Releasing any mafia-related films in the wake of The Godfatherseemed like a fool's errand. After all, the first two chapters in Francis Ford Coppola's epic about the rise and fall of the Corleone family in postwar America are widely considered to be the high-water mark of cinema. As a broad, operatic statement about legacy, capitalism, and the American Dream, The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II track the full scope of being driven by ambition in this nation.