Among the best films ever made

Rating: Null/10 (15 March 2011)

This is mostly in response to some of the bad reviews I've read on this on the site. It absolutely contains spoilers. If you haven't seen it yet, do it, and then please come back and read this, especially if you didn't like the movie.
While it may not be the greatest movie ever made, it is certainly my personal favorite and is up there among the best with movies like Citizen Kane and Casablanca. One of the main criticisms I saw of this film was that it was too long. This is pathetic. 3 hours, in the great scheme of things, is really not that long. If you really want to give the film a chance, you can manage keeping your eyes open for that long. That being said, its length is necessary to manage the progression of the story. Think about it: there is not one scene that can be removed from the film and have it keep its composure.
This leads me to the second main criticism, that it is too long-winded, and as some people say, has no plot at all. This is simply false. The main crux of the story, for those who refused to look for it, is the development of Michael from a puppy-eyed guy who had a swell gal and hated his father's business to a cold-hearted, truly evil character who oversees half of the film's deaths in a matter of 20 minutes, movie time. Some claim that this transformation is not called for, and that it seems too sudden, but there is really a cause and effect. McCluskey punches him, he gets mad, realizes that he should kill Sollozzo and McCluskey, goes to Italy, comes back heartbroken after the murders of Appollonia and Sonny, and finally snaps when Vito passes. Of course, this leads to his rise as Don Corleone, giving him the power to execute Barzini, Tattaglia, Cuneo, Zaluchi, and Moe Greene. It's actually very well thought out.
Then people say "Why wasn't Vito like this?" The reason why Vito is such an interesting character is that he is not like his counterparts in the other families. Pay close attention to the film and you will note that he never orders the death of anyone. The closest he comes is in the very beginning when he takes Bonasera's request, but he specifically states that the two men who beat his daughter are to suffer, but not to die, because it is not "just." Perhaps equally as close is the warning to Michael that someone (Tessio) will betray him to Barzini. He never says to kill the person, it was basically just a heads-up. He clearly regrets that Bruno Tattaglia was killed, and especially that Sollozzo and McCluskey were killed by Michael. It is Vito's near-pacifism that exaggerates the ultimate development of Michael. Indeed, Michael waited for Vito's death to kill Carlo; Vito would have never approved of that. A second facet of this is his refusal to participate in narcotics. He says to Sollozzo it's merely for political reasons, and understandably so. But Vito is a moral man, and at this stage of his life, he sees the evil of his ways. I have yet to see The Godfather Part II, but it would not surprise me if Vito had some sort of epiphany in the course of the plot that led him to see his error.
And if you can't understand him, you're not trying hard enough. Watch it twice if you have to.
People also rant about the lack of violence in the film, but this is ridiculous. If it were advertised as an action film, then I could see the point. But that is not the case. And in addition, when shooting comes, like in the baptism scene, you can't ask for much more in 1972 than what you see there.
Finally, the film is criticized for alleged glorification of the mafia business. I will admit that this is romanticized, but neither Mario Puzo nor Francis Ford Coppola sets out to create accuracy. In addition, people haven't really had a problem with more recent films like The Town, which gave back stories to bank robbers. In fact, Jon Hamm's cop character was easily the least likable character in that film, though the world usually perceives him as the good guy. For older movies, look to Best Picture winner All Quiet on the Western Front, from the perspective of Germans in World War I. Just because it's from the perspective of the "bad" side doesn't mean it's glorifying them.
Okay, my rant is over. I've pretty much covered not only why criticisms fail, but also why this movie stands as one of the greatest of all time. The only criticism I may have of this film is Connie's reaction to Carlo's death. Carlo was very abusive to her, and she was clearly unhappy in her marriage, but she is extremely distraught and calls Michael a "bastard" after hearing of Carlo's death. It seems inconsistent, but it's not nearly enough to outweigh the final few seconds of the film, let alone everything else that makes The Godfather the classic it is.