The Godfather part II

Tom Hagen: "It would be like trying to kill the President; there's no way we can get to him."
Michael Corleone: "Tom, you know you surprise me. If anything in this life is certain - if history has taught us anything - it's that you can kill ANYBODY."

release year: 1974
genre: drama
viewing setting: home Bluray 5/8/23

synopsis: Two different sagas unfold: in the 1900s-1920s, young Vito Corleone rises to power and avenges past wrongs...and in the 1950s-1960s Don Michael Corleone tries to expand his own power.

impressions: So it was really two movies in one (a summation backed up by the movie's three-and-a-half-hour running time.) This had value as a sequel (as Michael tries to invest and grow the family businesses) and a prequel (the origin of the older patriarch in the first movie.) As before, the sets and clothing are authentic and look great. This one is also when Michael's personal life and morals start to decay - there's a price to pay when you run a huge criminal empire.

acting: I can't possibly list all of the major players, so I'll name the ones who made the greatest impression on me. Al Pacino and Robert Duvall reprise their roles, and well. Talia Shire's sister character starts a downward spiral here. Lee Strasberg is the rich old man who serves as the main antagonist. But it's Robert De Niro, as the young Vito at the turn of the century, who really gives the most impressive performance here.

final word: Another epic crime drama, complex and entertaining; should really be viewed with the first movie to get the complete story.

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