One of the greatest, most iconic cinematic achievements of all time

Rating: 10/10 (15 August 2019)

Where do you even start with a film like this? There are so many layers to The Godfather, so many little intricacies among the plot, that it is simply impossible to fully analyze this film in one review. With this in mind, I'm just going to give some of my thoughts on the film here.
The Godfather does not really have one focused plot line that you can point to. It really just focuses on the inner dealings of the Corleone crime family. There are many things going on, but at its core, it is a film about this family. Through this, though, there are a few stories told. We see the fall of the once immensely powerful Don Vito Corleone, and then, as it would appear at the end of the film, the eventual rise of the family again under its new leader. We see the transformation of Michael, the Don's youngest son, throughout the movie, as he goes from the young man that wanted nothing to do with his family's illegal business to the man in charge of the whole thing. We also witness the terrible and bloody gang war that the Corleone family becomes deeply involved in. Ultimately, The Godfather tells an incredible story, or multiple connected stories, revolving around the Corleone family, as we learn about the inner dealings of this crime organization along the way. From the opening scene, I was completely pulled into the story of this family, and didn't return to reality until the end credits started rolling. It was truly an intriguing and fascinating tale that I couldn't get enough of.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the film was the story of Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino. His eventual rise through the ranks to the new head of the Corleone crime family is so intriguing because of his transformation as a person that was required to make this happen. He becomes more and more morally corrupt as the film goes on, until at the end he becomes the cold-hearted, ruthless leader of the crime family. The film does an excellent job of illustrating what you have to become to rise to the top in a business like this, and shows how these leaders end up having to lose a bit of their humanity to be able to do the things that are necessary to keep their power.
Francis Ford Coppola's masterful direction is one of the main factors that made this film as iconic as it is. The overall mood of each scene is done perfectly; nothing ever feels out of place, everything always feels like it was done exactly as it should be. In fact, I can't really think of anything at all that should have been done different. The one thing throughout the whole film that was messed up slightly was when Sonny was beating up Carlo in the street. You see one punch that clearly was way off, yet Carlo still reacts as if he were hit. It's a very minor detail that can be missed quite easily, but it pulls you out of the film for a moment. Once you get a visual reminder that these are all actors on the screen, it can throw you off just a bit for the rest of the movie and taint your enjoyment of it. Of course, this didn't happen as everything else was done to perfection, so nothing really bad came of this one minor hiccup. The film is still a masterpiece, and a few seconds of confusion won't ruin that.
The iconic cinematography of this film is also such a key part of it. The low-lighting used in many of the scenes captures the mood of so many of the moments, especially in the first sequence of the film. Vito Corleone's daughter is having a wedding outside, and the sun is shining and everyone is dancing and happy. Then, throughout the wedding, the scene will switch to inside, where Vito will be talking business with someone. In these moments, the background is so dark we can barely see the characters. This important feature draws attention to how dark and shady the family business is, in contrast to the overall upbeat and hopeful tone of the wedding. There are many more instances quite like this in the film, but I am not going to point them all out, as, like I said, it is impossible to talk about all of the details of this film in one review. In short, the cinematography and use of lighting are used to perfection to help the viewer derive the mood of the situation from scene to scene.
The score of this film is just as iconic as everything else about it. The music is fittingly dark and used to appropriately set the mood at the right times. It is perhaps one of the best scores ever composed for a film; if not, it is certainly one of the most iconic.
The movies epic 175 minute runtime does not feel excessive or unnecessary like some 3-hour films can. Instead, it feels just right for the story it is telling, and somehow manages to never overstay its welcome. The lengthy runtime feels completely justified due to the overall nature of a film like this, and there is really nothing I can think of that could be taken out without negatively affecting the final product.
The acting in this film is absolutely outstanding. It's stunning how great the cast is at times. Some of the most interesting characters ever created were brought to life by these incredible performances.
Marlon Brando is on a whole different level is this film. There are so many times you can't even believe he's acting. His iconic voice and line delivery has created some of the most iconic and recognizable quotes ever. The performance he gives is chillingly effective and almost frightening, and fittingly so. It is simply one of the best displays of acting I have ever seen.
Al Pacino is also outstanding in this film. I believe he had the most screen time in the movie (despite his best supporting actor nomination), and he does a great job of living up to that. It is really his first iconic role, and it ended up becoming perhaps his most iconic role. Perhaps he doesn't outperform Brando, but he certainly does as good as anyone possibly could at living up to the standard that Brando sets from the opening scene.
James Caan and Robert Duvall do not disappoint either, giving strong performances to back up Brando and Pacino. In fact, there is not a single member of the cast who I think underperforms. At the very least, everyone did their job well, with many going above and beyond to make this movie the incredible achievement that it is.
And then there's the big question: does this film stand the test of time? The answer is yes. The Godfather is a timeless classic that I really don't see ever falling off. Many of the themes are still relevant today, and even without that, it is worth watching simply for the incredible cinematic achievement that it is, and the filmmaking lessons that can be learned from it.
The Godfather is, in short, an epic masterpiece of a film. The direction, story, acting, cinematography, music; all are outstanding and iconic, and they all come together to make this incredible, nearly flawless movie. This review really only scratches the surface of all this movie has to offer, as there is just so much under the surface to be uncovered through deep analysis of this film. Because of this, I would recommend multiple viewings of the film to ensure you are getting the full experience and not missing anything. I know that I will certainly be watching this many more times in the years to come. It is almost undoubtedly one of the best films ever made, and one that everyone has to see at least once in their lives.