Man-oh-man, this is a good one!

Rating: 10/10 (13 September 2000)

For me, "The Godfather, Part II" is the kind of movie that I would drive 30 miles to see at a run-down theater in a questionable part of town. I absolutely believe this is one of the best movies ever made. Maybe someday I'll see it on DVD (if it's ever released), but for now I've only watched the video. I could not stop watching this movie the first time, and every time I start to watch part of it, I have to watch it to the very end.
The story is both a prequel and a continuation of "The Godfather." We see a young Vito Corleone's rise to power. We also see his son Michael's consolidation of that power at the cost of his soul. Robert DeNiro gives a stellar performance as Vito, and almost entirely in Italian! His scenes are so rivetting, I really didn't care that I couldn't understand a word.
In any other movie, Michael Corleone would be the villian. As the main character, we don't have the luxury of seeing him as the "bad-guy who must be stopped." Al Pacino portrays him with a Machivellian brilliance that kept me glued in front of the TV.
This film's only flaw is that sometimes you don't want to switch from Vito to Michael because you're so wrapped up in what's going on. However, any movie that gets you that interested in the characters definitely deserves a good recommendation! I love this movie.