Just what everyone needs: another 10/10 review of The Godfather

Rating: 10/10 (7 May 2020)

The Godfather Part 1 is genuinely one of the greatest films of all time, in my opinion. And I guess in the opinion of many, many other people too. The only reason I add the "my opinion" part is because I don't want it to seem like I'm suggesting it definitely is objectively one of the greatest of all time, because objectivity as a concept is kind of silly, and also because if someone doesn't like the film, or was disappointed by it, that's totally okay. I think it's perfectly normal to watch a classic film and feel as though something's off. I've lost count of the number of classics I'd say I "appreciate" whilst not particularly "enjoying."
But the original The Godfather for me is the rare film where I both appreciate and love it to an amazingly high degree. This is a nearly three-hour film that packs so much into its runtime that every time I watch it, I'm blown away. I've seen it on so many occasions that I know what's going to happen to who, and when, but there are still sequences where I'm on the edge of my seat. It doesn't matter that I know the outcome; the execution of many scenes still blows me away. Al Pacino's character facing a particular moral dilemma at a restaurant is one of my favourite sequences of all time, and really, I only single that one out because if I didn't limit myself, I could call every scene an iconic scene...
... Okay, I can't help it. I also want to rave about the opening scene, especially because I find it best to avoid spoilers (yes, even for old movies. I was born almost 25 years after The Godfather. I couldn't really watch it until 15 years after that at the earliest. You can't tell me I "had 40 years to watch it so too bad about getting spoiled"... sorry, mid-review spoiler rant over). The opening wedding scene lasts a very long time, and the first time I watched it I may have thought it was a tad overlong (from memory, I had this at a 4.5/5 for a couple of years, then bumped it up to a 5/5 after my first rewatch). But, knowing the story better, and being a little more patient perhaps at an older age, I think the opening scene is incredible. Beyond being beautifully shot and constructed, and beyond the iconic opening monologue and first shot of the film, it's a fantastic achievement in writing.
We get almost all the main characters introduced in a short amount of time, understand who they are and where they stand, what their basic personalities are, and just why Brando's central mob boss character is so revered and feared. Sure, Michael explaining things to his girlfriend may seem like an easy way to convey some of this information, but it's not a crutch, and honestly I think it's organic enough. It's a huge, long movie with a lot going on, and so a long, dense, but still extremely engaging opening scene is needed to allow that story to progress properly.
Almost every scene after that opening scene is fantastic. The one part of the film I don't love is really the film's second sequence in Hollywood, but it's quite brief and still so far from bad. It might just suffer because it comes after a great opening and before approximately two hours of truly iconic stuff (it does feature an infamously memorable climax though, of course).
Really, just about everything in the film is beyond top-notch. Brando and Pacino have seldom been better, and that's saying something, and all the other supporting performances- including the crazily underrated Robert Duvall- deserve almost just as much praise. The music is beautiful, the look of the film amazing, the emotional stuff is devastating, and the violence still packs a surprisingly brutal punch (that one dodgy beatdown delivered by Caan's character aside).
If you haven't seen it yet, I'd still say go in with moderate expectations. You might love it, you might like it, you might respect it but find it a bit dull... but the less expectations you have, the clearer your response will be. I say that after hyping the movie up a whole lot, I'll admit, but those are my honest thoughts and feelings. I understand its status as a classic and gladly count it among my personal favourite movies. Part 2 is also very good, but I've never loved it as much as Part 1. Part 3 is a step down in quality, but I don't hate it. It has the most flaws of all the films, but there's some stuff in there I like too.
Anyway, watch this first one if you haven't yet, and go on from there with either Part 2 or maybe Part 2 & 3 if you like it. I think the first Godfather has the reputation it has for a reason, and deserves at least one viewing by just about every fan of film at least once in their lifetime.