The Godfather: Part II

Rating: Null/10 (29 July 2008)

The Godfather: Part II is filled with symbolic and powerful images.
A young Vito Corleone singing hymns while quarantined at Ellis Island; Vito executing his first hit with a towel-wrapped pistol; Michael bestowing a kiss of death on his brother Fredo; Michael gazing out his boathouse window as he awaits the fate of his brother.
The movie is shot artfully, though at times is lit a bit dimly. The location selection and set decoration are attentively and evocatively rendered as we follow Vito's rise.
It is easy to forget that the segments showing Michael's fall are also period shots, set about twenty-five years prior to filming, as they are unforced and ring true.