One of the best films ever made

Rating: Null/10 (3 May 2003)

Critically acclaimed for it's unflinching look at the Mafia world, The Godfather Part I took him three academy awards: Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Adapted screenplay. Marlon Brando (in his Oscar winning role) as Vito leads a powerful cast, who all do superbly in their roles. Al Pacino and James Cann provide excellent support as two of Vito's sons, and honorable mentions are Sterling Hayden and Robert Duvall. Francis Ford Coppola's powerful direction really flushes out everything in this film. Instead of telling the viewer what to feel about the characters, he lets them rather get involved in the storyline. The script too is amazing, detailing very particular things about the life of the Mafia, and also showing how corruption can even get to the nicest of people. The photography is very 70's style and shows the era the film takes place in very well. It's also noteworthy that this film started about every cliche in mafia films today. Whether it is lines such as "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." or just the assassination scenes, it all came from this film. It's a startling and bold achievment in filmaking, but Coppola could have also made the connections between certain characters a bit more apparent. Best film of all time? Not quite, but still close. 9.5/10