Where I should start here is that this is a classic. I saw this around the time that I watched the original one which would have been late in high school. My buddy Craig and I decided to seek out the great 'mob movies'. I've seen this a few times with the most recently with Jaime as we are working through the Internet Movie Database poster. She had never seen this one.

For this one, we take place years after the original one. Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) oversees the family. He has sole control of the criminal organizations after the events of the earlier movie. He is still trying to realize the dream of his father to go legit. It has taken longer than he told his wife, Kay (Diane Keaton).

This also shows us the event that led to his father, Vito (Robert De Niro), becoming the man that we see in the original. We see the humble beginnings in Sicily and how he ended up in New York City. We also see how he became the 'godfather' and gaining the respect of the neighborhood.

Michael also has problems to deal with, which are keeping the peace within his own 'family' with Frankie Pentangeli (Michael V. Gazzo) and with Kay. He also is expanding into Cuba with Hyman Roth (Lee Strasberg). It can be difficult to know who he can trust, even with those that are within his group.

There isn't a lot more that I have to say here. Francis Ford Coppola co-wrote this with the writer of the novel Mario Puzo. Coppola also directs. This is a masterpiece. The cinematography is amazing. We have another all-star cast. This also does something interesting in showing how Vito became who he is and how these correlates to what Michael is dealing with. It is almost a mirror of the first one. Michael is now Vito so the rise we see here is Vito becoming the powerful man that he is. The only other thing to bring up the soundtrack which fits spot on with the tone and giving it that Italian vibe.

If I have a gripe, this is a long movie. It doesn't necessarily feel the whole three and half hours but I do think there is some that could be trimmed personally. This doesn't ruin the movie. Don't get me wrong. I think I prefer part one to this sequel. They both are as perfect a movie as you can get to me though.

My Rating: 9.5 out of 10.