The Vito story might have worked as a short (90 minutes or so) prequel film, but of course, audiences were expecting much more. As a result, Coppola and Mario Puzo give us a story of shifting for power (similar to the original movie's feud against the five families). This time, however, the story seems almost incomprehensible. Why exactly are the Rosatos and Hyman Roth trying to kill Michael? It is never adequately explained.
While the original movie had two sequences that are just about unparalleled in film history (the wedding party and the baptism), there is nothing to parallel them here. The simultaneous murders of Barzini and the other heads of the five families was a cinematic tour-de-force. Here, it seems only tired.
What can't be complained about are the film's production values, which are spectacular. The locations are gorgeous, whether 1950's Havana or 1910's New York. The score is just as strong as that of the original movie. Gordon Willis proves once again that the Academy is idiotic for not giving him an Oscar (unbelievably, neither his work here, or in the original film was ever nominated).
The acting is uniformly strong, with standout performances from Oscar-winning Robert De Niro (looking very young), Michael V. Gazzo, John Cazale, Lee Strasberg (in his film debut), G. D. Spradlin, and Robert Duvall. Al Pacino's work has been praised elsewhere, but his acting has never really appealed to me. Talia Shire has been overpraised for her brittle Connie.
A very good film, but not great, and certainly not the best film of 1974. Chinatown gets that honor.
Copyright 1997 by Dale G. Abersold
