I have to agree that calling "The Godfather II" a sequel is pretty insulting. This is one of those rare sequels that almost surpasses the first one, and considering how amazing the first Godfather was, that says a lot. "The Godfather II" is longer, but in some ways richer. People may say that, as in the case of the first one, it is slow and takes time to open up. Sure, but I think it was intentional. There is something elegiac about both this and the first Godfather, which makes them even more irresistible.

On the one hand, the film is very well made. The cinematography is simply magnificent, whether it's dark, autumnal or picturesque, and the scenery is amazing. The music is great again, it catches and sticks in my head for a long time. In addition, there is a brilliantly written script, smart and thoughtful, a masterful direction by Francis Ford Coppola and a fabulously constructed story. There are indeed some great scenes in the film: the scenes where Vito escapes from Sicily have the grandeur of a silent movie, while the scenes in Cuba actually avoid clumsiness and confusion, and the climax is extremely frightening. Not to mention the Pop Goes the Weasel scene, which was very funny.

The acting is once again great. Vito is brilliantly played by Robert De Niro in one of his best roles. I was also attracted to Robert Duvall as Faithful Tom, John Casale and Diane Keaton. But the painting belongs to Al Pacino. He was great in the first Godfather movie, but he's even better here. He's just phenomenal, and to be honest, I think he should have won that Oscar. Overall, a terrific movie and one of the best sequels.