THE BEST MOVIE EVER!!!

Rating: 10/10 (28 May 2004)

The Godfather has quickly become this reviewer's favorite dramatic movie. With a mixture of love, action and scandalous plot developments not once in the 175 minutes of watching it did looking at the clock to see how much longer it would be come to mind. There is such a sympathy created for the Corleone family that you end up rooting for them, even though they are a mafia related family. It's crazy to think about really, for instance, this reviewer can't remember the last time she felt sympathy for a murdererÂ… The Godfather is amazing, it's well written, and the cast just meshes well on screen. The names can be confusing because they are all Italian and people address each other by their last name most of the time, but after a while it starts to make a little sense.	The lead character of the movie is, surprisingly, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino). This story follows his coming of age from a young man wishing to get as far away from the business to his deep involvement after some family catastrophes. Upon first introduction Michael is dressed in his service uniform and bringing a new love, Kay (Diane Keaton), to the wedding of his sister. When Kay asks about his family, and his father in particular, Michael explains to her that his father is a mafia leader and he wants nothing at all to be like him. So far, he had been doing very well at trying to keep himself separated, until one day when his father gets shot in the back several times and is put into the hospital. Well, of course, the henchmen aren't going to be satisfied with just putting him in the hospital, they want to finish the job. Luckily, Michael goes to visit his father and upon arrival realizes that there is no one there keeping guard over his father. He calls his brother to get backup and places his father in a different room in the hospital. The suspense in this scene is SO heavy it's almost suffocating, in a good way. There are distant footsteps heard coming toward Michael's father and this reviewer felt her hands clench and her heart beat racing; it was so well done. But this is the point when Michael really starts to enter the mafia; and he only gets deeper and deeper into it as the movie plays out.	There is, however, one death scene that is a bit too played out. A character is in a car and suddenly there are a gazillion guys around the car and they all have rapid firing guns. Well, the character is shot while in the car and proceeds to crawl across the seat and exit out the passenger side of the car. At which point, the character puts themselves in full exposure to the henchmen. Why? No clue, but then another 70 or 80 shots are successfully taken AND THEN one of the henchmen proceeds to take a few shots at close range and throw in a few kicks. This is a bit excessive upon reflection but at the time, this reviewer almost cried. It was SO unfair! If it wasn't for the fact that it is completely impossible, jumping into the screen to save the victim was all this reviewer could think of. Once again, it's amazing because the victim wasn't exactly an angel to say the least.
The story is truly what manipulates the audience to feel sympathy for this family. They seem to be falling apart left and right, which is tough to see because they used to be such a strong unit. The values of family love seem to be falling apart with each new marriage, the men are trying to stay ahead in the game but they keep getting attacked from behind because there are traitors amongst the alliances. Personally, this reviewer can't wait to see the two following films in this trilogy and compare them to the first, because topping this one will be extremely difficult.	If your looking for an awesome drama, watch The Godfather, it's got a little bit of everything in the story for everyone. It's a great movie to watch on an icky day when you're stuck at home, because it will make time fly so fast.