On of the greatest gangster films of all time

Rating: 10/10 (30 May 2002)

Although not as good as the original film, TG:P2 is still an excellent piece of work in all aspects of cinema.
Plot: Takes place years before the original, the film shows the early years of Vito Corleone and shows how his son gets into crime.
Overall: Brilliant cinema. If the film doesn't show you how great cinema can get, you must see this film more and more until you see its brilliance.
It is also a very classy film that doesn't show itself off but rather pulls the viewer in the film to show how good it can be. And that, my friends, is very rare in film. Most films nowadays like to brag how good they think they are while they are really wastes of time and money; and others, though great films, just like to carry it on how great they are, by giving off hidden boasting in the film. But this film is just a humble masterpiece that doesn't say that it's good or not, but shows you what it's decent at.
It shows drama in ways that are very hard to do in other films. Although most of the characters are obviously gangsters, you could feel their pain in hard situations. Like Al Pacinos character struggling to have the family completley legit in one scene with his wife. Other scenes are even more powerful.
The acting? Also excellent. Al Pacino is as always great as Michael, Robert Duvall is at his highest mark in his career, and Robert De Niro, though he has limited screen time, is excellent.
When I look at other films today, barely any of them can match the sheer drama, the brilliant direction, the impeccable acting, and rare humblity of The Godfather: Part Two.
Overall, this is a classic piece of cinema that everyone should see. It's a brave, different, and rare film. Best watched after The Godfather though.
10/10