"The Godfather" of all movies.

Rating: 9/10 (11 March 2006)

"The Godfather" is much, much more than a great film - it's a legendary film, regarded by thousands as the greatest ever made. And its continual reign at the top of the IMDb.com top 250 proves this. There have been so many reviews written about this movie and its subsequent sequels, so much written about it - not only here on this website but in magazines, books, universities, the whole caboodle - that someone like me has to be careful that their review doesn't go over too much old ground and become boring. Unfortunately, to a large extent, "The Godfather" is famous for people being unanimous about what makes it so good and so I will probably have to repeat what countless others have said.
Certainly one can not fault the story itself - a magnificent tale of life in the Mafia and, in particular, of the development of the youngest son of Don Corleone (Marlon Brando), Michael (Al Pacino). The screenplay, adapted by Mario Puzo and Coppola from Puzo's own novel, is a breathtaking affair of first-class writing and suspense, and is a fine example of what is sadly missing in many of today's films. The fact that we, as an audience, are drawn into this world by the way in which it takes its time to unravel its many different layers is something that a lot of filmmakers don't consider today.
Take, for example, the scenes after the attempted murder on Corleone. The audience are told exactly what is going to happen with Michael's revenge, so that everything will seem plausible when the time comes. Think about it; if we had cut straight to the scene in the restaurant after Michael's announcement that he is going to kill Sollozzo (Al Lettieri) then the fact that Michael finds a gun in the bathroom would seem ridiculous and we would not believe it. It is like this throughout all the film - everything is explained to us, every last piece of information needed to tell us why this thing happens later on in the film, why he dies at this moment. It means that the movie takes its time - the DVD version I have is aprox. 164 minutes long - but in a sense you lose track of time because you are so engrossed in the story.
The acting is superb, not just Pacino or Brando, though these two do stand out, but the whole cast, even the extras in Sicily. Again, like every nook of the script, Coppola uses and manipulates every actor's potential to get the performance we deserve as an audience. There's a wonderful scene before the one mentioned earlier where the sons and Tom are discussing what to do next and they're all talking over each other. Utterly believable and excellent.
The film is shot beautifully. I'm no expert on this area and I do try to steer clear of it in reviews, but there's no doubt at how gorgeous the whole film looks. The colour is vibrant, and yet the shadows play such an important part in the key scenes. I believe it really reaches its full potential in the scenes in Sicily, truly capturing the beauty of the country, which in turn is transposed to the beauty of Appollina.
There are one or two flaws - after all, there has never been and never will be an utterly perfect film, despite what some people say - which are also, ironically, perfectly plausible. The female characters are weak and although this is obviously demonstrating the role of the woman in the Mafian society, Diane Keaton's character could have been stronger. Also, although wonderfully written, the script does need paying attention to, otherwise you are going to find yourself lost in a maze of Italian names.
What you cannot argue against, however, is the violence. Yes, "The Godfather" is a violent film, but the great thing about this violence is that Coppola only uses it WHEN ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. Unlike many films today, the violence in this movie is essential to the plot, to keep it driving on and also to give us a fantastic character study of Michael, particularly towards the end of the movie.
Enough's being said; if you haven't seen this movie you HAVE to see it, just to see what all the fuss is about. That's what I did, and it turned out all right for me. I mean, I haven't found a horse's head in my bed....yet.
9/10