Movie Minx

Starring: Al Pacino, Robert de Niro, Diane Keaton
Directed by: Frances Ford Coppola

Plot: The early life & career of Vito Corleone in 1920’s 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.

But is it any good?

It’s a bit unfortunate that I have to review the second one before the first. I watched them both back-to-back (well, a night apart) two years ago on a small computer screen because we had no TV at the time. Sadly, the version I watched had no subtitles for the Robert de Niro part and my Italian… well, there is no ‘my’ Italian. Still, I was able to easily follow everything that happened (and have since watched it with the subtitles and didn’t learn anything new).

Part II had the uncomfortable job of following such a strong act - and this time without Brando. It shows Michael’s (Pacino) moral decline as he gets more and more wrapped up in the “family business” but also has the parallel narrative of young Vito’s (De Niro) rise to power in early 1900s New York. Watching Michael’s transformation is pretty heartbreaking stuff; he’s cold and ruthless as he does what he thinks he must, and learning about Vito’s early years is both intense and touching, and adds some depth to the first film.

So which is better? I’m going to be difficult and say I like them both equally. They belong as a pair, not two single films. This one is certainly darker and delves a little more deeply into the minds of the characters. And I’m going to steal a line from imdb about De Niro and Pacino: “To say that these two are good actors is like saying that a nuclear bomb makes a loud noise.”

IMDb’s rating: 8.8/10
My rating: 10/10

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