A legendary continuation and sequel to the landmark 1972 film.

Rating: 10/10 (30 June 2010)

I think the film is simply one of the great American films. In 1958, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) reflects on the problems of being a Mafia don, and those of his father (Robert De Niro) before him.
The Godfather Part II is one of those rare sequels that genuinely eclipses the original film - quite an achievement, in this instance. But Part II fleshes out the history of the Corleone clan, showing the rise of young Don Vito and reflecting on the increasingly icy demeanour of his son Michael as he accommodates himself to becoming a ruthless don. The scenes in Sicily, beautifully shot, have a lyrical, almost Edenic quality, tinged with foreboding: we all know this idyll can not last. De Niro is spellbinding as young Vito, while Pacino almost visibly transforms himself into the man Michael Corleone is becoming. It's an astonishing popular masterpiece.