Verdict:
I didn’t get this movie the first time I saw it. I was impatient, watching it mostly for the purpose of being able to say that I watched it. And if you watch this movie like a “normal person”, as if this movie was some modern gangster movie, you’re going to find it to be what many others found it to be: boring. Moreover, out of the people who claim to love this movie, I strongly suspect that half of them claim it for the sake of not appearing to be uncultured.
However, what I realised is that this is not a gangster flick. It is an epic detective story, a whodunit, but set from the point of view of a criminal instead of a detective. And, as one of those types of stories, it is complex, with red herrings, twists and reveals. Not only that, but it is a tightly knit detective story that is almost 3.5 hours long. Moreover, as with Godfather I, this film takes its time with building its atmosphere and intrigue. When a scene creates awkwardness, the scene revels in that awkwardness for a little while. It drives the point home. Many scenes involve Michael Corleone just walking somewhere slowly. The camera lingers on the characters while they are sitting still. Some of these quiet scenes are tense. Others aren’t.
And yet, in order to appreciate all the subtleties of the power play and the various story twists, you must pay attention. You must listen to every sentence of the conversations, every name, Michael Corleone’s eyes movements, and the various political events. If you don’t, you may miss an important plot point or two and the story will stop making sense later on. If you do pay attention, however, you will be greatly rewarded with a rich story and a deep character study.
Although the story is tight, I will point out a few issues. There is a point, at which Michael Corleone suddenly has a change of heart about something he had already decided earlier and whacks someone who is neither an enemy nor a threat. It is at this point that the story wants Michael Corleone to go full Darth Vader, and this complete descent into darkness feels a little excessive.
Then there is the key element of this film: the double storyline. Most of the events show the life of Michael Corleone, but flashbacks show the life of this father, Vito. The intention behind showing two different storylines is questionable. If the point was to show the difference between the two men, I am not sure that I saw it. Both men are greedy and ruthless. Both men are vindictive. Vito is a little better to his family than his son, but in Michael’s defence, his family members appear to be out of control. It seems that, primarily through circumstances, one of them keeps gaining family, while the other keeps losing and alienating his family. The double storyline is most effective at creating an epic feel and showing off the cool scenery of two different time periods.
The acting is top notch. The epic feel is maintained thanks to the fact that you have so many characters making their own moves and all these characters are excellent in their own unique way. At this point Al Pacino could be very subtle in his acting, with only a single movement of the mouth saying a lot, but De Niro and Al Pacino are just the tip of the iceberg. Pentangeli played by Michael V. Gazzo is so expressive and has such an energetic presence that he almost steals the movie. Gastone Moschin created an unforgettable character in the eccentric white-clad gangster by the name of Fanucci. With any other person, I would’ve said that he is overacting, but I totally believed this guy was a real character from the time.
Godfather II is filled with memorable cinematographic gems. The recreation of the 20s New York is a sight to see and uses a different colo pallet to the present. The movie gets progressively darker as Michael Corleone descends into paranoia and isolation. The camera shots are up close and personal, with strong dramatic shadows on characters’ faces.
In short, I would not call this film a great one or a bad one, but rather a movie for a specific audience in the right frame of mind. Although I enjoyed it on my secod viewig, I am not a fan of movies that make you work. I paid the price of admission and bought a bucket with popcorn. My side of the bargain ends there.