I Don't Think It's THE Greatest. I Think It's ALMOST The Greatest.

Rating: 10/10 (3 December 2014)

Like many, I consider Citizen Kane to be the greatest film of all time. For unknown reasons, Gone With The Wind is my second favourite movie. Right behind these two is The Godfather, the mafia epic that perhaps tops more "best of" lists than Citizen Kane and Gone With The Wind today. As my third favourite film, I do not mind The Godfather ranking number 1 on lists and don't mind when it is raved as being "the greatest of all time." It is not the best in my eyes, but I can see why it would be the best in others. Anyway, my reaction to seeing The Godfather is just like anybody else's that feel mesmerized by this mammoth piece of work.
The Godfather launched the careers of director Francis Ford Coppola, author Mario Puzo, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton and relaunched the career of Marlon Brando. Because of early classics like On The Waterfront and A Streetcar Named Desire, Marlon Brando earned the rep as the greatest and most influential actor in film history. With a string of less successful movies right before The Godfather, Brando's greatest rival, Sir Laurence Olivier (the greatest stage actor of the 20 century), was the original choice to play protagonist, Vito Chorleone. With Olivier still a huge movie star, Brando's performance in this epic put him back on the map and gave him an Academy Award win for best actor. Others actors, as mentioned above were also nominated for other categories, but all lost. I'm glad they lost, it was such a close call that it would have been a polar-opposing house of opinions.
The Godfather tells the story of the Chorleone family: the most powerful and ruthless mafia clan in America. Don Vito Chorleone (Brando) helps out whomever he feels and makes people "an offer they can't refuse." When drug dealer, Sollozzo approaches Vito asking for political protection, Vito, against drugs, declines. So Sollozzo and his current entourage of mob families attempt to kill Vito, which would make his son, Santino (Caan), the new Don as he wants to join Sollozzo. Instead, Vito survives and a deadly web of mob violence explodes. Vito's youngest son Michael (Pacino), is a war veteran who wants nothing to do with the family business, but as the violence rises and the family drastically weakens, Michael is the only one that can bring the family to their original status, by being more clever and deadlier than his father could ever be.
The first half or so, to me, is more of a thriller than drama. Lots of suspense is created after Vito makes the rejection does not stop until after Michael kills Sollozzo and crooked cop, McCluskey. The second half is a drama as we see the family struggling with their downfall and soon rise. The story get more complex as the movie goes on, which may result in a confusion of who's who. That is why this movie needs your full, undivided attention and full concentration. It took me a few watches to completely understand. I love movies that require multiple viewings.
The acting is the best ensemble ever put to film. Brando passes the torch to Al Pacino, as this was Brando's last monumental film and Pacino's first. I don't recall any other movie with such good acting by every single actor.
4/4