The Godfather: Part II

The Godfather Part II is a 1974 American epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a screenplay co-written with Mario Puzo, starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. It is the sequel to the 1972 film The Godfather.

Plot
Partially based on Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather, the film is both sequel and prequel to The Godfather, presenting parallel dramas: one picks up the 1958 story of Michael Corleone (Pacino), the new Don of the Corleone crime family, protecting the family business in the aftermath of an attempt on his life; the prequel covers the journey of his father, Vito Corleone (De Niro), from his Sicilian childhood to the founding of his family enterprise in New York City.

Why It Gives Us Another Offer We Can't Refuse

 * 1) Part II is pretty much the culmination of some creative energy. Having a sequel to such a critically acclaimed film such as The Godfather is a huge risk in of itself, and a large amount of movie sequels tend to be pretty much inferior retreads of the original, but this film takes a different route and actually expands the original story. The immensely beautiful story of family with the lives of father (Vito) & son (Michael) is juxtaposed and paralleled to tell the story in both the past and the future. It's done in such a poetic and Shakesperian manner, making for one of the greatest stories in cinematic history. It also showcases how evil can spread throughout multiple generations.
 * 2) *This would also lead to filmmakers being far more comfortable with mixed plot lines and time frames
 * 3) For some of the reasons previously stated, this film might be one of the few sequels to exceed the original in terms of storytelling, character development and strength.
 * 4) *Francis Ford Coppola's direction is stunning and masterful as he directs and tells the story of the film in a masterful way that would give Shakespeare a run for his money. Vito Corleone's rise to power in a previous generation is contrasted with Michael's corruption. Michael's metaphorically "killed" as he destroys his family and isolates himself from his colleagues, as he rises to the height of his power.
 * 5) *Turn-of-the-20th-century New York City is compared with the organized crime empire of the late 1950s, gave Coppola a chance two opposite yet equally compelling worlds.
 * 6) Career defining performances from pretty much the entire cast.
 * 7) *Al Pacino and Robert De Niro really get to shine as Michael and young Vito. They both deliver among the best performances of their career in this already spectacular movie, with De Niro being able to build on Brando's Oscar-winning performance and yet make it his own.
 * 8) *John Cazale's performance as Fredo is just as moving, especially in the scene where Michael confronts him. His role here is even expanded here from the original film.
 * 9) *Lee Strasberg shows off his first film role in decades as the gangster Hyman Roth and he really nails it with a stellar and subtle performance and sells his character.
 * 10) An interesting note to reference is that while Vito Corleone and his son Michael both became crime lords, the two of them took very different routes in how they did things, which highlights that while the crime business may pass through generations, certain generations may have different end goals
 * 11) *In the first film, Vito had a lot of integrity serving as a voice of reason, with Sonny being very hot-headed and some of the henchmen either provoking or carry out the family’s dirty work in comparison. Even in Part II, the two murders young Vito committed were Don Fanucci -- a wannabe mob boss ruling the New York community -- and Don Ciccio -- the man who murdered Vito's childhood family in cold blood and nearly killed Vito as well. Neither of them were likable people, and thus people cheered when Vito kills both of them separately, and nobody sheds a tear over their deaths (Fanucci's death in particular, poetically involved Vito walking through the parade to his family while a guitarist sung to the tune of the movie's theme). Michael's killings on the other hand are more questionably motivated and confusing.
 * 12) *Another interesting comparison: in the first film, Vito doesn't kill nor order the death of anybody; but in the second one, he kills two people and does it himself. The only characters Michael kills with his own hands are McCluskey and Solozzo. The rest of the time in the first film and this one, he just orders the death of his enemies.
 * 13) *Badass scenes with the young Vito Corleone's rise as the Godfather.
 * 14) *In short, Vito's portrayed as a loving father, thoughtful neighbor and Robin Hood of crime which is set against the more convoluted, less ‘justifiable’ homicides and transactions of Michael — mainly efforts to salvage a crumbling empire and gratuitously settle up scores, with strategies usually left more in the dark.
 * 15) Beautiful and haunting soundtrack, which sells the during intense moments, settles down during less serious moments, and sells the mood.
 * 16) Masterful production design and cinematography of the romanticized Little Italy, and a sumptuous Lake Tahoe and glitteringly decadent Havana by Dean Tavoularis and Gordon Willis retrospectively.
 * 17) It's a new experience every time you watch this movie.
 * 18) High production quality that holds up even to this day.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The pacing is a lot slower in this movie than in the first one, especially in the Michael storyline.
 * 2) Having Vito and Michael Corleone's stories overlapping each other, will definitely confuse some first time watchers with its mixed plot lines and time frames.
 * 3) A number of actors that appeared in the first film such as Marlon Brando (who played present-day Vito Corleone) and Richard Castellano (Peter Clemenza) didn't return for the sequel due to money issues

