Lambie Reviews The Godfather: Part II

Year: 1974
Accolades: One of 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die; Won a Bunch of Oscars

The Godfather: Part II is Francis Ford Coppola's follow up to the original masterpiece, earning another slew of Oscars along the way. Part II picks up where the original left off, with Michael Corleone having consolidated his power and eliminated most of his enemies. However, an attempt on his life sends him on a mission to tighten his grip on his control of the underworld.

Running parallel to this, Robert De Niro plays a young Vito Corleone (the original Godfather and Michael's father) in a separate story that tells how he built the empire in New York that Michael now runs. So not only does the film carry on in terms of plot, but it also carries on in terms of thematics.

Once again, Coppola masterfully captures the emotional strain that the events of the film have on its characters. At the end of the first film, Michael had already begun to alienate the closest members of his family. During the course of this film, his need to defend himself, both physically and legally, drives his wife away and makes him paranoid about his remaining brother.

Michael’s half of the film was a bit convoluted and I couldn't really tell what was going on in terms of the intricacies, but I didn't mind all that much because I still understood the impact his actions were having. Coppola makes it very easy to see what should be his closest allies become potential enemies in his eyes, and the effect this paranoia has on his allies.

On the other hand, Vito Corleone's story is very easy to follow. In one sense it starkly contrasts Michaels' story in that it sees him gain allies, friends, and a family, rather than pushing these things away. On the other hand, the cost of gaining these things is just as terrible. I found it the more interesting of the two, and De Niro does a decent job of imitating Marlon Brando's mannerisms of the original.

Normally the symmetry of two parallel storylines is a cliché, however Coppola does it so well that it transcends the hokey and becomes poetic. The Godfather: Part II is not just a stand alone film, but feels like the second act in a storytelling symphony.