Cinepals - THE GODFATHER PART II (1974) Movie Review!

Episode Date: February 1, 2024

Achara Kirk and Steph Sabraw watched and reviewed Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part II, known for being an incredible sequel, and debated about being better than the first one. The Godfather Part II stars Al Pacino as Michael Corleone, Robert De Niro as Vito Corleone, Diane Keaton as Kay Adams, Talia Shire as Connie Corleone Rizzi, and Robert Duvall as Tom Hagen.   You can watch the cut down reaction to this movie (and many others) on our YouTube channel https://www.YouTube.com/@Cinepals and the full length reaction is available on our Patreon page https://www.Patreon.com/JabyKoay   SOCIAL MEDIA:  ~ACHARA~ Twitter & Instagram: @Acharakirk YouTube: @Achara   ~STEPH SABRAW~ Instagram: @StephSabraw YouTube: @TheWhirlGirls

Zena. Pals! You guys, we're back! We did The Godfather, the first one. And so today I was like, Steph, we're watching The Godfather Part 2. Yes! Yay! I'm a Godfather Stan. It's become a top 10, easy, top 5 for me.

Oh, not a top 3? No, it's a top 3. I just didn't want to be too exaggerated, but I've let it sit for a little bit. It's probably my top 3, top 2 maybe, favorite movie ever. It's an amazing movie, and apparently The Godfather Part 2, according to many, many people, is a much better movie. How, though? How? How could that be possible? I don't know. I guess we're about to find out. Full disclosure, Steph has not seen this. I watched this a long time ago, and for the life of me, like, there are certain things that I remember, but a lot of it, I'm just like, what happened?

So, you guys will probably be like, how could you? My memory sucks. Anyway, here we go. Damn Wow Wow My heart My heart Damn

Anyway, what did you think? That was True cinema. Yeah. Truly. Truly the peak of on-screen magic. Yeah. It's unbelievable.

I mean, I was thinking as I was watching it, right? Like, oh, God, I don't even know what year it was that this came out. But it's old. The 70s. The 70s, right? Because the first one came out in 72. Yeah, I think this is 74 maybe. Yeah, let's see.

74, you're correct. Yeah. And so, I mean, this movie is. what? Like 50 years old, nearly? Yeah, 70. Yeah, my sister was born in the 70s. So yeah. Ah, 51, right? Yeah. So, like, it's 50 years old. And yet it just goes to show that with an incredible story, really solid directing, acting cinematography. It's timeless. It doesn't feel dated. It doesn't feel old. It just is. And it's, it's, incredible it's like wow you know like we were saying as we're watching it like looking at the shots

and everything it was just so well done really creative and like there's so much life was living in the frame you know like even the background actors and the set and everything you just really felt like you were there and it was so interesting to just see all of this life taking place in front of our eyes right yeah at no point do you say this This is really good for the time. Like, I can't believe they did that. Yeah. The whole time we were just thinking,

this is really maybe the greatest thing I've ever seen, period. Like, there's no time stamp on it. Like you were saying, it need to be hooked for three hours and 20 minutes. And not take a bathroom break. Not take a bathroom break. I had to pee, but I was like, I don't even know what minute we're in on this. We could be two hours in.

We could be 30 minutes in. My whole mind is warped and just glued to the screen. And it's like not a ton of like straight up. bang, bang goes on, but the entire time you're like, what's next? Yeah. And while you're in each scene just like drenching yourself in this slow dialogue or no dialogue with spatial expressions, it's just like, how did they do that? I mean, it's a lot of confidence, right, in the story and in the acting as well.

Because, I mean, to think that I think Al Pacino, when he did the first one, they didn't want him because he wasn't famous. But he's so good. How could there be a different, Michael? Yeah, and same with Robert De Niro, right? Like, his role is important, obviously, because, like, he is Vito Corleone, and also he's playing the younger version of Marlon Brando, which is huge. He was such a quiet character, but there was so much presence and life and just stuff

going on in his eyes, both him and Al Pacino is like, you can read so much in the looks that each of the characters is giving and it's just like we don't need dialogue right but then there are parts where they have extensive dialogue way longer than you would in movies today like everything's cut cut cut cut like that end scene before i forget his name was going to put his wrist oh yeah yeah that was like two minutes of back and forth long stretch dialogue and and i'm so glad that that that wasn't made today because I'm sure they would have cut part of that, you know? Right, yeah. It's like, but instead they know the important parts where you're like, oh, I want to sit in

and learn. And then the other parts where they can just say nothing. Right. Because so much is said, like there's so much subtext, right? Like, because they're talking about, you know, Tom coming in and being like, hey, Frank, here is what you need to do. I need you to do this thing. And, but they're talking about it, but they're not talking about it directly.

But then they kind of are. it's just so fascinating to watch and then also you know even just keeping it wider and not going in for a close up when frank makes that decision because you could see or at least i could read on his face and his body language that he was kind of like well that's that's what i'm going to do you know and it wasn't like a big emotional like song and dance it was just this acceptance of that's my role That's what I do for my emperor. I betrayed him and this is what I have to do. Yeah.

