The greatest movie of all time.

Rating: 10/10 (22 February 2002)

Warning(slight spoilers ahead)
What is perfection? Perfection is, according to my dictionary, perfect condition, faultless quality, highest excellence. These phrases perfectly describe "The Godfather". There is truly no greater movie. There is no superfluous scene, plot twist, nothing. Marlon Brando, with the exception of Robert De Niro, is the greatest film actor of all time, and he more than proves why. It's funny how no studio executives wanted him because in the '60s he made some bad movies and killed "Mutiny on the Bounty" the way Michael Cimino killed "Heaven's Gate"....but he was in top form in this film. His character, Vito Corleone, was one who was deeply committed to his family, that was of paramount concern. Sure, the film romanticizes violence, and that in reality is a bad thing, but you just cannot help but love it. Coppola is a genius, and this film more than proves why. Al Pacino is one of the greatest actors ever, and his transformation from naive, innocent young Michael Corleone to ruthless, cold-blooded killer is so subtle you have to watch the film again to see exactly how he did it. The theme song, of course, is unbelievably melodious, Nino Rota is another genius, everything associated with this movie is nothing but genius. God bless Mario Puzo, who passed away a few years ago, for writing the novel. This movie has so many famous quotes it's unbelievable. It's ironic given the serious tone of the film, that I laughed my *** off(don't exactly know what your rules are on the "posterior" word) when Clemenza instructed the guy to "leave the gun" and "take the cannolis". Diane Keaton is very pretty, and an excellent Kay. My only gripe with the film is that Robert De Niro was not in it. Yes, he was in the sequel, and won an Oscar for his performance, but this is in a way superior to Part II and I wished he was a part of this one. I also smiled when Brando smiled when he knew that Michael was going to protect him when he was in the hospital, family. The bond between family that should not be broken. Oscars for best picture, Coppola and Puzo's screenplay and actor Brando(in arguably the greatest acting performance in cinematic history)(rivaling De Niro in "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull", himself in "On the Waterfront", Anthony Hopkins in "The Silence of the Lambs" and Jack Nicholson in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", Meryl Streep in "Sophie's Choice") On AFI's 100 Greatest Movies at #3(should be #1). This movie NEVER bored me. It's amazing. There's NOTHING wrong with it. It is truly, the greatest American film of all time. 10 and a half stars out of 10.