The Godfather: Part II is without doubt the most impressive example of film-making ever. Francis Ford Coppola displays his directorial genius once again in his story telling, based on Mario Puzo's powerful novel. Despite the absence of Marlon Brando and James Caan the cast is incredibly strong, notably Robert DeNiro who flawlessly plays the young Vito Corleone. Al Pacino gained excellent, well-deserved reviews as he convincingly plays the cool Michael Corleone. Robert Duvall also deserves a mention for his vital role in the movie, he plays the family's lawyer Tom Hagen as impeccably as in the original Godfather. Before I saw the sequel, I believed that the Godfather was the greatest movie ever made but the Godfather Part II surpasses the original, which is not common. I thought having two stories running parallel throughout the movie was a unique and intelligent idea but the most impressive element of the movie was the broader picture of the mafia family's dealings given to the audience. As great as the original was, I thought it was somewhat limited. However, where its predecessor fails the Godfather: Part II succeeds resulting in an exquisite movie.