It was really powerful. And then we'll take care of your family. Yeah. If you do that. There's a lot of honor in the way that they did things. But I think it was really interesting for me watching it this time. So, I mean, for me, I didn't remember a lot of the things that happened. But the one thing that I remembered from the first time I watched this was Fredo.

And so I knew. that was coming. Damn. But I just, I forgot how. Right. I know that he goes when I was just like that and that really affected me. And then watching it again this time, I was just like, oh man. Like I'm still really rooting for Fredo even though I know that he's got to go.

And watching it again, I was kind of like, oh, it's making more sense. Like the thing that he asked his mother where he was like, can you lose your family? And then she's like, no, you can never lose your family. And then you realize that by the end of the movie, and I thought that it was absolutely genius that they put that scene in at the end where it's a flashback to all of the family there. You have Tom, you have Sonny, you have Fredo, Connie, and him.

And it's like this happy moment. And it's like, no, but he's entirely alone. And then at the very end, it's like push in on the close-up of him I'm just still alone because all of his family is gone and in a way like I guess he orchestrated that like it's so sad I know it's such an interesting story in the choices we make but also our destiny at the same time like following his dad and how there was no stone left unturned for his dad and he came back to kill the dawn that killed his family and then you're like like, oh, Michael's not going to let this go.

Yeah. This is in his blood, but it's also by the choices he made. And just like looking at family and chosen family and who you can trust and not trust. I would want to watch this a hundred more times. Yeah. And I think we were talking about this off screen as well, like before we started coming in. Because I was saying like, it's funny because I don't remember a lot of the stuff that happened in my first viewing. right like I don't remember all of the plot points or whatever but the thing that stands out is family

and I think that's what sets this apart from other gangster movies that I watch because it's not usually my favorite genre but what makes this so compelling is that ultimately at its heart it is about family you know right and we can relate to that and then family betrayal being the darkest like with Kate you're just like holy Michael got betrayed so many he's not a perfect man by no measure this movie was just looking at the betrayal of so many people in his life which is so interesting including family and it's like I don't know what I want to take from that but it is the thing I feel you that pulls me to this story the most is that family aspect right and I guess also I mean Yeah, you're right.

He's not perfect. Michael's not perfect, you know. And maybe if he had found it in his heart to forgive Fredo, it would be fine. You know, like, Fredo's harmless. What's he going to do? Right. He's not going to do it again. Yeah, he's not going to do it again.

But he's really proud. He truly is Vito Corleone's son in that he's just like, no, like you. You're my enemy. Yeah, you're my enemy. I have told you, you are not. my friend, you are not my brother, you are nothing to me. It is heartbreaking. It's heartbreaking.

It's heart. I mean, this movie is truly heartbreaking and an enigma. And it just is like, it is so different from gangster movies. And I think that I've never seen any other mafia movie where I feel like this to the characters in the family. Yeah. And even like the choice to have so much of it in Italian. as well and to you kind of really feel like oh that's probably what it was genuinely like like it felt real it felt authentic like they're just out here they're immigrants why would they be

speaking in english all the time yeah they would be speaking in italian for sure like you know that's and you get that sense of community and like you know in the neighborhood veto corleone was like the guy who's taking care of everyone and it's like his family but also his extended family and it's such a fascinating look into how all of this worked. I'm so glad we spent the time probably like 45 minutes

of Vito at least and that was so well earned but I also feel like I said such a treat because it does make up such of the matter that is Michael now and the entire family where you watch him and how he

Vito changed the game for the mafia. I don't that he was good to his people and the people around him. And I think Michael was like that too. He was trying to be. Yeah, trying to be. But it was a different time. Yeah.

It's exactly what he said, you know. It's like it was a different time because back then with his dad, yeah, people looked to the dawn for protection. And I feel like he probably was like genuinely protecting everyone and making sure everyone was okay, making sure the community was okay. But now it's like, well, at least, you know, where we are. in part two it's like yeah it's a business now we're thinking about making money and it's like much bigger than just like this little neighborhood right where we are in new york yeah it's like

now we're with congress yeah it's huge and so with that comes bigger problems and huh both are so excellent i could i don't think i could pick no i i i can't i feel like you almost have to kind look at them as like one right you know right right totally i like the whole one and two are the dawn yeah forever like this is i like i totally totally understand why people are like these are the greatest movies ever made yeah i think anyone could argue that yeah absolutely it's just so timeless so great i feel like even in 50 years it'll still be really the greatest movie some of greatest if not still the greatest movies ever made yeah wow yeah guys wow wow an experience what an experience thank you for joining us on this wild emotional intense journey yeah hope you

enjoyed it and yeah consider subscribing or whatever you know never go against the family don't go against the family subscribe press the bell icon all that stuff anyway we'll see you soon I'm a Chara Cook This is SubsaBrat Ciao