bkoganbing Mario Puzo's continuing saga of the Clericuzio family continues with The Last Don II which has Godfather Danny Aiello passing on, but before that bringing back his grand nephew Jason Gedrick and proclaiming him his successor as head of the crime family. At the same time Michelle Burke, Gedrick's sister has taken over a film studio as part of the family enterprises and things are looking good for both.But as Joe Mantegna said to his son, trust no one really. Ironically the same advice that Herod gave to the Emperor Claudius in I Claudius. And I did say Mantegna who if you remember the original series was killed. He comes back as a ghost for Gedrick and Gedrick listens because Mantegna is the only one who has no interests of his own on this earthly plane.Both Gedrick and Burke deal with some attempted power plays to get them out. In the case of Burke it comes from former studio head Robert Wuhl who was fine in the first film, but really comes into his own in the sequel. He steals the film whenever he's on the screen and he's so incredibly arrogant and hateful that you will cheer when he gets his just desserts.As for Gedrick his being betrayed by someone very close whom I will not reveal except to say jealousy can strike us all.Also outstanding in this one as in the first film is David Marciano who is Aiello's son and passed over for succession, but quite content apparently in his role as consigliere.The Godfather was a period piece and The Last Don takes us into more modern times, but some things never change in the culture Clericuzios operate in.If we're lucky there might be a third installment.

Jack Keane I caught "The Last Don II" on the channel True Entertainment (an offshoot of the True Movies channels, which always show old and crappy American TV movies) the other night, when my mum wanted to watch it, as she had seen the first "Last Don" series many years ago, and was curious to see how they had continued it. We were both disappointed. Why? Because "Last Don II" is actually a comedy. It may not be sold as one, but believe me, it really really really IS. For one thing, the music for TLD2 sounds like the spoof "Godfather" music that Alf Clausen always does in The Simpsons whenever Fat Tony and his crew appear in it (which is ironic, considering that Joe Mantegna - the voice of Fat Tony himself - appears in this too, as part of some outlandish dream sequences). And who composed the music for this? None other than Angelo Badalamenti, the man who gave us such memorable and inventive music in his collaborations with David Lynch. For shame. And then there's the acting. Is there any? Very little, it turns out. Most of the cast members are as wooden as an elm tree. (This isn't helped by the presence of both Kirstie Alley AND Patsy Kensit, who are both the dampest of squibs in an ocean of damp squibs in this series.) But a few of the cast who emerge unscathed from this include a very young Alison Pill (who deserved better material, but thankfully went on to be extraordinary in "In Treatment," "Milk" and "Scott Pilgrim"), Jason Isaacs (HELLO TO JASON ISAACS!) and one cast member who I thought was Stephen Root, but apparently isn't, but who near the series' end breaks out through the dull dirge that has gone before, and realises that he's in a comedy, and so acts accordingly by going completely over the top of OTT...and then they throw him off the top of a building. (Boo!) And then there's the death scenes, which are tragically mishandled. How is it possible that scenes involving a man getting crushed by a shipping container, a woman being blown up by a bomb in a box, a man being strangled in a prison cell, and so on, be the most hilarious parts of the whole series? It's amazingly awful, and breathtakingly bad. It's almost the worst thing I've ever seen...but I've also happened to see David Lynch's "Wild At Heart", which thus far remains the worst film I've ever seen. Anyway, you've been warned. Only watch "Last Don II" if you're viewing as a comedy, and have a steady stream of alcohol to numb the pain. (Watch with friends, as well, for maximum enjoyment!) =))

mitch-62 The Last Don II was not written by Mario, or even based on any outline he came up with. I was glad it finally came out on video though, as I collect anything with David Marciano in it.Last Don II served a good purpose. It tied up a lot of loose ends, gave some closure to certain characters, and allowed us a more intimate peek into what happened when time caught up with some of them.It is a good advancement of the story line, tightly plotted, with some good twists and surprises. I enjoyed it, enjoyed the scenery, the sets, the costuming. The sets evoked a mood of unavoidable destiny, of the inflexibility of fate that surrounds some people.Tragedy was inevitable, the triumphs small, the power structure unbreakable. Its rare to see American history brought forward into modern situations the way this film did, and I think it succeeded at that.It seemed to be showing bits of a very small percentage of American culture, and there didn't seem to be much to attach it's message to the average viewer's life, and that seems to be a necessary ingredient for success in films. Still, I enjoyed the story, the way the film was put together, and the acting. I would have preferred someone older in the leading role, but that wasn't the story, was it?Though Mr. Puzo had nothing to do with the film, I still think it was a successful sequel to his work.

Are-Jay The story is good as is the plot and action. But the actors and actresses are a joke. This movie tries to rival the Godfather, but fails miserably. First of all, Jason Gedrick (a great actor) plays a lousy mobster. He is too soft and frail looking for a mafia tough guy. The characters of Claudia, Georgio, and the undercover FBI female cop --- were all played by lousy actors and actresses. They need real Italians like - Joe Pecshi, Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Alyssia Milano, Tony Danza, or others. This movie may have been made for TV, but any solid Italians would laugh at this movie as it doesn't portray alot of Italian culture in it. Italian Culture is important for mob movies. I don't remember any of the characters speaking alot of Italian in the movie. And the character who played Claudia's unfaithful husband--- OH Please! What a loser! As if a Mafia girl would ever get involvoed with a fruitcake loser like that. But Kirsty Alley did a great job acting in the movie. Probably the best person in the movie.