And I Said to Myself, This is the Business We've Chosen

Good movies are rare. Good sequels are even rarer. The Godfather Trilogy is great because it is about more than just gangsters, it is about complex decisions and how everyone of them impacts our lives. This is shown the best through Part II. Every decision the characters make have huge impacts. This is even shown through generations, as the Godfather's decisions years earlier clearly have an impact on the life of his son in the present day. This is not accomplished in Part I or III due to their linear narrative. Choices do matter in these films, but not as much as they do here. This even extends to the decisions of leaders of nations as we see chaos ensue in the backdrop of the Cuban Revolution. The family is extended to that of a nation and parallelism is seen throughout the film. Our decisions matter and they impact everyone.

Part I is good, however, iconic images do not change the fact that it is not as emotionally effecting. When we see Micheal at the end of the movie, alone with his thoughts, we understand what has happened. He, and his father, has made some wrong decisions, no matter how correct they seem in the moment. The absence of some actors does not change the writing. It is in the writing where Part II exceeds Part I and the complex picture of family, nation and the past that is shown and can apply to all of us. It is just taken to an extreme through a family involved in organized crime. The point of Godfather II is, to quote Magnolia, we may be done with the past, but the past is not done with us.

All right, I gotta go watch Godfather II again....and Doc, I suggest you do as well to learn that the better movie is not found with bloody horse head, but with the emotional impact and point of the film. Never go against the family, Doc, move Part II up in that top movie list.