"I came here because there's going to be more bloodshed".

Rating: 10/10 (10 April 2010)

It's difficult to imagine that "Godfather II" could trade punches with the original and still remain standing, but this is one brilliant film. Masterfully tracing the history of the Corleone Family from Vito's arrival at Ellis Island in 1901 to the Lake Tahoe empire of 1958, the story is a decades spanning saga that makes you wonder how almost three and a half hours can blow by so quickly. The picture's numerous flashback scenes work well to establish the beginnings of Don Corleone's rise to power, and Robert de Niro's portrayal of the young Vito effectively allow us to forget about asking why Marlon Brando didn't show up even once. Pacino is no longer the fresh faced kid home from the military who takes up the family business, but the brooding, brutal leader of a crime syndicate with a chessboard strategy of staying two and three steps ahead of his enemies at all times.
If you haven't seen the movie in a long time, you might be surprised like I was while watching today. It's easy to recall the highlights like Frank Pentangeli's courtroom scene and subsequent suicide, and the way Fredo met his timely demise. What I had long forgotten was the way the picture opens with the Sicilian back story, and the way the New York neighborhood flashback thread literally runs throughout the entire picture. It's funny how I recall those scenes as a single sequence leading up to the murder of Don Fanucci, but it just goes to show you how faulty memory can be.
You know, it's hard to believe that the first two Godfather movies are nearing the forty year mark since their original release. They've become American classics that have well withstood the test of time, and will continue maintain their appeal. It's fair to say that seeing both of these iconic films are a must for the true cinema fan.