The aging patriarch of an
organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his
reluctant son.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
The movie opens on the
wedding of Don Vito Corleone's daughter, Connie. Don Corleone is a powerful
man, and it was not without the use of violence that he achieved this position
during the course of his life. The wedding scene gives a perfect setting of
where and how the Don's power extends; from the regular worker in a
neighborhood, to the immensely popular singer, to the friends in politics and
right to the ruthless killer, Don Corleone has links to people ready to ask him
favors and to pay him back. Some are trustworthy, some are not, but thanks to
his intelligence and intuit the Don can almost always distinguish the two.
However, this is 1946, times
are changing, and to many of the younger people working in the crime business,
Don Corleone's ideas are becoming obsolete. The Don believes that the new trend
in the business, narcotics, is too dangerous and the families dealing with it
would eventually end up self-destroying; while his family had deals in alcohol
and gambling for a long time, part of the Government and law enforcement was
ready to close one eye. Drugs are another thing.
To this day, Don Corleone
was able to keep things together while maintaining his economic and political
power, but things will brutally change when a powerful drug dealer name
Sollozzo enters the picture. The refusal of Don Corleone to cooperate with
Sollozzo, and a weakness immediately spotted by the latter, will ignite a war
that will cost many lives, and that will see Michael Corleone, Vito's younger
son and the one who never wanted to take part in the family business, lose his
"innocence" and transform into a gangster as ruthless as the people
he initially stood up against.
The Godfather: Part II(1974)
The early life and career of Vito
Corleone in 1920s New York is portrayed while his son, Michael, expands and
tightens his grip on his crime syndicate stretching from Lake Tahoe, Nevada to
pre-revolution 1958 Cuba.
The original Godfather is a
brilliant work. It is in a sense a voyeuristic delight, allowing us to see the
mafia from the inside - we become part of the family. It single-handedly change
the world's view of organized crime, and created a cast of sympathetic
characters, none of whom have a shred of common morality. It was the highest
grossing movie of its time and Brando created a cultural icon whose influence
resonates as strong today as it did in 1972.
As extraordinary an
achievement as this is, Part II is even better. It easily receives my nod as
the best picture ever made. I have seen it at least 20 times, and each time its
200 minutes fly by.
The movie uses flashbacks to
brilliantly weave two tales. The main story is the reign of Michael Corleone as
the world's most powerful criminal. Now reaping the benefits of legalized
gambling in Las Vegas, Michael is an evident billionaire with an iron fist on a
world of treachery.
Behind this, Director
Francis Ford Coppola spins the tale of the rise of Michael's father, Vito, to
the center of the New York mafia. It is these scenes that make the film a work
of art. Without spoiling, I will simply say the Robert DeNiro as the young Vito
is the best acting performance of all time, a role for which he won a richly deserved
Oscar.
The Godfather Part II is not
really a movie about the mafia, it is a movie about a man's life long struggle.
Michael controls a vast empire that is constantly slipping out of his hands. He
grows increasingly distrustful and paranoid, and even shows signs that he hates
his own life. Michael almost seems to resent the fact that he is a natural born
crime lord, a man who puts the family business ahead of everything.
The great Don Michael Corleone can never come to
terms with one simple fact.... his father's empire was built on love and
respect, Michael's empire is built on fear and violent treachery.
The Godfather: Part III(1990)
In the midst of trying to
legitimize his business dealings in 1979 New York and Italy, aging mafia don
Michael Corleone seeks to vow for his sins while taking a young protégé under
his wing.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Despite some shortcomings,
Godfather Part 3 is a decent ending to the trilogy. While it may have been an
attempt to cash off the audience, they still have Coppola bring us his finest
directing. I found Al Pacino's performance extremely satisfying and even terrifyingly
so. He embodies the mistakes and losses of his life with excellent skill,
showing us a don that has lost his health, the loved ones of his life and even
the respect for himself.
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