The Godfather, Parts 1 and 2

Finally saw these movies thanks to Netflix. The consensus on these movies is that the first one is great, and the second one is even better. I found that to be true, for the most part. Here's my take on it:

The movies are about the moral destruction of one Michael Corleone. Period. Everything else revolves around that, and gets its meaning from that. Even the Vito Corleone parts in II point to Michael's eventual takeover of the family business. And II is better than I because the Fredo storyline is just heartbreaking -- especially at the very end when Michael is thinking back to when he decided to enlist in the Marines and his family's giving him a hard time, and Fredo is the only one to congratulate him. Just heartbreaking. Nothing in the first film comes close to this, and that's only partially because Brando as Godfather has become so iconic that it's hard to take him seriously. Sure, Sonny is killed, but nobody likes him. The ending of the first film has revenge on its mind. It concentrates on that. The ending of the second has regret on its mind. Even when there is revenge, there's no teeth to it. It's sad. And when the very young Diane Keaton tells Michael that she had an abortion...it's just a great scene. So, I concur: II is one of the best films America has produced.

Now, III is supposed to be horrible, although that's hard to imagine with this cast. I have a history of liking movies I'm supposed to hate (Toys, Last Action Hero), so I may Netflix it just to see what all the hubub is about.