Reception
Initial critical reception of The Godfather Part II was divided, with some dismissing the work and others declaring it superior to the first film. While its cinematography and acting were immediately acclaimed, many criticized it as overly slow-paced and convoluted. Vincent Canby viewed the film as "stitched together from leftover parts. It talks. It moves in fits and starts but it has no mind of its own. The plot defies any rational synopsis." Stanley Kauffmann of The New Republic accused the story of featuring "gaps and distentions". Amildly positive Roger Ebert wrote that the flashbacks "give Coppola the greatest difficulty in maintaining his pace and narrative force. The story of Michael, told chronologically and without the other material, would have had really substantial impact, but Coppola prevents our complete involvement by breaking the tension." Though praising Pacino's performance and lauding Coppola as "a master of mood, atmosphere, and period", Ebert considered the chronological shifts of its narrative "a structural weakness from which the film never recovers".

The film quickly became the subject of a critical reevaluation. Whether considered separately or with its predecessor as one work, The Godfather Part II is now widely regarded as one of the greatest films in world cinema. Many critics compare it favorably with the original – although it is rarely ranked higher on lists of "greatest" films. Roger Ebert awarded it a full four stars in a second review and inducted the film into his Great Movies section, praising the work as "grippingly written, directed with confidence and artistry, photographed by Gordon Willis in rich, warm tones."Michael Sragow's conclusion in his 2002 essay, selected for the National Film Registry web site, is that "although “The Godfather” and “The Godfather Part II” depict an American family’s moral defeat, as a mammoth, pioneering work of art it remains a national creative triumph."

The Godfather Part II: Many believe Pacino's performance in The Godfather Part II is his finest acting work, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was criticized for awarding the Academy Award for Best Actor that year to Art Carney for his role in Harry and Tonto. It is now regarded as one of the greatest performances in film history. In 2006, Premiere issued its list of "The 100 Greatest Performances of all Time", putting Pacino's performance at #20.Later in 2009, Total Film issued "The 150 Greatest Performances of All Time", ranking Pacino's performance fourth place.
 * Was featured on Sight & Sound 's list of the ten greatest films of all time in 1992 and 2002.
 * Is ranked #7 on Entertainment Weekly 's list of the "100 Greatest Movies of All Time".
 * Received only three negative reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and a 96% approval rating, 1 point less than The Godfather, but 28 points more than The Godfather Part III.
 * Is ranked #1 on TV Guide 's 1998 list of the "50 Greatest Movies of All Time on TV and Video".

The Godfather: Part II currently holds a 96% "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 114 reviews with an average rating of 9.7 out of 10 and a critic consensus that reads "Drawing on strong performances by Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, Francis Ford Coppola's continuation of Mario Puzo's Mafia saga set new standards for sequels that have yet to be matched or broken." On Metacritic, it holds a score of 90/100 based on 18 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim."

Today, the film is widely accepted as a cinematic masterpiece, and like its predecessor, among the greatest movies of all time.

Awards and nominations
The Godfather: Part II was nominated for eleven Academy Awards. It won six including Best Picture. Robert De Niro won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and Francis Ford Coppola won for Best Director. However, Al Pacino did not win the Academy Award for Best Actor, one of the biggest controversies in Oscars history.