Regarded a classic for good reason, Coppola's crime epic is sweeping in scale yet intimate in scope.

Rating: 9/10 (9 February 2018)

Coppola's crime saga is sweeping in scale yet intimate in scope, focusing as much on family dynamics as mafia machinations, and is all the more impactful for it. 'The Godfather (1972)' honestly feels epic, despite the fact that its relatively few key events are all quite contained (considering it spans nearly three-hours.) This effect is hard to put your finger on but certainly tangible, especially in retrospect; it really feels as though you've witnessed a journey, the beginning of an empire or at least a transitioning period within it, in a way which few films have achieved. It's actually a fair while before we learn anything out-rightly illegitimate is actually transpiring, though, and even then its all treated so casually that it really does feel just like the family business. That's a real strength of the picture, too: how little it relies on needless exposition to convey its characters or world. It is refreshing to get a truly inside perspective on sometimes unseemly events without ever being bombarded with morality, but instead trusted to make up our own minds about several situations that are shaded in grey. While the piece is a little long and can sometimes meander, several explosive sequences and character-driven moments add up, in equal measure, to an excellent experience overall that has defined the gangster genre. It is regarded a classic for good reason. 9/10