well even though is loosely based on one of the original godfather's of the 5 families it is a top 5 of all time,and godfather 2 is even better and it captured the early time's in nyc when italian immigrant's came over,they even recreated the italian festival's which honor the saint's which some parts of nyc still do today.every actor was either new,or veteran and hit their characters with conviction.some italian mobster's and mob historian's say these film's almost hit home a little to real.they are a must see at least once a year.