Rating: 4 stars (out of 4)

The Godfather Part II (1974): Dir. Francis Ford Coppola.  Written by: Coppola and Mario Puzo.  Based upon the novel The Godfather by Puzo.  Starring: Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall, and John Cazale.  Rated R for intense sequences of strong violence, drug content, and brief nudity.  Running time: 200 minutes.

What do you do after directing an American classic?  You direct a sequel, of course!  The impetus for the creation of Part II may have been financial, but the product that came out of it fully realizes the dark realities of Michael’s ascent to the family throne.

Part II chooses tells the tales that bookend the events of the first film; we see Vito’s gradual rise to power in New York, as well as Michael’s power struggles after his family has moved to Las Vegas.  The two parallel stories collide and comment on one another: as Vito struggles to make life safe for his family in America, Michael struggles to keep his family (and soul) intact as he plays a deadly game with a rival mobster.

Maybe the best sequel ever produced, Part II succeeds because it never attempts to ape the original—instead, it deepens the meaning of the first.  The descent of Michael Corleone, subtly hinted at in the first film, achieves a visceral and stark realization here—the conversations between Al Pacino and Diane Keaton resonate with a love that once was, and the horrible reality of their current state.

Michael’s tragedy is balanced with Vito’s triumph as he exacts revenge against the crime lord who murdered his father, brother, and mother—foreshadowing the horrors that will eventually fall on the next generation.  If possible, the tone is more melancholy than the first.  If The Godfather represented the beginnings of evil, Part II shows its consequences.  It doesn’t reiterate themes from the first—it sees them to the very end.

While I prefer the first Godfather, Part II proves that in the right hands, sequels can transcend their reasons for being and tread the realm of art.  Alas, Godfather Part III didn’t work out quite so well, but hey, I don’t have to review it!

Next film: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, 1975