The Godfather: Part II (1974)

The Godfather: Part II (1974)

1974 R 202 Minutes

Drama | Crime

In the continuing saga of the Corleone crime family, a young Vito Corleone grows up in Sicily and in 1910s New York. In the 1950s, Michael Corleone attempts to expand the family business into Las V...

Overall Rating

9 / 10
Verdict: Great

User Review

  • WHAT I LIKED: Whilst its predecessor is deemed one of the best movies of all time, 'The Godfather Part II,' is widely accepted as one of the greatest sequels, and that's largely because it delves even deeper into the well-established world of the first film, and crucially takes a far more sinical look at the activities of the Carleone family. Yes rather than simply embracing the world of the source material and indulging in it, this time a more critical view is offered where we see court hearings and are presented the gangster doings in a far more sinister light. This gives it all some real grounding and context, and that means the book's gangster politics that riddled the first film no longer feel so unnecessary and distracting and are instead the core of this story.

    WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: That fact however is equally the real problem that I have with this sequel, as it's no longer got an investing and tragic character arc at its centre, and is instead all about the gangster politics. Also, the fact it plays that story of a young Vitor alongside the main narrative doesn't really work as it doesn't parallel in any thematic or character terms and only really pays off slightly in the final few moments. As a result, it feels somewhat disjointed flitting between the narratives, and the lack of true character arcs hurts the film greatly and amounts to something that I personally don't feel deserves the praise it gets and actually winds up far inferior to its infamous predecessor.

    VERDICT: It's a controversial opinion I know, but I personally believe 'The Godfather Part II,' is not only inferior to its predecessor, but is also one of the most overrated films of all time. It provides an admirably sinical and darker look at its gangster world, but fails to build an engaging and character-driven sequel around that. Shame.