The Masterpiece Above All Others

Rating: 10/10 (13 September 2014)

What is there to be said about the sequel to what many consider to be the greatest film of all time? "The Godfather: Part II" is a film unlike any other. From the seedy casinos of Nevada, to the revolution in Cuba, "The Godfather: Part II" chronicles the reign of Michael Corleone, acted to perfection by Al Pacino, over a massive criminal empire. Corleone's dealings with the manipulative and ruthless, but ailing, Hyman Roth, depicted by the masterful Lee Strasberg, are some of the best scenes captured on cinema. Roth is a weary, weathered old man, but he more than holds his own against the young, ambitious Michael Corleone. And how does one describe the character of Michael Corleone? Is he an evil killer that cares only about power, and will do anything to achieve it? Or is he a reluctant son, trying desperately to get out from under the enormous shadow of his father, but assailed on all fronts by enemies old and new? Perhaps both. The story of Michael Corleone in this film is a tragic one, without doubt. But his is not the only tale told in this masterpiece of cinema. The story of Vito Corleone, portrayed entirely in Sicilian by Robert De Niro, is interwoven with that of his son, and it is arguably as potent. A young Sicilian lad, orphaned by a violent Mafioso, Vito is smuggled off the island and to America. There, Vito is met with oppositions and struggles, and he overcomes them all to become the original Godfather. It is truly a journey, and shows the adversity that crafted a giant of a man.
"The Godfather: Part II" beats the odds, and somehow, in my opinion, manages to be a greater film than its predecessor. It is a massive, complex, dark, tragic, ambitious film, and it succeeds in everything it does. 10/10