(Paramount, 1974, 200 minutes) - add this title to your Netflix queue
Cinephiles agree that The Godfather, Part II is a rare example of a sequel that actually surpasses what came before it. Half sequel and half prequel, it follows the ever-less-idealistic Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) as he consolidates his caporegime, intercutting these scenes with slices of his father Vito's Italian childhood and early years in New York City.
Vito, embodied before in regal old age by Marlon Brando (who doesn't return for Part II), is here portrayed as a brash, ambitious young man by Robert DeNiro. Although only one handsome dog makes a fleeting appearance, straying through a street scene, Director Francis Ford Coppola uses an off-screen dog's predicament to prove just how respected and feared Vito is.
Young Mama Corleone introduces her husband to a widow whose landlord is evicting her because she keeps a dog her son adores; she asks Vito to intercede on the lady's behalf, and he does. He doesn't even have to make the guy "an offer he don't refuse" - all he has to do is tell him that he never forgets a favor; ask anyone. Approached by the young Godfather on the street, the landlord, not yet aware of who Vito is, responds with something rude about his "Sicilian ass."
Vito's powerful reputation takes care of the rest. Dog lovers will cheer when the duly cowed landlord shows up later at Vito's office, thoroughly humbled. And although we never actually see head or tail of him, the dog stays in the picture.
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