The Godfather II is the best movie sequel ever made. The series of films made in the 1980's don't even come close. Empire Strikes back or Indiana Jones are juvenile films that were successful commercially, but not as complex or dramatic as Godfather II.
In The Godfather II Michael Corleone consolidates his power over the criminal underworld by killing of all contenders to his throne. The film starts much like the first Godfather. A giant party scene celebrating a ritual of life for Michael's youngest son and heir to the Corleone family. The scene is set and all the major characters are there; Fredo, Senator Geary, Johnny Ola, and Frank Five Angels Pentangeli. It is from here that all of the conflicts in the film emerge and develop into high drama.
I read the screenplay and watched the film twice. It's a process I've followed from Graduate school. Comparing the film and the script show that several revisions were made. The scenes with Senator Geary were changed to include the setup with the mutilated girl. The attempted murder of Pentangeli was also moved up in the film. That would be my major criticism of the film. That it starts off too slow. The script read that way. It takes awhile to get from Lake Tahoe to Havana, Cuba. But when it does the film becomes a classic apart from the first film.
The scenes from the film of Cuba are great. It is one of the best sequences in all of movie history. It shows Michael leading the Corleone family to international status as a major player in the leisure industry. The film makes full use of the lively culture of Cuba. It shows people dancing, the flare for life that Latin cultures are known for. It creates a World that is a teeming with conflict and the conflict explodes in the final party scene where Michael confronts Fredo about his treachery against Michael. Against the family.
Everything is there in Cuba. Great acting, cinematography, pacing, and editing. The acting of Lee Strasbourg as Hyman Roth was top notch. I really believed that he was a lying criminal who was Michael's rival. His speech about Moe Greene was full of anger towards Michael. Saying that it was "the business we have chosen." A great sequence that combines the politics of Cuba, the impending deal by the gangsters, and the familial conflict between Fredo and Michael.
The film then goes into one it's flashbacks to the young Vito Corleone. It is a character study of a rising Mafia Don who learns his lessons early in life and never forgets them. I guess it's true of Sicilians. You don't want to ever cross one because they will get revenge. Like the Roman Emperors and their struggles to keep the empire together and kill of rivals, Vito does the same. He builds his empire through calculated action; murder, theft, intimidation, nothing seems to be out of the question for Vito. But, when he gets home he is a family man. The intimate scenes of Vito and his young family in the small tenement are touching It's a theme that runs through the entirety of the film. Vito loves his family dearly. So does Michael. There is nothing more important to him then his family. It's the backbone of his empire.
The last hour after intermission brings all of the themes and conflicts to a boil. The Senate investigation where Michael is cleared of wrong doing, the abortion of Michael's son by Kaye, and of course, like the first movie, Michael's elimination of enemies and his consolidation of power. The murder of Hyman Roth was tamped down. In the script he is shot point blank in the head by Rocco. In the film he is shot in the heart. I couldn't help but admire Rocco's courage. As he was being shot by the FBI guys I thought "he took one for the team." It was different was Neri kills Fredo. Unlike the first film where I was cheering for Michael as he killed Barzini and Tatalia, I thought of him as cruel and evil in his decision to murder Fredo, the only brother he had left.
The film revolves around the character of Michael. It provides one of the classic characters of Film history. Why does Michael do it? In the last scene in the boathouse where Michael makes the decision to kill off Roth, Tom Hagen asks him "you've won. Do you really want to kill off everyone?" His response is as ruthless and his actions. "Only my enemies" he says. He knows killing Roth will cost Rocco his life. Yet he sends his most trusted assassin to make sure the job is done. In the final scene of the film the camera pans in to rest on Michael's eyes. I couldn't help but think, what is going on in his mind? Does he feel remorse after having killed not only his brother in law Carlo, but now his own brother? Does he long for more power? More money? More control? At the end of the first film I was happy that Michael had succeeded. At the end of the second film I felt nothing but revulsion and pity for him. I wished he would be brought to justice. That he would have to somehow atone for his ruthless grasping for money, power, and control. He doesn't confess his sins. He is the last man standing. Michael always wins.
The film is a lasting testament to the Italian American experience in the United States. The flashback scenes with young Vito show Little Italy and Sicily in a bygone era that will never return. Little Italy is getting smaller and smaller. And quite a few Italians are part of the afluent in the US. In New York the Governor is of Italian descent. So was his father who was Governor before him. So much Italian culture oozes out of the film. The scenes around the dinner table, in the Church, the bonds of the community, the scenes of the theater with Fanucci. The street scenes with the crowds and vendors. I couldn't help but recall Ric Burns excellent documentary of New York. Or that the actor in the theater piece looked like Fiorello La Guardia. The romance and the history pulls you into the World. It makes you able to excuse Vito's criminal actions because he is a romantic figure. The same was true of Don Corleone and Michael. It's what makes the film so great. It's an experience within itself. Better than anything at the theaters these days.
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