3 out of 5

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

GF, Part II is like the joyless, shoe-shuffling brother to GF I, hanging in the unlit corner of the party, alone, while everyone sits in rapt attention of the latter, basking in the warmth of its stories.  “I got stories too,” says GF II, but it lacks the grand sweep of GF I tellings, opting for a more stagnant, morose tone… except when getting all mushy about the past, “those were the days”-style memories of a young Vito Corleone’s rise to power.  The Godfather II has a lot going for it, with an unbelievable performance by Pacino, some hectic and exciting set pieces, and plenty of room in which to tell its story, afforded by the success of the former installment.  The pitch is also a smart juxtaposition to film I, tracing what could be seen as the descent of the Michael vs. his Part I’s ascent, with most elements of the movie considered as interesting counterpoints in almost every way to the first movie.  There’s also the in-built flip-flop of Vito’s and Michael’s hands being guided by revenge but to very different ends.  But Part II suffers a bit from sequelness in its flashbacks to a young Vito, played by De Niro, as its apparent we’re supposed to have reverence for this character already but its not earned on screen – its assumed carryover from film I.  And unfortunately, though De Niro properly mimics Brando’s husky tone, his attempts at presence through silence fall flat, and the version of the character simply isn’t engaging.  The chopped up inclusion of the flashbacks (from Vito’s flight from Italy to the start of gathering his forces in America) also doesn’t assist in the movie’s overall flow, as the warmly-lit early 1900s streets and the gaily shown vignettes are lacking in resonance until considered at film’s end.  The present day scenes are vastly more interesting and effective and frightening, Coppola allowing us – and Michael – to feel doubt and confusion as the don tries to suss out a traitor while struggling with going legit, while fighting against government crackdowns on the mob.  Pacino has all the nuance that De Niro doesn’t, and his explosions into anger and violence are fascinating opposites of his Vito’s approach in GF Part I.  And less we think it’s just that Pacino is given the meatier parts, we have a wonderful bookend of the brothers Corleone waiting for their father to arrive for a birthday celebration; Pacino shows us in one moment the kinder, seemingly naive Michael from before the events of the previous movie, then, in one conversation – in one line – shows us all the evidence of how and why this boy could grow into a ruthless mobster.  It’s not that GF, Part II is uninteresting, but it lacks the unique insight of the original, which used a looser, more welcoming structure and a quieter approach to work us into the moral greys.  The sequel does everything bigger and colder and more typically; this becomes mostly a biopic, and a fairly depressing one, not encouraging us to consider the Corleone’s actions so much as just observe and telling us from the opening dramatics that we’re witnessing a tragedy.  From afar, this is an important piece in the overall scheme, but during watching, it’s not nearly as striking as Part I.