Leave The Gun - Take The Cannolis

Rating: 8/10 (17 December 2006)

In 1940's New York, Vito Corleone is the head of a powerful organised crime syndicate, but he is ageing, rival gangs are vying for control and the new racket - narcotics - offends him. Fiercely protective of his family and business interests, what does his future hold ?
For me, this is the ultimate revivalist picture - nobody had made a gangster movie for ten years and from out of nowhere Coppola made this stunning, sweeping, moody and evocative classic which not only smashed box-office records but became (and still is) the definitive gangster film. Aside from the incredible style, what appeals to me most is the grand tragedy of the movie; although he's a crook, we can't help but admire Vito's world-weary pragmatism, moral code and love for his children, and shiver at Michael's descent from innocent to avenger to cold-blooded killer. Vito's acute sense of failure, particularly in the garden scene, is as heart-wrenching as any of the (memorable) action or suspense scenes. The whole movie is a catalogue of stunning sequences though - the opulent wedding-party, the horse's-head-in-the-bed, the deserted hospital (my favourite), Sonny's bullet-ridden death on the causeway, the assassination in the cafe, the final montage intercut with the christening - all simply breathtaking. The performances are sensational, with many great little bits by the lower-order players (Marley as the bigoted studio boss, Lettieri as the kingpin, Castellano as the cheery Clemenza, Montana as the unfortunate Luca Brasi), but for me, Brando is the heart of this film. He's not my favourite actor - he's a bit pretentious in his angry young man roles and totally loopy in his later ones (see The Missouri Breaks), but this is a masterful performance. He makes the Godfather both real and mythical, simultaneously open-hearted and enigmatic; a rare lead role of a thoughtful old man who, despite all of his courage, power and intelligence, the world ultimately passes by. It's a sensational piece of acting. His line, "I refused to be a fool, dancing on the string held by all those bigshots.", sums up both his character and the genius of Coppola. The richness of this universal theme is beautifully enhanced by Nino Rota's gorgeous, melancholic score, and the sheer quality of the amazing imagery. This is an incredible tapestry of a picture; an unprecedented critical and commercial success, the grandfather of all movie-brat blockbusters, the most influential crime story ever filmed and an unmissable treat for all connoisseurs of great cinema. Scripted by Coppola and Mario Puzo, from Puzo's bestselling novel. My two favourite pieces of trivia - the writers censored the word mafia from the screenplay, and the baby in the christening sequence is the director's daughter and respected filmmaker in her own right, Sofia Coppola.