The Godfather: Part II is even better than its predecessor

Rating: 10/10 (1 May 2019)

Three years ago, I watched The first Godfather and while I enjoyed it, I didn't think of it as such a great film, partly citing the roles of Diane Keaton and Talia Shire. Here, they're both still being somewhat underused but Ms. Keaton has a great scene when she reveals what really happened to her upcoming baby and Ms. Shire has a nearly as such scene when she mentions Fredo near the end. Speaking of whom, John Cazale is fine in reprising the role as the weak Corleone brother. And Al Pacino was probably at his very best in this, his second feat at portraying Michael Corleone especially during scenes with his mentor Lee Strasberg as Hyman Roth. Francis Ford Coppola is aces as both the co-writer (with creator Mario Puzo) and director as he handles scenes from both the late '50s concerning Michael and the early 20th century concerning his father Vito, here played in an Oscar-winning turn by Robert De Niro speaking mostly in Italian. So on that note, I highly recommend The Godfather: Part II.