The Godfather Part 2 Review

        It’s usually tough for a sequel to ever match or be better than the original film. There’s an expectation that a sequel is usually bad because it does the same thing. Or do something completely different but at the detriment of being a different film than what most people expected. The Godfather Part 2 is one of those sequels that breaks that perception of lower standard that it’s honestly tough whether to consider it either a superior film or an equal. 

1. Two Stories, 1 Film

        One would think that the this film would be the same thing story wise, but this time with Michael now in charge of the Corleone family. Well, no that’s not the film’s prerogative whatsoever. The movie literally feels like a continuation into what’s going on with Michael now gaining control and having no competition. Specifically, he and his family survive an assassination attempt and Michael is trying to figure out who set it up. 

        Now, that’s what we call story A, we can then transition to story B. Or in this case the flashback. One thing where I must commend the film is the overall use of its flashback. In any film of any measure, a flashback is used either sparingly or be what we see in the entire viewing. Sparingly when used to set up a plot device or to get another angle of the main story. Used in full like seeing an action at the very start then seeing what led up to it. I recommend watching Sunset Boulevard as an example.

        Anyways, the flashback moments to this film mostly focus on the rise of the Corleone’s. To begin with, everything that we see is through Vito’s point of view. As we see him being smuggled out of Italy and slowly being morphed into a don when he arrives in New York City. Robert De Niro does a great job of portraying the young version of Vito. There are moments when he doesn’t talk, and when he does talk, he almost pulls of the Brando accent. Not saying it’s perfect, but he manages to have that charm that Marlon had in the first film. 

        More so that when we see Vito already of age, we see him as just a simple man. Not until a neighbor and future ally tosses him a bag of weapons to hide is where he slowly moves to a life of crime. To me, the whole story feels like a revenge story. One where his family gets murdered in Corleone, Italy and he remembers the name of the Don when he visits him. Additionally, as he grows up in New York he creates a circle of trust and confronts the Don who’s dealing with racketeering. 

        So, one would ask, why have these two stories intersected each other? The one thing that may seem head scratching is the idea of having it be too conflicting. Since one would expect the flashback story ultimately set up what will happen in the present. Like a payoff or something to happen after watching the flashback. In an odd way that doesn’t happen here. For one thing, having the flashback creates the overall differences between Vito and Michael. Which I’ll talk about next. 

2. Differences Between Michael and Vito

        The family dynamics make the whole movie worth watching. Even though the movie clocks in at three hours, it never feels like it’s meandering or feel slow at all. Like seeing Michael just plan out among his closest allies on who exactly is trying to get him killed is the most interesting thing to see. When he conversates with the men around him, it’s like watching a chess match used with words. Fascinating to say the least, since he ultimately pull the strings to have anyone executed. 

        I think the best scene involving him is when he talks to his only surviving brother Fredo. While he’s older than Michael, he acts more like a goofball than a man with dignity and pride. Which makes the whole moment when Michael confronts him so captivating. I won’t give anything away, but the whole scene with the two of them in the Lake Tahoe compound makes it a must watch. And it shows just how Michael can think ahead and create a level of comfortability where he can see who’s on his side. 

        Conversely with Vito, I honestly see him as the literal exact opposite of the Don in New York. To me, it feels like Vito goes above the level of intimidation and tries to make amends to the people of the section of town who’ve been wronged. Particularly, the moment when he tries to help an evicted woman. Vito confronts the landlord and gives him the money in advance, and then his friends intimidate the person in question. Vito is more hands off as I see it. 

        With all that out of the way, I feel that the actual reason to have these two depictions of the family is to show just how Michael is a flawed Don than his father. The new leader of the family has his right-hand man assume control with what’s happening at home while Michael tries to find a mole. He sees everything as transactional at the expense of his own marriage slowly coming off the seams. Especially in those rare moments where he yells in frustration, where it shows that he’s just belligerent and not an understanding Don like his dad. 

        With everything that we see seen in the last film and in this one, it shows just much influence that Vito had and what made him a better leader. We see how much respect he wanted and cared about the mutual connection he had with the people going to him. For as much as he had people commit horrible acts, he was an understanding villain where he was likeable. 

        The one scene where it compounds it for Michael is near the end. After practically shelving his wife aside, Michael sits and remembers one moment from his past. He doesn’t want to pursue the family business and go do his own thing. It angers his family as they see it as a betrayal, but one where Michael wants to forge his own path. That whole moment sets up Michael as being a tragic figure and one where we’re a movie away from everything falling apart. 

3. Changed Reception

        One last thing to talk about, it’s always confounds me to see the reception change throughout time after the film is released. Don’t get me wrong, when a film is just bad, it’s bad forever. For this one, I can see where it can seemingly be inferior. Maybe the critics saw that the moments where Vito spoke Italian more than English, or that the lack of Marlon Brando didn’t make the film worth praising is another. 

        To me, it’s the inflection point of when exactly does the movie that has been received mixed critically, pivot to becoming an all time classic. The same happened with Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, it had a mixed reception, but slowly became the best Star Wars movie. I feel that it’s the new batch of movie critics or open minded movie goers gave the film a shot and felt moved that the film is superior to the first.

4. Overall

        While I didn’t delve more into the film, it’s an absolute must watch. I strongly recommend watching it after you watch the first Godfather.