Possibly the only time in Hollywood history that a film sequel measures up to (or, in some ways, surpasses) the original, Francis Ford Coppolla's "The Godfather Part II" (1974) will go down in history as one of the greatest films of all time. With his masteriece, "The Godfather" (1972)properly rewarded by audiences, cirtics, and the Academy, Coppolla set out, in very short order, to both provide a follow-up and a prequel that would do the original justice. To that end, he hit on all cylanders. Possibly the most difficult job for the director was to cast an actor capable of giving the same sort of understated, yet powerful performance that garnered a much-deserved (whether he wanted to accept it or not) Academy Award for Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone. He struck absolute gold with a young Robert DeNiro. Deniro, as young Vito, was so good, and so convincing that he was able to win the Best Supporting Actor Award while hardly uttering a word of his performance in English. THe tale begins in the present and through the use of flashbacks, allows the audience an in depth study into the makings of a family business and the lenths at which the heads of the family will go to both obtain and protect their power. AL Pacino leads returning original cast members (Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, John Cazale...) through the sequences that see the seventies version of the Corleone family dole out heavy doses of vengeance and retribution to all who have and continue to cross the line that interferes with the family's "business." All of the principals are again exquisite but I personally was held rivited by the flashback scenes featuring DeNiro as an honest, hard-working immigrant who learns, through his exposure to the reality of the streets, that he must take control of his situation if he is ever to realize his ambition. A fantastic picture from beginning to end and well worth endless repeat viewings. In an era that is less character based and more special effects driven, we owe it to ourselves the indulgence that these sort of classic films may give us. Novels come to life are far more engrossing than the sort of comic book characters that are feasted upon by the audiences of today.