Often considered even better than its iconic predecessor, Francis Ford Coppola’s sprawling crime epic was nominated for eleven Academy Awards and won six (including Best Picture, Best Director and Best actor in a supporting role for Robert De-Niro) triumphantly carrying off an ambitious structure that allowed it to be both sequel and prequel to the first film.
The film intercuts between the young Vito Corleone (with a young De-Niro in a defining role) revealing the backstory-prequel to Marlon Brando’s famous ‘Don’, and the sequel-narrative of Michael Corleone (a frighteningly powerful performance from Al Pacino) as he takes over as head of the family.
From Sicily to New York, moving between father and son, the film interweaves flashbacks to document the origins and legacy of a ruthless criminal ascent that sees the Corleone family move from a humble grocery store into a Mafia empire.
Coppola’s film is a cornerstone of American cinema that continues to inspire and influence filmmakers today, realised with the grandeur of sweepingly confident direction, an incredible score and a phenomenal cast delivering career-best performances.
Although primarily known as a crime epic, The Godfather Part II transcends its narrative to become a vast lament of moral decay that, in its exploration of ageing and violence in the pursuit of power, achieves a uniquely mournful grandeur.