The Godfather II film review

There’s no question that this film, is in fact a great film. But it didn’t capture me anywhere near as much as the first one did.

Whether this is down to me favouring Brando’s portrayal, over De Niro. I’m not sure. I just didn’t enjoy it as a whole, anywhere near as much.

This film arguably has one of the best closing twenty minutes in cinema. Talk about ending with closure. This film answered all questions you thought you’d have afterwards, before the final whistle. It tied the prior three hours together, in an almost elegant manner. Ending with two scenes, that showed truly the magnitude of the journey Michael has come on.

The story was brilliant, albeit a bit slow at times. But you need slow scenes from time to time. I do not feel this film needed to be this long, there were certainly parts, that in my opinion were not crucial to the carrying of the narrative.

Al Pacino and Diane Keaton worked faultlessly, yet again together. Their ability to display such passion toward one another is amazing, passion of love at times and pure hatred at others.

The standout performance for me, came from John Cazale. In his recurring portrayal of Fredo Corleone. This role was carried out with emphatic style, attention to deal, and effortless personality. His chaotic character brought life to even the slowest scenes of this film.

I would watch this again (with a suggested intermission in the middle) and suggest you do too. But don’t expect it to be as good as the first.

4* 8/10

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