The dark side of the American dream

Rating: Null/10 (26 March 2002)

Citizen Kane is truly an excellent film. Before you mistake this review for another empty "This is a classic, see it, best movie ever made" rundown I advise anyone who hasn't seen "Citizen Kane" yet to read on, because I'll be very informative about what makes this a fantastic movie.
You see, people who write vague reviews are only supplementing their true opinion with what they are egged on to believe by other people. "The Godfather" is a prime example of that, as every positive IMDb user review with the exception of two or three comprehends what they really thought of the film. The rest is simply rambling from twits who were either enamored with the hype or simply excited by those Italian accents and sadistic violence. (As you will see, I do not recommend "The Godfather." see my review. Although I feel exactly the opposite about "Citizen Kane", I'm sure it has (and will continue to have) the same amount of vague comments.)
I saw "Citizen Kane" on the impetus of its tagline as a landmark film and that Orson Welles' directed it. I did not know it was on the IMDb Top 10 or how many awards it won.
Citizen Kane is an early examination of the American goal of industry. Charles Foster Kane starts out as a not so successful child, nurtured by connections and networking into one the richest publishers ever to walk the face of the earth. Loosely based on the career of William Randolph Hearst, who faced a similar not so glamourous remainder of his life, but unlike Kane he was a Nazi and an anti-Communist. As an actor Orson Welles is a chameleon and extremely unforgettable in the role of one man who had everything but one thing money can't buy.
I advise you to watch Citizen Kane if you have not seen it already and to keep in mind that it was made in a totally different time period in America. Every decade (and century), a one of a kind movie will be released, and while I can't say Citizen Kane is the best movie ever made, it deserves Top 5 recognition as one of the best films of the 20th century.