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Initial Thought: It took me several years to get this series started. At least it's only taken me two since starting the series. These are some long films that you have to make time for. It's hard to sit for about four hours to watch things. That's one of the reasons I don't watch as many shows as I do movies. Anyways it's about time I caught up with this series.
Characters/Acting: A lot of the same surviving characters return again here. There are also a few new additions. Also Robert De Niro takes over for Marlon Brando. It was really hard to understand Michael V. Gazzo with his rough voice and accent. Everyone here gives such great performances. Robert De Niro's Vito definitely deserved the Oscar. I would have liked more of John Cazale though. I really liked getting a more in depth look at some of the characters.
Story: 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. It's start straight to the point. I liked seeing how Vito Corleone came to be such a powerhouse. There were some nice twists and turns. For an almost three and a half hour film this doesn't really drag. It throws in action and suspense into it's story driven plot. I thought the atmosphere of the whole thing was pretty dark and brooding. There were a few points that I felt I missed something, but I could be wrong. The ending was pretty emotional to my surprise.
Directing/Writing: It's Francis Ford Coppola if you aren't familiar with him you are a lost cause. Even before watching his films I had heard his name constantly. Even Mario Puzo who helms the script has several well known films. So with this in mind and how praised this film is I know I made a smart choice. The writing here is just superb. I mean when you have such talent you would expect great things. This could very well be a movie of it's own rights, but they made a fitting sequel. They do excellent work.
Final Thought: This was a really great classic follow up to a classic film. There are some truly great moments throughout the whole thing. Everyone here gives stellar performances. If you haven't seen this yet then you should do like me and get it done. It's very much worth the time.
