II" matches and overpowers the original is because—at least to me—that it is really not a sequel, but rather a continuation of the first film, which was really just a warm-up for what was to follow. The first film ended with Marlon Brando's Vito Corleone dying and his youngest son Michael (Al Pacino) turning from the weak little college kid who wanted nothing to do with his family, turning out to become the exact image of his father. And in Part II, we still have him as the image of his fatheronly worse. While Don Vito was ruthless, he was also sympathetic and likable. The new Michael Corleone, by contrast, is one of the most bone-chilling villains ever seen. Part II follows his endeavors as he carries on in his father's name and mixed up with this continuation is a flashback sequence. You see, Part II is both a continuation and a prequel to the original. Inter-spliced with the sequel footage is a second story detailing the past of Vito Corleone, now played by a young Robert De Niro in an Oscar-winning performance as the dumb-witted boy from Sicily who became one of the most powerful mobsters alive.
"The Godfather: Part II", like its predecessor, is a legendary film for many reasons. Apart from being one of the most important and entertaining films ever made, it also set new standards and records that have yet to be matched. It because the first sequel to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, it started the now-common formula of using roman numerals for sequel titles, it has the irony where it, as well as the original, have an Academy Award win for two different actors playing the same characters (Marlon Brando as an old Vito Corleone in the original and Robert De Niro as a young Vito Corleone in Part II), Michael Corleone is one of the more frightening villains ever realized, and the look of violence and horror of a mafia world is twice as terrifying as what was seen in the first film. And of course, it marked the beginning of Robert De Niro's career.
The irony of the first "The Godfather" (1972) was how Michael Corleone was transformed from a "nice college boy" to quote his brother into a vicious crime lord who at the end of the first film authorizes the assassinations of all of his competitors without flicking an eyelash. And the irony of "The Godfather: Part II" is not only is he now worse than his father ever was, but Michael Corleone is still driving himself down a road to his own relentless destruction and the moral destruction of those around him. His son, his wife, his sister, brother, brother-in-law, and close friends are both brought closer to him and alienated from him at the same time. Alienated because they fear him. Brought closer because they know better than to run away.
In regards to the film's second story, the prequel about Vito Corleone, it's not only brilliant, but necessary and phenomenal. The prequel is one of the few major chapters from Mario Puzo's incredible book that could not be fitted into the original film. That's alright, because to me, the flashback was the only slow and unnecessary part that Puzo wrote. But here, in this film, in this continuation, it not only fits and correlates, but belongs. Again, it's to show how Michael Corleone is more vicious, more dangerous, more terrible than his father, who was at one time brutal and devilish. There was originally a scene that called for Marlon Brando to return as an old Vito Corleone, but I think the magic of this prequel footage would have been lost if it had, for we then compare the Brando performance from the original, the De Niro performance from the sequel, see how they blend perfectly together, and our imaginations become our eyes and ears.
In regards to the film's music score, Nino Rota scores even higher than he did with his soundtrack for the first film. One noticeable thing is how the original theme score was sad and almost depressing, but the music for Part II is even more sad and even more depressing, for it's really a tragic story. Rota knew what Coppola and Puzo were trying to show with their second film and he was dead-on with his somber, almost ironic musical score.
"The Godfather: Part II" also boasts a great deal of truly shocking moments that at times makes you jump in your seat and at other times, hang your jaws in awe, in a bitter disbelief to accept what has happened and the latter most certainly comes about in the final shots. And that ultimately is the power of Coppola's film and that is why it is considered so terrific, even to the point of surpassing its superb predecessor. I honestly didn't think it was possible for Part II to be better than the original, but it is. This is a compliment of the highest order.