One Of The Greatest Films Ever Made,The Greatest Sequel Of All Time And An Excellent,Brilliant,Powerful And Unforgettable Mastepiece From Francis Coppola.

Rating: 10/10 (31 March 2014)

The Godfather Part II is not only one of the greatest films ever mad but is also the greatest sequel of all-time that is an excellent,brilliant and unforgettable masterpiece that combines amazing direction,terrific acting from a great cast,a wonderful script and a haunting score. All of those elements make The Godfather Part II film making and Francis Coppola at their best.
Set in Las Vegas,Nevada in the 1950s and in New York City in the 1910s and 20s,The Godfather Part II tells two parallel rise and fall stories. The rise story depicts the rise of young Vito Corleone(Robert De Niro),showing Vito as an Italian immigrant who gets into a life of Crime and becomes a Don. The fall is the story of Michael Corleone(Al Pacino)who is still running the Corleone family in Las Vegas but has to deal with betrayal and the family falling apart.
The Godfather Part II is simply a masterpiece of cinema and is the greatest and most ambitious sequel of all-time that is not only an instant classic from the moment you watch it but also an amazing and powerful follow-up to the original giving viewers not only a great continuation of The Godfather saga but giving viewers the sequel to end all movie sequels. I won't say which film is better because in my opinion saying Part I or Part II is better than one another would be disrespectful to the two films because both are works of art. With The Godfather Part II Director Francis Ford Coppola has created not only created just a sequel but a film that is more epic with a bigger and larger scope than the first film giving viewers a powerful experience that never lets you go from the opening frame. With The Godfather Part II viewers are not just given a movie about the Mob,Gangsters or the Crime world but a movie about the on going tragedy,sadness and doom that hangs over The Corleone family while showing the rise of a young Vito Corleone. This film is probably more darker than the first film because when we see the fall of Michael Corleone and the rest of the Corleone family is almost like the fall of the Roman Empire. Unlike most sequels The Godfather Part II doesn't make the same story like the original but gives us something new and fresh with a great tale that is on par with the first film. The Godfather Part II is an epic film in the truest sense of the word not just in the way it's film but the length of the film(at 3 hrs and 20 minutes)but the film moves by seamlessly that you forget you are watching a three and half hour film. I think the film moves at a fast pace is because of the amazing storytelling that Coppola does with the film giving the movie a nonlinear style with the movie moving back and forth with the time periods but never getting lost in the narrative. In GFII we are given two tales about Michael's downfall and young Vito's rise. Michael,while still a don and running the Corleone family has become more ruthless and colder then he was in the first film further isolating himself from his other family members and becoming less trusting with the people all around him whether it's business associates or family where everyone was his enemy which leads to Michael's tragic fall. In contrast we see a young Vito Corleone,a man who is about business but is also about his family and friends despite being in the violent world of the Mob and Vito handles things with calm and cool style. When we see Michael and Vito the lighting is different with Michael constantly being surrounded by darkness and Vito is surrounded in bright light showing the contrast in atmosphere. With Michael and Vito we see how complex and different they are not just as Dons but as people. The screenplay by Francis Coppola and Mario Puzo is outstanding with scenes and dialog that is memorable and on par with the first film. While GFII isn't as violent or bloody as the original and doesn't have a huge body count GFII still has a few violent scenes that done with attention to detail and build-up. The ending of The Godfather Part II is one of the best endings in movie history because it's sad,tragic and somber matching the dark tone of the rest of the movie and the ending will punch you in the gut. A powerful ending.
The cast is perfect. Al Pacino is excellent,powerful and at his best as Michael Corleone,with Pacino being cold,intense and ruthless in the performance. Robert De Niro is brilliant in his Oscar winning role as Young Vito Corleone,with De Niro being cool and charismatic. Robert DuVall is wonderful once again as Tom Hagen,The Corleone's lawyer. John Cazale is amazing as Fredo Corleone,Michael's dim-witted older brother. Diane Keaton is outstanding as Kay,Michael's suffering wife. Talia Shire is sensational as Connie Corleone,Michael's sister. Lee Strasberg is terrific as Hyman Roth,an old time gangster and associate of the Corleone's. Michael V. Gazzo is captivating as Frank Pentangelli,a member of the Corleone family. Bruno Kurby and John Aprea are great Young Clemenza and Young Tesso. G.D Sparadin(Senator Pat Geary),Dominic Chianese(Johnny Ola),Frank Sivero(Genco)and Richard Bright(Al Neri)give great performances as well.
The direction by Francis Ford Coppola is amazing and stylish,with Coppola bringing a beautiful and haunting visual style to the film. Terrific direction,Coppola.
The score by Nino Rota is outstanding,powerful,haunting and beautiful matching the main scenes in the film. Great score,Rota.
In final word,if you love Francis Coppola,Gangster films,Mob movies,the first Godfather or movies in general,I highly suggest you see The Godfather Part II,an excellent,brilliant and unforgettable masterpiece of cinema and is one of the greatest films and sequels of all-time and is a movie that you will watch again and again. Highly Recommended. 10/10.