A Timeless Cinematic Classic; It's a Crime Masterpiece.

Rating: 9/10 (17 July 2014)

'The Godfather', the first part in Francis Ford Coppola's classic crime trilogy, is an almost perfect movie, with every aspect of it working to its advantage. Before this film, Coppola wasn't known much for his directorial skills. But the mastery of art he showed with this masterpiece amazed everyone.
From Marlon Brando's stunning makeover to the incredible acting of almost every member of the cast, Gordon Willis' spectacular cinematography, tight editing, the remarkable background score (Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola), and almost everything else in the movie is quite flawless. No matter how many times you watch it, from the opening scene with Don Vito being asked for a favour at his daughter's wedding, to the final scene with door closing on Don Michael, the new ruthless boss of the Mafia family, the movie's three-hour long runtime captivates you till the very end. It's unlike most other crime movies with too many plot twists, action sequences, etc. The film is quite character-driven. It mainly shows the transformation of the character Michael Corleone, the war hero returning home during his sister Connie's wedding. Michael was the innocent and reluctant one in the family, who always stayed away from the family business. After certain events, he is compelled to take over the business, and it's sad and intriguing at the same time to see this character slowly evolve into something completely different from what Vito, Michael or any of us had expected. Ultimately, it's a movie all about family.
Marlon Brando was not even 50 when he gives his Oscar-winning incredible performance as the head of the Corleone family. Al Pacino, who plays the central character, gets his career launched with this movie, and shows what he's capable of. Other supporting actors like James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Richard S. Castellano, etc. - all of them give brilliant performances.
There are so many scenes and dialogues in the movie which are more than memorable: the opening favour scene, the horse head on the studio head's bed, the sequences together showing the planned downfall of the family (including shooting of Don Vito), and especially, the craftily directed baptism scene, during which the family executes a few things to finally rise up.
Nothing can be pinpointed in this movie to be called as flawed; it's an exceptional crime drama. It's an astute adaptation, and the movie stands on its own. But if it had a little more heart, I could have called it a flawless and perfect masterpiece.