The Godfather: Part II

The second part of the Corleone universe alternates the rise of young Vito Corleone in early 20th-century New York with the consolidation of his son Michael's power in the 1950s. Coppola creates the rare sequel that equals and perhaps surpasses the original: a meditation on the price of power, family betrayal, and the corruption that corrodes the soul. Al Pacino and De Niro in the same universe but without sharing a scene. A monument of American cinema.

Coppola surpasses the original. De Niro and Pacino in their best roles. The perfect sequel does not exist: it's here.