Simply extraordinary

Rating: 10/10 (8 February 2005)

That two word summary captures my bottom line feelings about this film: simply extraordinary.
This is, of course, Francis Ford Coppola's greatest film achievement to date. I frankly doubt that he, or anyone else, can surpass this film, although he gave it a pretty good run in "Godfather II." Part of what sets this film apart is that Coppola took one very well known star in Marlon Brando and surrounded him with an ensemble of lesser known actors. The result is that many of those lesser knowns were catapulted into stardom themselves, particularly Al Pacino (Michael Corleone) and Diane Keaton (Kay Adams). John Cazale is perfectly cast is the ignored middle child, Fredo Corleone, and James Caan turns in a memorable performance as the hot-tempered Santino "Sonny" Corleone.
The subtle undertow of this film is that Coppola and Mario Puzo crafted a brilliant script that draws the viewer into a level of empathy with a family of cold-blooded killers. The Corleones are, after all, a family under siege after the surprise attack on the Don, the abduction of Tom Hagen (Duvall) and the murder of the Don's most trusted assassin, Luca Brasi (Lenny Montana). The family draws closer, with the estranged son, Micahel, returning to rescue the family business from chaos. It becomes easy to lose sight of the fact that Coppola has the audience "rooting" for one set of ruthless murderers over the other set.
The climax of the film occurs when Michael orchestrates the final revenge of the family for the murder attempt against his father, the murder of Sonny, the physical abuse of his sister, the abuse of Fredo and disrespect shown for the Corleone family in Las Vegas, the murder of his Sicilian wife, and against the traitor within the family business. Those scenes are controversial on many levels, not least of which was the juxtaposition of a number of the murders with the baptism of Michael's nephew.
This film is a masterpiece of movie-making. You owe it to yourself to see it.