The film is much better than the book, I must say, but that shouldn't suggest that the book isn't a work of art in and of itself. One thing that I wish FFC would have done, that would have made this film more perfect than it already is, is to add in the scenes where Sonny gets the call from that detective about the shooting of his father, the following scene where he tells Mama Corleone, and the scene where he walks into the Don's office, glances at his dad's chair, and decides not to sit in it. It draws out Sonny's role much better, and serves to help the viewers better understand the personality of Santino Corleone as not only a hot-headed killer, but a gentle, loving person. Sonny was my favorite character in the film.