Some have named it the best sequel ever made. Some suggest it is better than the first and therefore place it on the pedestal of best movie ever made. No matter what hyperbole you give it, the quality of this film is undeniable. Nearly every scene found me muttering to myself, "This scene is amazing." To quote each memorable line would be to read the script entire. Nino Rota's score is better than in the first. The cinematography has also improved while remaining surprisingly noir. But the acting is definitely the finest moment of this movie.
This film is essentially 3 hours of character development with 20 minutes of violence thrust upon it. Characters like Kay and Fredo were minor in the first one, but essential in this one. And it works because all the acting are tours de force. I actually consider Cazale's acting superior to Pacino's in this film, and De Niro's on par with Brando. This is not an insult to Pacino--one of the most powerfully emotional scenes is in the night club when Michael realizes that his brother betrayed him--but the raw honesty of Cazale's acting is never on display more than when he whines. "It ain't the way I wanted it! I can handle things. I'm smart. Not like everybody says, like dumb, I'm smart and I want respect!" While Michael's reaction is more shocking, I can never forget the way Kay says, "Michael, you are blind." De Niro's Vito Corleone: every aspect of his portrayal is flawless. If I started describing each nuance, I would get too giddy remembering it to finish my thoughts. I love every scene with Fredo, every scene with Kay, and every scene with Vito. Whenever they are on screen, I am entranced.
The decision to intercut Vito's past with the present is well-founded. Though both Vito and Michael are gaining power and influence, we see Vito creating a family while Michael destroys his own, and each is all the more heartbreaking for it. Something in my stomach wells up just thinking about it; everything is so painfully touching. The last murder is outdone by the birthday scene, and is even itself outdone by the final shot of the film. Michael reflecting, pensive. Is that regret for his entire life that we start to see? Is there some redemption?
What surprises me most about The Godfather Part II is how different it is from the first. The first film was much more purposeful in its scenes and set-ups. I feel that this movie wanders, presents scenes as ambiance as a way of setting mood instead of plot points. It works well, but would much be missed if half an hour were trimmed? There was much more flamboyance in this film, overt violence in the streets instead of the underhanded threats in the dark, yelling in rage instead of fuming in silence. I also found editing to be a bit more problematic in this film. There were extremely jarring cuts that should not have been jarring. Not that all of these complaints are mistakes, but I think my preferences lie with the precision found in the first film. Either way, watching one just makes me want to watch the other.IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0071562/