"I am going to make him an offer he can't refuse"

Rating: 10/10 (13 November 2008)

Adapted from a Mario Puzo novel, The Godfather has had the most extreme change in views for me, until a couple of weeks I despised it but that was before I rewatched it and now I love it. I think my hate for it was based on when I first saw it at the age of about 16, I really wasn't mature to appreciate the sheer beauty of The Godfather. When released it became of the biggest grossing movies of the 70's and it's no hard to see why. There are so many great aspects of The Godfather. The characters are just so well etched out. The story centres around the Corleone family who are involved with the underworld and their fight to gain supremacy of the underworld over a couple of decades. There is Don Corleone, who maybe an underworld figure but is a man of principle. An example of that is in the scene where he refuses to start selling drugs. Then there is Sonny,who is a far more ruthless man than his father. Micheal, who is the good son is working towards a respectable career. Their worlds turn upside down when Don is almost killed by rival. Sonny takes over the family business and wants revenge. Micheal gets his hands dirty by gunning down the rival(in the famous restaurant scene). Micheal is forced to flee the country so that he can avoid going to jail. Sonny is then eventually killed by rivals and Micheal is forced to run the business. After a few murders Micheal becomes as much of a ruthless mobster as his deceased brother Sonny. What is so remarkable is how family life and business life are intertwined so beautifully. In the beginning at the wedding for instance when they decide to do favours for their guests. All the leads were extraordinary,my personal favourite being Marlon Brando as Don Corleone. There are very few movies that can still shock audiences thirty years after they were first released, The Godfather is one of those rare movies. The scene in which a producer finds his beloved horse in bed with him was deeply disturbing. The Godfather I believe stands heads and shoulders above any Gangster movies because The Godfather is not just about the Mafia, it's also about family. I think most of the credit for the Godfather should go to Francis Ford Coppola. I regard The Godfather to be one of the most remarkable and iconic movies ever made and all the people involved with it should be applauded. Highly recommended to lovers of classic cinema.