The Godfather part 2

Rating: 10/10 (11 June 2017)

As I mentioned last time, the first Godfather from 1972 is widely considered a landmark in film history, considered one of the best American films of all time. Dark, brutal yet also hyper realistic, with no gangster film like that ever seen before. So the idea of a follow up in 1974 was a bit strange. Granted, Coppola was back in the director's chair, but some fans were wondering; what else was there to tell? Well, in my opinion, this movie took a bold chance and further explored how much humanity can be sacrificed for the "greater good" and sometimes that doesn't have a boundary. We see Al Pacino as Michael in a desperate attempt to hold onto power while dealing with family, betrayal and violence. It makes the viewer wonder if he has any decent mercy left. But on top of that, and why I personally like this film, we also get the backstory to a character that was done by one of the greatest performances of all time. Who could possibly play the younger version of the Oscar-winning Marlon Brando? Robert De Niro, of course. This not only won him his first Oscar for acting, but also cemented him as one of the big heavy-hitters in terms of acting in the gangster genre. Seeing how a child can come from obscurity in Sicily, with everything trying to kill you, yet become successful enough to become the epitome of power at a price. This was the first sequel to win Best Picture and remains the only one to win along with its predecessor. At a time when The Godfather was said to be the perfect movie that can never be topped, Godfather 2 tried and not only succeeded but exceeded everyone's expectations. It's hard enough making something like Godfather successful once but to do it twice and BOTH times win Best Picture? That is a DANG impressive achievement. It literally "gave us an offer we just couldn't refuse."