The Godfather Part 2 (bluray)

As I previously mentioned, I was able to pick up The Godfather Trilogy on bluray for nexttonothing, and was also able to convince a certain, special someone to give it a gander with me. 

I’ve always enjoyed Part 2 more than Part 1, and I was very eager to give both a spin.  Maybe it was because it had been so long since I had seen them.  Maybe it was because I would be watching them with someone who had never seen them before.  Or maybe it’s because they are two of the greatest films ever made.

One thing that I truly enjoy about both of them, and I may be alone in this, but I love watching the young Robert Duvall act.  I think it’s because my generation has gotten to know ‘old’ Robert Duvall, as opposed to the ‘young’ Robert Duvall.  We’re familiar with his work in things like Days of Thunder, Gone in Sixty Seconds, Open Range, Kicking and Screaming, and Lucky You.  While I’m a fan of some of those films, they hold nothing to his work here in The Godfather (both parts).  I find it disheartening that he was not hired to take part in the third installment.  I recently read online that his role was set to be significantly larger in the third film, with the story line focusing on him and Pacino.  However, the studio refused to pay him any more than he was paid for Part 2, even though his role would have obviously been much larger (not to mention the years apart…).  He bailed on the project as a result, and thus we have the somewhat lackluster Part 3.  Either way, he’s great to watch here in his last Godfather performance.

And of course, how could I not mention the amazingness that is Robert De Niro.  Though it seems insignificant now, as De Niro has become one of the largest sellouts in recent memory, he puts on a true tour de force here that should not be missed.  If, for some reason, you’ve yet to see Part 2, stop putting it off.  I eat up each and every scene De Niro is in, which is more than I can say about his last…oh…twenty films.

The Movie:

Part 2 is, in essence, a very damning film.  I’ve always viewed The Godfather Part 1 as essentially ‘The Rise of Michael Corleone’.  That being said, Part 2 is certainly ‘The Fall of Michael Corleone’.  Though Michael doesn’t necessarily lose in the long run of things here, everything he’s established by the end of the first film is in somewhat of a downward spiral.  Where we spent the first film watching him create a name for himself, here we get to see him struggling to keep that name respected.  As if to compliment this notion perfectly, we’re given the ‘rise’ of young Vito Corleone (played by De Niro here) in jumps back to New York in the early 1900s.  Here we’re given glimpses of each of the children, as well as scenes where we get to see Vito becoming the man we know well (I find it fascinating to know that De Niro had a smaller, similar device constructed for his mouth to match the one Brando wore in Part 1). 

Each of the returning actors are fantastic, with the exception of Diane Keaton (Kay, Michael’s wife).  I hate Mrs. Keaton as an actress, for obvious reasons, and I feel like her role here has been my reason for that for quite some time.  Every bit of her character is hated here.  So much so, that I’ve never fully understood why Michael would waste his time on such a heinous woman. 

I have to say, unfortunately, that after watching both parts back to back, that I now prefer Part 1 over Part 2.  Maybe I was too young to notice so many of the transition problems which plaque this film.  While it’s still great, and still a classic, it just doesn’t hold up to Part 1.  Each of the scenes with Vito are fantastic and serve to set the back story perfectly, especially as we watch Michael fail to be the man his father was, but in contrast, almost each of the scenes with Michael fails miserably.  I still don’t have a thorough understanding of what exactly was going on with the trial, nor how that even started.  And don’t get me started on the outofleftfieldness that is Hyman Roth (I won’t even try to explain this character here). 

The film, even with these small issues, is still better than 90% of films released in the last twenty years.  And I’m honestly not sure if that’s a compliment to Coppola, or an insult to films over the last two decades.

The Presentation:

There’s not really a lot to say here that I didn’t say about Part 1.  They look nearly identical in cleanliness, both looking better than ever before.  There is a lot more violence throughout Part 2 and the surrounds get a bit more of a workout than before.  However, there still aren’t a whole lot of non-dialogue scenes, so the film will never really serve as reference material.  The look is fresh, crisp, and clean, and will certainly leave you satisfied with your bluray purchase.  I was fortunate enough to pick it up for under $50, though they are easily worth the retail $80.

Final Thoughts:

This film, like Part 1, is a masterpiece.  While it may not be as solid as Part 1, it is still an amazing piece of classic cinema sure to entertain both laidback and hardcore movie goers.  If you’re a fan of the series, these are easily recommended.  If your bluray library includes Meet the Spartans, Little Man, or Norbit – you may want to pass.