It is a movie "you can't refuse"!

Rating: 10/10 (1 February 2007)

Imagine a room full of seasoned movie goers and critics. The topic of discussion - what movies are the best ever? And the name that unanimously pops up as a strong contender for the top spot - The Godfather. With an incredible star cast, an incredible director (Francis Ford Coppola) and a strong story (Mario Puzo) this movie surely deserves all the praise that it can get.
The Godfather is a three hour movie based on the life of the Italian American Mafioso based on the original novel written by Mario Puzo, who also has written the screenplay along with Coppola for the movie as well. It stars legendary and highly respected actors namely Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, James Caan, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, etc.
What makes Al Pacino's role particularly tough is the evolution and the development of his character. He starts out as a person who does not want to do anything with the family business and as circumstances change he gradually changes the direction of his life and evolves throughout the movie. And Pacino does it splendidly. Surely his acting skills are not overrated as some might feel.
The story is a depiction of bitter reality, a bitter reality that was already put forward in the novel and made more accessible and imaginable in the movie. Perhaps this also explains why some haters of the movie exist. It does not offer the escape from reality many other movies seem to offer and let us face it - it is not a simple, straight story to understand. Though 3 hours in length, many viewers could watch it over and over again and each time a viewer watches it he might understand it in greater depth.
The direction is near flawless. This is one huge reason why this movie is always critically on the top spot. Incredible research has been done by Copolla and Puzo in depicting the Mafia world. How does a Don think? How does he protect himself by organizing layers and layers within his empire that render him untouchable by the law? How insecure does he feel? What does he consider when he plans a move? How careful does he have to be in every step that he takes? How does he exploit the whole system around him in order to be the one controlling all the strings (please note the puppeteer's strings in the logo of the movie The Godfather)? These are some of the questions both the movie and the novel try and answer.
For those of you who have read the novel, I am pretty sure most of you will not be disappointed. It is the best example of how best can a movie be made out of a splendid novel! And for those who saw this movie and liked it, I'd suggest that you read the novel as well for it shall explain in even greater depth the subtle details of the working machinery of the Mafia empire. And yes, please see The Godfather 2 as well.
And may I also add in the end that the second part "Godfather 2" is a fulfillment of the first. A must watch for every person who has watched part one.
I am sure that this movie is going to retain the honour of its top spot and critical finesse for many years to come.