The Godfather Part II (1974)

Worthy sequel to the first movie. In something more meditative and unhurried, in something more philosophically meaningful than its legendary predecessor. Backstage games and backstage talks replaced the dramatic mood swings of the main characters and the exchange of fire. The second film continues the story of Michael Carleone in the role of the Godfather, and also complements the family story with scenes of the formation of the young Vito Andolini and his escape to America. The difficult choice of being young Don, his sphere of expansion of influence…

Building on the first volume, this self-adaptation by writer Mario Puzo and director Francis Ford Coppola develops the story of the new Don - "Michael" (Al Pacino). His attempts to expand, and to a certain extent legitimise, the family businesses see him associating with the duplicitous "Hyman Roth" (Lee Strasberg) in Cuba; subject to betrayal, assassination attempts and fighting what may be a losing battle to keep his own family together - all whilst doing plenty of Machiavellian manipulation of his own. There is an equally strong parallel thread…

This Hollywood style formula movie about mobsters isn't as pathetic as the first or third one, simply because it is too dull and poorly directed to stay awake through. It's basically just a bunch of scenes of people "talking tough" or getting killed, with no point. If you're looking for a plot or story, forget it. There is none. It's a muddled mess. It appears that by the end, the chief mobster is in anguish over whether or not to kill his brother. Why? Who knows? None of this makes sense to those of us who aren't born with some super psychic ESP. It…