THERE’S A SCENE in The Godfather Part II, which hit theatres 45 years ago this December, where mob boss Michael Corleone reveals his knowledge of bumbling big brother Fredo’s role in an attempt on his life: “I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart.”
Fredo, ultimately, sleeps with the fishes while the film reeled in six Academy Awards – the first sequel to win Best Picture and, with The Godfather, the only original and sequel to both take the prize. In turn it elevated the mob-movie genre into such glorified air that, 45 years on, stars Al Pacino, 79, and Robert De Niro, 76, anchor one of the most anticipated films of the year, Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, alongside an all-star roster of gangster screen veterans.
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