The Godfather make me an offer that I cannot refuse. This movie is a masterpiece.

Rating: 10/10 (8 September 2015)

It's basically impossible to watch this movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola, without already knowing some of the major themes, motifs, plot twists, within author Mario Puzo's story; due to how popular the film is. Even, if you haven't saw the movie, you probably heard of it. If you had, saw it. You might agree with me, in scope, that this movie is indeed, one of the greatest films ever made. Based off, Mario Puzo's 1969 novel with the same name, The Godfather tells the story of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) on his journey, from reluctant family outsider to ruthless Mafia boss, during the criminal drug wars of the 1940/early 1950s. Without spoiling the movie, too much, I found that a lot of critics, overpraise Marlon Brando's work in this, a way too much. Don't get me wrong, Marlon Brando does deserve, a lot of credit for making his character, the patriarch Vito Corleone, so iconic. I just don't believe, that he deserve, the Oscar for Best Actor, that year. In my opinion, Al Pacino should had be nominated & won. After all, Michael is pretty much, the main character, not Vito. Also, Pacino is the one actor that kept the movie, going, with his great range of emotional. Brando show-what disappears, toward the middle of the film. If any, Brando deserve to win, Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards, because Brando's acting is secondary to that of Pacino. It's not personality, it's only business. Besides that, the acting throughout the film was well-performed, from all the actors. I just wish, there wasn't much, many characters. It was so hard to keep track of each one. Some actors, worth noting for their performance are James Caan as Michael's hot-headed brother, Sonny Corleone, Robert Duvall as Irish lawyer, Tom Hagen, Diane Keaton as Michael's girlfriend, Kay Adams & last, John Cazale as Michael's weaker brother, Fredo Corleone. As much, as I despise, certain gangster films. There was something, likable with these characters. Yes, they do, horrible stuff, but you can't help, feeling bad for them. Indeed, keep your friends close, your enemies closer. Not only was the film had gifted actors, but it was very well-shot. I love, how the film used doors, as a way to symbolize, the different between family life, and 'the family life'. A great example of this, was the last few minutes of the film in which Kay finds out, the truth nature about Michael. It's a crucial theme of the film. The five families are essentially living the American dream with specific ideals that America at the time greatly treasured. One could easily see this as a deconstruction or even an attack on the idea of the American Dream. So it was no surprise that the families met inside a Federal Reserve Bank. Talk about smart! I also like, how the movie has this stark bleak look to it. All the colors in the film, looks so muted, as if to say, this gangster film was indeed shot in early 1940s, technicolor. I like how, clever, the filmmaker was, when using bright colors. Most of the only bright color, used in the film, was orange. It was used as mostly an item, like a fruit symbol. It representing sin, and greed. It's as if it was the forbidden fruit, in the bible. It was also, used as a sexual way to show impending judgment. Everybody that got near it, end up, dying in the film. While, the movie has tons of other symbolism. It's also shroud in darkness and mystery. The movie even has a few film noir inspire scenes, where shadow, become a big factor to show, how shady, the underworld, can be. Vito's daughter's wedding scene shows the best of this. The movie has a lot of violence as well. Scenes like the real horse severed head were pretty gruesome. Still, compare to modern day, gangster movies, the sex, drugs and violence is pretty tame. For the most part, the movie kept to a somewhat classy mode with its subject matter. I do like the editing. The whole baptize sequence was amazing to watch. The pacing for the film is a mixed bag for me. There were some parts of the film that I kinda found boring or out of place, such as the Sicily, Las Vegas & Hollywood scenes. It felt like, I was watching two different films, due to how unfamiliar, each of those scenes, were, when comparing to the New York settling. I just glad, they were very short. The film also drops a lot of the novel's subplots, such as Sonny's mistress, having a large vagina, and having to get surgery on it. Another thing worth cutting is a lot of Johnny Fontane (Al Martino) and Lucy Mancini (Jeannie Linero) scenes. In the novel they both get big story lines nearly the equal of the main storyline with Michael. I'm glad, they cut it out, because it was too jarring. Though one major one, they cut out in this film: Don Vito's youth and rise to power came back, as part of the sequel, 1974's the Godfather: Part II. Happy, that they found, a way to add that, back in. Leave the Fontane BS. Take the cannoli, instead. The film score by Nino Rota was great. You really think of the word 'mafia' when you hear that tune. While, the film doesn't deliberately speak that word, it did expose, what was then, a mostly hidden underworld of Mafia organizations. Overall: While, some big time criminals and even some stars, like Frank Sinatra were against it, and boycott the film, but they couldn't stop the movie, from being made. The Godfather continues to influence producers of films, television shows, and video games more than 40 years after its release. It's a classic.