The Godfather Part II: The Greatest Sequel Ever Made

Rating: 10/10 (18 October 2011)

If The Godfather is the greatest film ever made,then The Godfather Part II is the greatest sequel ever made. It is Francis Ford Coppola's continuation of Mario Puzo's Mafia saga set new standards for sequels that have yet to be matched or broken until present.
The Godfather Part II chronicles the story of the Corleone family following the events of the first film while also depicting the rise to power of the young Vito Corleone,played by excellently Robert De Niro in his Academy Award winning performance.The film stars Al Pacino, Robert Duvall,Diane Keaton,Robert De Niro,Talia Shire, John Cazale, Michael V. Gazzo and Lee Strasberg.
The movie is a depiction of the dark side of the American dream. In the early 1900s, the child Vito flees his Sicilian village for America after the local Mafia kills his family. Vito struggles to make a living, legally or illegally, for his wife and growing brood in Little Italy, killing the local Black Hand Fanucci after he demands his customary cut of the tyro's business. With Fanucci gone, Vito's communal stature grows, but it is his family (past and present) who matters most to him - - a familial legacy then upended by Michael's business expansion in the 1950s.
Now based in Lake Tahoe, Michael conspires to make inroads in Las Vegas and Havana pleasure industries by any means necessary. As he realizes that allies like Hyman Roth are trying to kill him, the increasingly paranoid Michael also discovers that his ambition has crippled his marriage to Kay and turned his brother, Fredo, against him. Barely escaping a federal indictment, Michael turns his attention to dealing with his enemies, completing his own corruption.
The film still has a strong performance from the cast despite not having Marlon Brando in it.Aside from De Niro,Al Pacino, Robert Duvall,Diane Keaton,John Cazale and Lee Strasberg provide honest performances. Still present in the film is the haunting score of Nino Rota;the superb screenplay of both Puzo and Coppola; and the excellent direction of Copolla.But it has darker themes as compared to the first film as the characters are violent and amoral in their values.Also,the story presents the deterioration of the characters as the viewers feel for them in their pain and vulnerability. It may not be the ultimate family picture but nevertheless,it remains as the greatest sequel ever made and definitely one of the best films ever made.