The sequel to the best family film ever

Rating: 10/10 (31 January 2019)

As the name would suggest, Godfather Part 2 is the sequel to Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather film. This film is an extreme rarity because it divides feelings; some people have suggested that this sequel is actually better than the first film (which doesn't really happen often for sequels), while other die-hard fans would argue that a sequel could never out-rate an original.
Godfather 2 could actually be split into 2 separate films, both showing separate events, in different times, with only a family name and blood being the connecting factor. One film is a rewind to a time already gone - a young Vito Corleone (the Godfather in the first film - played here by Robert De Niro). The other film; living in the present but with stark teachings of the past coming into fruition.
It's been 7 years since the events of the first film, and Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) attempts to expand and develop the family business as the head of the Corleone Mafia family - looking to get a toehold in Las Vegas and Cuba. Woven into this we also get to see a young Vito Coleone in flashbacks as he comes from Sicily to America and makes a new life for himself. The film uses these two stories to show similarities and contrast between father and son, separated by 30-40 odd years. This film is a masterpiece in storytelling, expanding on a world we've been introduced to via the first film, and moving forward with sublime character development and a complete story. Throw in a 'who-done-it' for Michael to solve (trying to find the mole in 'the family'), as well as the stresses he has to deal with from domestic family life and there is an awful lot going on.
It could probably be argued that rather than being a sequel, this is a follow on. Coppola expands on the groundwork laid out in the first film - it's not a whole new adventure, more the next chapter in a story that we, the audience, have been tantalized with in the first film. Like the first film, it's not just a film about crime and mafia; it's as much a film about a man's struggle to live in the world that life has dealt him. It is brilliantly climaxed as we see Michael, alone in his own compound at the end of the film, like he's strapped in his own head dealing with the thoughts and plots going on - playing a mental game of chess with himself in order to stay one step ahead of his real life enemies.
Pacino and De Niro are both fantastic in their respective roles, and the supporting cast is brilliant. There is plenty going on, and in some instances it's what you don't see which is as important as what is explained to you.
I love this film, I have no issue with awarding this 10 out of 10 the same as I gave the first Godfather film.