Special Review
This review is a special request from Patreon supporter Patrick Glauber. If you'd like to support me on Patreon, click the button below. Visit PatreonOn a $6 million budget, The Godfather exceeded all expectations, grossing over $130 million domestically and over $250 million worldwide. It was the highest-grossing film of 1972 and held the record for the all-time highest-grossing film until Jaws. The film also received universal praise from critics and won three Oscars: Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture. Given the success, Paramount was eager to get a sequel out the door and even gave Coppola complete creative control. For the sequel, Coppola wanted to tell two stories: the rise of Vito Corleone and the fall of Michael Corleone. Coppola managed to bring back several original cast members with a budget of $13 million (more than double the original’s). Filming ran from October 1973 to June 1974, though panic arose when early preview screenings called the film a disaster. Nevertheless, The Godfather: Part II had its NYC premiere in December 1974.
%
Rating
Synopsis
After his father’s death, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) is the new Don of the Corleone crime family. He has to take on running an organized crime league while also caring for his current family. Unfortunately, things go south after Michael and his wife Kay (Diane Keaton) survive an attempted assassination while in bed. In response, Michael goes to Nevada and meets with mobster Hyman Roth (Lee Strasberg), who he suspects of the assassination. While this is going on, the film shows how Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) rose to power. In addition to his children being born, we see how Vito eliminated Don Fanucci (Gastone Moschin) in his conquest. Back in the present, Michael contends with duplicitous partners, a Senate committee cracking down on crime, and his wife miscarrying. As the power and responsibility of being a don get to Michael’s head, his family life begins to crumble.
Review
Given the critical and commercial success of the original, The Godfather: Part II had a lot to live up to. For the most part, this sequel manages to be as good as the first film, but it has its problems. On the one hand, I’m glad Coppola had more creative control to make the movie he wanted to make. On the other hand, he might’ve gone overboard with packing in as much material as possible in a 3-hour runtime. The plot jumps back and forth between Michael’s story and Vito’s origin throughout the movie without any rhyme or reason. This jumping back-and-forth makes it challenging to follow what’s going on and keep track of both stories. Still, it’s interesting seeing how Vito maintains his family while becoming powerful, contrasted with how Michael’s family is falling apart. It’s a shame there’s not much cohesion between both narratives.
Much like the original, this film showcases some of the best actors the 1970s had to offer. Not only is his character further expanded upon, but Al Pacino delivers an electrifying performance as a broken man. You feel how the pressure of being the Don affects him and his loved ones, especially in his outbursts. By contrast, Robert De Niro gives a calm and levelheaded performance as the young Vito Corleone. Even with limited experiences, you feel like this guy is in control of the situation and knows what he’s doing. The rest of the performances are exceptional, particularly Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Robert Duvall, John Cazale, and Lee Strasberg. The production design is phenomenal, Gordon Willis’ cinematography is solid, and Nino Rota’s score is just as epic. Overall, The Godfather: Part II has its problems, but it’s a worthy successor to the original classic.
Buy The Godfather: Part II from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3FV6xWt.
Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link, which means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
