The Godfather Part II

UK Release Date. 15 May 1975
Certification. X
Running Time. 3 hours 22 mins
Director. Francis Ford Coppola
Cast. John Cazale, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Al Pacino, Talia Shire, Lee Strasberg. 
Rating. 85%

Review.

The Godfather Part II is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather. The Godfather tells the story of the transition of power from father to son in the Corleone family over a ten-year period in the 1940s and 1950s. But The Godfather Part II is a sweeping and sprawling, grandiose tome that depicts the rise of Don Vito Corleone and the fall of his son, Michael over a period of 70 years. If The Godfather depicts the second act, then The Godfather Part II unveils the first act and third act. 

Al Pacino delivers a career-defining performance as Michael Corleone, blending the tension of running a crime syndicate (including all the accompanying complexities and paranoia), while at the same time trying to balance family life. His performance is stunning and so profound is his extraordinary transformation from the first film, that Micheal ultimately evolves into a tragic, heartbreaking principal character.

Pacino's impressive performance is mirrored by an equally impressive supporting cast. In particular, John Cazale brings great pathos to the role of older brother, Fredo, an integral character inevitably facing the dire consequences of disloyalty. Talia Shire shines as the embittered Connie, running from man to man in a vain attempt to elicit a reaction from her brother. And Diane Keaton, Michael's long-suffering wife, Kay is no longer willing to be acquiescent to her husband's actions and employs drastic measures to ensure there will be no successor to the Corleone empire.

The biggest issue with The Godfather Part II is pace. The film ebbs and flows - more correctly meanders - between the turn of the century New York and Lake Tahoe, Nevada in the late 1950s. Initially confusing, jumping back and forth between the past and present appears almost random at times.

To many, The Godfather is the greatest crime film ever made, and the storyline has metaphorical overtones far beyond the genre into the realms of Shakespearean tragedy. In The Godfather Part II these wider themes are no longer implied. The second film widens the scope and shows the consequences of the actions of the first. Structurally, the completed body of work is nothing less than the rise and fall of an American dynasty and the decay of the American dream.