The Greatest, No Matter What Year

Rating: 10/10 (8 September 2007)

Words cannot describe the perfection that is The Godfather. It captivates you from the moment the wonderful and haunting score starts to play to the moment that the credits roll. Coupled with a wonderful script by the author of the book himself and the perfect cast of characters, this movie cannot be called anything other than perfect.
It is a story of a Mafia crime family and how this identity affects those within it. It is a haunting story of love, betrayal, hatred, fear, and, most of all, family. As you watch this movie, you will find yourself wishing that this family was a reality, something you could see and talk to and join. The greatness of the Corleone family is summed up in Don Corleone's line, "I refuse to be a fool, dancing on a string held by all those big shots."
Marlon Brando's performance stands out above all the others; his portrayal as Don of the Corleone Mafia family is so convincing that if you see him in his other films, you will find it hard to be convinced by his other characters. Al Pacino provided a wonderful portrayal of a family member outcast that is unwittingly drawn into the whirlwind of his family's business. Other performances by James Caan and Robert Duvall and all the others completed the greatest cast assembly in movie history.
Though followed by two sequels, The Godfather was undoubtedly the greatest among them as well as being the greatest movie ever created. Citizen Kane may be regarded as higher, but it is the most important movie of all time, not the greatest; The Godfather holds that title. It is a pity that this movie won only three Academy Awards (Picture, Actor, Adapted Screenplay); it was right that it won Best Picture, but it was jipped out of all the other awards it should have won, especially Best Director, by Cabaret, a self-indulgent piece of crap with Liza Minneli as the star. But no matter what awards it won, The Godfather will stand the test of time and will forever be recognized as the greatest film ever created.
100 out of 5