Definitely deserves its high rating

Rating: 10/10 (16 July 2004)

I haven't seen all dramas, nor have I ever seen all movies made that revolve around the mafia, but this is the best drama I've ever seen, and the best movie that revolves around the mafia, by far. Marlon Brando is a fantastic actor, and while I haven't seen any other films with him, I can't imagine that he's done much better work than he did in this film. Al Pacino was also great in the film, and I think it was fairly early in his career. The film is character and plot driven, which is a welcome change from the action-driven films which is the dominant genre today. The film is never predictable, and is free from the typical cliches that pester most dramas. For a crime drama, it's very entertaining and interesting, for a drama, it's very well-paced, and for a film it's just damn good in pretty much every way. The plot is good, very well-written and interesting; I don't think I've ever payed so much attention to a drama, let alone one that takes almost three hours. It just grabbed my attention from the very first frame, the very first words that were spoken caught my attention, and didn't lose it for a second. It has a good pace, it doesn't rush through the scenes, yet it never gets stale or boring either. The acting is great, all the way around, every single actor does a great job. There weren't any that I felt gave a less than great performance. The characters were well-written, credible and well-developed. There weren't any of the characters that I felt I knew too little of, like it is with most new films, even dramas. The direction and editing is great, some of the cinematography is magnificent. The dialog is well-written and well-delivered. The film has some very quotable and memorable lines. The violence is well-made and not overdone in any way; it shows the ruthless killings that were, in fact, being committed by the mafia at the time period that the film takes place in. The film shows, with brutal honesty and without censoring details or violence, how the mafia worked, and how big their influence was in the 1940's. A truly great piece of cinema, worth your time if you have at least a vague interest in crime dramas or films dealing with the mafia. I recommend it to pretty much everyone, especially fans of any of the actors, the director or crime dramas. Also recommendable to anyone who is interested in mafia films. 10/10