The debate over whether The Godfather Part II is better than The Godfather would have been infinitely easier if the sequel hadn't lost a pivotal cast member. In an industry where sequels are notorious for not living up to their predecessors, Francis Ford Coppola faced an especially daunting challenge making The Godfather Part II. Not only was Coppola following up a great movie, he was attempting to follow one of the greatest movies of all time. The director responded in the only way he could: by delivering yet another all-time classic. 2b4e

Marlon Brando's performance in The Godfatheris one reason why the gangster movie is heralded as a classic, and his unmistakable voice was based on a real-life mob boss. The cast of The Godfatheris one of the best ever assembled, with Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton and more all at the peak of their powers. Still, it's Brando who often steals the show, and he's the one who was awarded the Oscar for Best Actor, despite his limited screen time in The Godfather.

There are few films that can claim to have as great an influence on cinema as Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather. The groundbreaking masterpiece, which was released 43 years ago and won 9 Oscars at the 1973 Academy Awards, not only redefined the gangster genre as a whole—it also critiqued the American dream, casting it as an American nightmare.

By the end of The Godfather, Michael Corleone has become cold-hearted enough to take his father’s place as the head of the family, but if one storyline had turned out differently, that wouldn’t have happened. The Godfather chronicles the dual stories of a seasoned mob boss reaching the end of his life and choosing a successor, and his only wayward son getting drawn into a life of crime. Michael was supposed to be the first Corleone to lead a legitimate life, but he ended up being the only suitable candidate to replace his dad.

Legendary director Steven Spielberg recently named one classic crime movie from 1972 "the greatest American film ever made," but it curiously made him want to quit directing. The list of Steven Spielberg's movies has a lot of overlap with the list of the best movies ever made. From timeless classics like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Jaws to modern masterpieces like Lincoln and Schindler's List, Spielberg is easily one of the most prominent filmmakers in American history. There are plenty of people who aspire to be Spielberg, but even he has his own role models that he strives to be like.

Steven Spielberg remains one of the greatest living filmmakers working in Hollywood. After getting his start with Jaws (1975), the director would continue to find success with a host of films, including Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and two Indiana Jones sequels. Spielberg didn't slow down in the '90s, releasing some of his most acclaimed and beloved films.

The reasons behind Michael Corleone's valiant attempt to turn the Corleone family into a legitimate empire in The Godfather are deeper than one might assume at a glance. Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 epic might be the greatest gangster movie of all time, but whereas most mafia stories chronicle the protagonist falling deeper and deeper down a hole of criminality, The Godfather finds Michael pulling in the opposite direction. Throughout the entire trilogy of The Godfather, Michael tries desperately to transform the Corleone family from an underground racket into a respectable operation.

You'd be hard-pressed to find someone in 2025 who doesn't consider Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather to be one of the greatest movies ever made. The 1972 film changed the nature of the silver screen, elevating the gangster genre to the heights of Shakespearean tragedy with a star-studded cast including the likes of Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, and the magnificent Marlon Brando, whom Coppola fought tooth and nail to cast as Don Corleone instead of 11 other actors.

One of the most chilling scenes in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather is undoubtedly the infamous restaurant hit, in which fresh-faced Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) guns down Virgil "The Turk" Sollozzo (Al Lettieri) and corrupt police captain Mark McCluskey (Sterling Hayden). Notably, the future don ignores directions to open fire immediately after exiting the bathroom, instead opting to kill the two point-blank after sitting back down at the table before leaving the gun at the scene, which is actually an unrealistic Godfather moment, according to one former mobster.

Although there is no need to even consider a remake of The Godfather, it is fun to realize that Reacher features one star who would be perfect casting for a vital ing character. Of all the movies that don’t need to be remade, The Godfather trilogy is pretty high on the list. For one thing, director Francis Ford Coppola’s endlessly influential mob movies are some of the most universally acclaimed films ever made, so it would be almost impossible to improve on them with a remake.