The Godfather this is not

Rating: Null/10 (29 July 2004)

OK, there has been a lot said about this one. Either people seem to love it or they hate it. Let me just say this: this is a good film, nothing more nothing less. Is it too long? Yes. I read somewhere that Leone was going to release it in two 3-hour blocks, maybe it would have been better that way, as two movies. The problem with this film is that you NOTICE that it is long. In the Godfather films, the three-plus hours seem to fly by because it constantly keeps your interest. That isn't the case here, I watched the whole thing in one sitting the first time I saw it and I could never do it again. It isn't that the acting is bad (it's quite good), it's just that the story isn't anywhere near as interesting or gripping. It might have been better off as a miniseries or something just because it is not easy to sit through the whole thing without getting bored. 6 stars out of 10.